I'm not mad at you. I admit I was at first. That feeling of shock that came over me as I opened the door and first laid eyes on the results of your evening of "fun." The fact that I was suppose to head out of town for one lousy day of relaxation for the first time this year, but was delayed by the two hours I spent with the Ozark Police Department. The fact that I have spent many hours of my time trying to market the property so that I might make a living for myself and my own son, only to be delayed for who knows how long while the home is being repaired. Yeah....I was angry at first.
But as I thought about it....my feelings changed. I tried to put myself in your shoes and understand what you were thinking while you were having your fun. In my mind, I recreated the moment you were standing by the back window just before you broke it and reached your hand inside to unlock the back door. Did you have a buddy with you? Were you looking at each other and laughing at the idea of breaking glass? Did you high-five each other?
When you opened the pantry and found the buckets of paint and decided to throw it all over the walls and carpet, did you congratulate yourself for having such a brilliant idea? Were you patting yourself on the back? Did you stand back and admire your artwork for awhile?
When you used the vent register to slice up the drywall, did it make you feel really cool? Were you amazed at your own talent of being able to throw a vent register and have it stick in the wall? I know you missed at least once and accidentally hit the fireplace. I'll bet you were glad your efforts weren't wasted because you DID manage to at least break the tile.
And was that your brilliant idea to sweep up the broken glass and shove it into the ductwork? Because, you know, that will take someone a lot of time and work to go under the home and disconnect it to make sure they got it all. That's pretty funny, huh. (Insert Beavis & Butthead laugh here).
I'm sure you're feeling like a stud right now. You probably think you've gotten away with something. After all, you broke out the windows on the neighbor's car last week and nobody caught you doing THAT. They probably won't catch you doing THIS either. See....you're smarter than everyone else. There's no way they could possibly know it was you. Well....for your own sake, I hope you're wrong.
HERE'S THE TRUTH:
You're the guy who walks down the street checking out his own reflection in the windows thinking to himself "Man, I'm lookin' goooood", but you don't even realize that your fly is open!
If you weren't alone, then you had a "friend" there, didn't you? I'd bet my life savings that person is NOT your friend. You just think he is. A REAL friend would have stopped you. A REAL friend would have valued you enough to not want you to make a mistake that could potentially harm you your entire life.
Even if you're a juvenile, you could face up to 5 years in jail, 2 years probation, and community service. Most people believe that vandalism is the result of someone being bored. Were you bored that night? Imagine how boring it would be to spend 23 hours a day in a jail cell looking at the same guy hour after hour. Of course, when your new cellmate, Bubba, decides he can't take the boredom anymore and decides to use YOU for his own entertainment, well...that won't be so fun, will it? BUT HEY....it was worth it, wasn't it?
The Courts will probably make you go to counseling. That's always fun. If you're a juvenile, they'll make your parents come with you. I hope your Mama cries. Not because I wish bad things for your Mama, but because that means she loves you enough to care about what happens to you. You see, when you make bad choices, you don't just hurt yourself.....you hurt everyone who loves you. I hope I can be there by her side when she sits in Court and cries and blames herself for your ignorance, so I can tell her that it wasn't HER fault....it was YOURS. Think that will make her feel any better?
Then you've got to think about what you're going to do when you get OUT of jail. You're probably going to need a job at some point. Good luck with that. Who wants to hire a person who has been PROVEN to be unfit for society? Almost any job requires a certain amount of responsibility and trustworthiness. How are you going to convince someone that you're the right guy for the job?
You see, what you've done is you have taken the first step into a life of misery. The bank that owns the home has something called "insurance." The insurance company will pay to have the home repaired, and I'll be able to sell it. Nobody will even be able to tell you were there. But the proof that you were there will follow you around for the rest of your life. Well....that's only if you get caught. Otherwise, you will continue on down this path that you've chosen and discover that the thrill you got out of vandalizing this home isn't big enough for you anymore. You'll have to keep finding "bigger" crimes to commit in order to feed your "really cool" demons. Let's hope they find you now....before the charges grow into something so large you may never find your way back out.
So, no....I'm not mad at you. I feel very sorry for you. My hope is that there is SOMEONE around you who loves you enough to stop you. Otherwise....well.....good luck with the rest of your life....you're gonna need it.
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Lina Robertson Jones
Owner/Agent
RE/MAX Solutions
1715 James River Road
Ozark, MO, 65721 |
Mobile: (417) 844-7265
linarobertson@remax.net
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RE/MAX - Outstanding Agents, Outstanding Results!
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About the author: I am full-time REALTOR® with RE/MAX Solutions in Springfield, MO, and a member of the Greater Springfield Board of REALTORS®. I have helped hundreds of families in the Springfield, Nixa, Republic and Ozark real estate markets, whether buying a home, or selling a home. Visit my website at www.ozarks-realestate.com to search for All Springfield MO Area MLS listings. Want to know what our market is like? My website is also an excellent resource for current Springfield MO Area Real Estate Market Reports, as well as current market reports for Ozark, Nixa, Republic, and Rogersville.
Ouch....great letter! Well written and thought out! Isn't it sad that some people have so little good going on in their lives that they need to demolish other people's lives. I hope you were able to take the time off....I feel badly about that. Sorry this happened to you....but great letter!
My stomach actully turned when looking at the photos. I am so sorry this happened. Good luck.
Karen - I did manage to get out of town that night. It took me a few hours to calm down, but we had a great time. Thanks!
Bobbi - My stomach turned when I walked in, but the hair on the back of my neck literally stood up when I saw the "slash" marks throughout the drywall. It took us awhile to realize it wasn't done with a knife, but with the vent register. Thanks for the well wishes!
I really think you should send this to the editors of a couple of papers! Very well written and knowing you, I know its from the heart.
Sorry it had to happen.
That really would get me totally insane. I hate when things like this happen.
Lina ... Thanks for this good article and open letter to the person who vandalized your listing. Amazing that anybody .. probably a sociopath ... would do such a horrible thing. Please do send your article to the local newspaper. Best wishes.
Jim - I am much calmer now than I was when I first saw it. I ALMOST let it ruin my trip. Thanks for reading!
Harrison - I won't be sending this to the newspapers. I did receive two phone calls from local TV stations, but the bank who owns the property does not want any media involved. Can't say I blame them. Thanks for reading and thanks for the Facebook add!
Lina I am soo sorry that the person (I am not going to use a bad word because you are not too mad at them)vandalized your listing. This person couldn't find anything good to do but to do something bad? Soo sad. I see that you are on Facebook and Twitter. I am going to add you as a friend and follower. And thank you soo much for your nice comment on my blog. You have now found a new AR Follower of your blogs. Great post.
Wow, I just saw you comment to Bob about comments and came over to read the post you mentioned. I can't get over some dumb kids did this. Cost of repair to the house will be significant as will the time lost selling the listing. I am so sorry this happened to you and to the home owner.
I do want to compliment you for a very well written and thought out post. It's not much compared to what you've been through, but I thought I'd mention it.
Sue
Lanre - Love having new friends! Thanks for everything!
Suesan - Thanks so much for stopping by. I think me and the bank will come out of this just fine. I can't say the same for the kid(s) who did this.
So sorry to see this happen. I assume alcohol was involved or just plan meanness and stupidity.
Betty - Who knows. I'm not sure they could even provide an explanation themselves. It's so sad to see someone take a step in the wrong direction. Thanks for stopping by!
Lina, that is just unbelievable what a person or persons has done to this property. I hope they get caught before they do other things that could take someones life. Thanks for the article.
Lanora Campbell (Mid Nation Mortgage) - Lanora, the bank will fix the property and I will be able to sell it. The sad part is, most of the damage that was done, was done to the person it damaged the property to begin with. Very sad....they probably don't even realize it.
Thats pretty crazy. Nice letter to them. Folks like this dont learn - they get caught eventually...
Lina, well written post, glad you were able to get out of town and relax. Hopefully the people who did this will turn their lives around.
sorry to hear about your listing! I had a property vandalized once and it stinks to have to tell the sellers and everything.
Lina, congrats on the feature,let us know how the investigation goes. I would suggest making copies of this post and taking it door to door in the neighborhoods and asking the mom's if their kid did this would they cry for them or turn them in to authorities to pay for their misdeeds.
Lina, all I have to say is "BRAVO"! You should be a professional writer...or a [juvenile] counselor! This was absolutely awesome...very well thought out, feeling and emotional, honest and straightforward. It's a shame the hoodlums might never see it...would be great if you could read it to them in court. One never knows...maybe they'll actually be caught. Any neighbors have video cameras in their yards? :)
A couple of years ago when we were building houses in succession, we discovered that the local teens had fun with toilet paper and with consumating their relationships in our new homes. After cleaning up rolls and rolls of TP we got the police to patrol the area a bit more frequently. I wonder if the parents ever knew?
We have a lot of this in Michigan too, many homes are striped and many of thoes are vandalized as well- thank you for a different view point on the problem.
Great post and even greater attitude. I'd like to think that I would have the same perspective, but I'm not sure I would be quite so forgiving!
God Bless
Beautiful write, Lina.
My friend, a broker in CA, had a listing in escrow and 'someone' poured pea gravel into the plumbing--all of it had to be replaced. Huge damage.
Destroying property like that is, as you said, step one into a miserable life. But I would still like to kick the butt of the brats who did it and if it was the former owner or someone connected to them--hell to pay! :)
Awesome blog. You're a very big person for not letting the anger take over. Am not sure I could have done it.
Great letter, Lina. I hope your local papers published it in its entirety, and maybe you found a few places to post it around town. Might make folks stop and think before doing such dumb, mean things.
Best to you!
This is just foolish and stupid. I have seen where kids have broken into homes to have a place to party, I have seen squatters, and I have seen anger of people forced out of the homes; but this takes the cake. No motive here but pure mean and stupid.
What a terrific post. You obviously put a lot of thought and emotion into it. I hope if that ever happens to any of my listings I will be able to react as well.
Best of luck on getting it back on the market ASAP.
Robin
Hi Lina - What a shame. I hate to see things destroyed for no other reason than because someone thought it would be "fun." I am glad you were able to salvage your vacation and best of luck!
Heather
horrible. I'll never understand what possesses people to do something like that. Good luck with selling it!
Well written and well said. That's terrible that someone would do this although I am not surprised. Hopefully it gets fixed and you can sell it asap.
Sending your letter to all the editors you can find is a good idea. It's beautifully written, makes your point in a compelling way -- and it just might have some influence on somebody. Sorry this happened to you. It shouldn't happen to anyone. Good luck with the house.
Hi Lina
So many of us have been placed in simailar situations in our lives that it is not hard to relate at all. When you look at the motive, you can come up with a thousand possiblities. The cover may veen be worse than imagined. It is truly sad whatever the circumstances and I wish you luck and more free time to spend in relaxation with your son.
Good luck ~ Brad
What a well written response and attitude to this terrible event. You are an inspiration - and a talented writer. And I am now a fan. Wishing you all the best...
Good for you! Well said! I hope they catch them and Bubba teaches him a lesson.
I came across squatters in what was to be a vacant condo the other day. They had the place so nice and clean, I didn't have the heart to turn them in. Someone will...I just couldn't do it. Now if they had been pigs and vandalized the place I would have, but they had actually cleaned it!
Wow, I have been out showing property most of the day and did not expect the overwhelming response to this. Thank you to everyone for your well wishes.
It is amazing to me that peopel can do things like this. It sort of reminds me of being teenagers and throwing pumpkins out in the street. It was fun, but I felt bad after doing it and didn't do it the following year. Like you said, these guys are probably on to bigger and better things, and hopefully they will get caught sooner rather then later. I sold a bank owned listing two months ago that was in the same condition or worse to a buyer, and I wondered why anyone would do such a thing.
I'm glad you did manage to get a little vacation time in, despite this horror.
Since this is a bank owned property, do you think the previous owners came back to get revenge? When I was handling REO properties I saw a lot of (previous) owner inflicted damage.
By the way, I agree with those who said you should be a writer - or a youth counselor! This was a beautifully written post and a persuasive message. Yes, you should send it out to the newspapers.
Marte Cliff, Copywriter
I grew up in Springfield, MO. People can get really bored there ;) I lived there basically from birth to my early 20's. My favorite restaurant in Ozark is Riverside Inn. If it's not still flooded.
Wow Linda. Very creative and thought provoking Blog. It would make even the most idiotic teen reconsider his or her actions.
Linda,
Good morning. A Dam Shame ! Sad, but some things just don't suprise me anymore [big thanks to those Criminal Rights Activists], but did you contact the Police ? Were there any Fingerprints ? etc... ?
Steven Zimmerman Realtor ABR GRI / Prudential Best Realty, Inc. / GULF HARBORS - on Florida's Gulf of Mexico - Resident, Waterfront Specialist & Developer's Representative http://retaggr.com/page/StevenZimmerman
This post would have convinced me to give myself up. Very well written and thought provoking. You hit thr "proverbial" nail on the head with this. Thanks for sharing this.
We had someone break into one of our listings, plug up the drains in the second story and turn on the faucets flooding the whole house. All the drywall downstairs had to be replaced along with the carpet. What really gets me is don't any of the neighbors notice when these things are going on and don't they realize it brings down the value of their property too?
It's pathetic what was done. At least you handled yourself well.
You'd think they could find something a bit more constructive to do to entertain themselves! So sorry you had to go through this!
Hi Linda~ Too bad some people are so mean spirited and have too much free time on their hands. It sounds like you handled it pretty well. I am sorry it happened to you!
I don't know what my reaction would have been. I know many banks are having this problem and don't want to advertise it. Hang in there.