A bad economy means more crime!

Last night, we were notified by management that one of our neighbors had an armed robbery during the night. We got the “we didn’t want to alarm you” letter. Yeah sure, my husband is working overnight and we girls are home alone-hmmm, why be alarmed?. So you know how much I slept last night! I wanted details, who, what, when, where, why…but they didn’t give any. They just told us who to look out for.

I called my husband and told him we are outta here. I got up early this morning and started calling around-anything for rent…anything in this school zone. I was amazed at how picky people are in this economy. Most people did not want my dog due to insurance reasons-some just didn’t want the dog at all. One guy wanted no kids-huh? A few wanted massive deposits. One Realtor offered to meet us to view one of the condos across from me but when I asked her about bankruptcy being a problem-we bumped heads. She actually told me-we will try to put your credit through. Try? We do not want our credit pulled. Right now, it is no good. We are being upfront about it. So we have to give a deposit-fine but no pulling credit! So she ended up not calling us back to go look at the place. How professional, huh?

We called another Realtor for another condo and were told we needed good credit too. Last place I called was a townhouse they have been trying to rent for months…months. Not only did we need a credit and criminal check (don’t mind the criminal check) but we needed to meet with the HOA and do an interview. It could take at least 3 weeks. The last few were month to month because…they were facing foreclosure!

So soon after the bankruptcy I do not feel comfortable with all of this. With the discharge papers I feel fine but I already see people are still going by credit. As a previous homeowner, I totally understand that you don’t want to just rent to anybody and want to protect your investment but come on! Half these people don’t have good credit themselves and are looking for A+ credit to rent their place-nah!

If I disclose to them that I have bad credit, recent bankruptcy and are willing to put down a deposit-shouldn’t they budge? Even if I told them that I have been at the same job for almost 10 years and have excellent references? No, it all boils down to credit and it is BS.

I am kind of glad I got the run around because it gave me time to think things through and get over it. You see, I deal with this for a living. My days are filled with horror stories of home invasions and burglaries and all kinds of crime but I don’t like it being so close to home. My husband worked for the sheriffs office here and between that and the work I do- boy we have some stories. Half the things you see on the news don’t even compare to what doesn’t make it on the news! So yeah, dealing with this stuff already makes me a little uneasy about the world.

Knowing all this though, I know nobody is immune from crime. Where I live is actually considered one of the better parts of town. Lots of families, awesome schools and a great environment. What I will do is just be extra careful and step up our security. No more late nights and early morning walks alone with the pup anymore…that’s for sure and I am certainly getting that renters insurance now!

My thing is-if they want to take what we have…take it when we are gone! Not when we are home! Material things are replaceable-our lives are not! The majority of the break-in’s and robberies today though, unfortunately are happening at all hours. Whether you are home or not! It is a scary thing to think about but it is also reality.

I am not writing this to make anyone paranoid but crime is on the rise-I mean look at our economy! People are getting desperate out there. Everyone thinks that it will never happen to them (myself included) but it can. I deal with it all day everyday! The people that thought they were immune to this are the ones that get more effected!

Great, now I am bringing my work home to my blog! lol

Seriously though, just be a little careful. Do what you can to protect you and your family. I can go on and on about this stuff but you get the idea. Now is a great time to look over your home and personal security. A few simple things can make all the difference:

If you have an alarm-use it!

Don’t advertise what you’ve got…example is not to leave that 60 inch plasma TV box sitting out by the curb waiting for garbage day!

Make sure all doors and windows are in good working order and the locks actually WORK on them.

Have good lighting around the exterior of your home.

Trim bushes and shrubs so burglars can’t hide behind them.

Don’t leave your garage door open when you are not in it.

These are just a few things to look for. I can go on forever on this subject but I thought I would write about it to make you aware.