The Safety Series: Be Aware of Physical Hazards Inside Aging Homes

Older homes and fixer-uppers, which buyers are turning to for greater affordability, are often in disrepair and can present hazardous safety conditions during a showing or inspection. One Florida real estate broker recalls a home inspector falling through the floor of an attic, landing on the agent in the garage below and crashing into the property owner’s Porsche. You’ll be shocked to hear what happens next. Host Tracey Hawkins talks with the broker and a home inspector (who was not involved in this incident) about measures to take when working with properties that may be physically unsafe.

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Meet the guests:

Jeff Lichtenstein is the broker-owner of Echo Fine Properties in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. He manages what he calls a “nontraditional model of real estate that mimics a traditional business model.” Lichtenstein's brokerage has 80 agents, an average of $1 million per transaction and over $500 million in annual sales. Lichtenstein, who is originally from Chicago, has visited 49 states and claims to be “one of the few Chicago White Sox fans you’ll ever meet.”

Greg Patterson is co-owner of Guiding Light Inspections in Kansas City, Mo., and has an extensive background in commercial and residential construction. He is a certified inspector with the American Society of Home Inspectors and has been inspecting homes since 2003. Patterson also is a U.S. Air Force veteran.


 

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Podcast transcript:

About the Host

Tracey Hawkins, also known as “Tracey, the Safety Lady,” is a former real estate agent who founded her own safety education program, Safety and Security Source, in 1995. Hawkins is a content creator who teaches 12 interactive safety classes that she wrote herself. She teaches agents to stay safe and build their businesses by protecting the consumer. She teaches brokerages how to reduce liability. Hawkins has written expert safety content for REALTOR® Magazine and other national real estate publications, including RISMedia, Inman and The Close.