An all to common occurrence these days here in Phoenix is the vandalism and theft in vacant homes. Thieves know that these vacant bank owned homes are an easy target and take full advantage. Some of the more common items that we find stolen or vandalized during our Home Inspections in Phoenix are the air conditioners, appliances, built in grills and pool equipment.
During a recent Phoenix Home Inspection I found that the thieves had even cut and removed the long runs of copper wiring in the attic!
As you can see from the photo, air conditioners get stripped apart and all of the valuable components removed. These air conditioners contain allot of copper that can be recycled and other components that can be resold. In this particular neighborhood there were three more air conditioners that had been stripped that I could see from this roof.
What can you do to protect the home between the time you sign the contract and the time you close? Unfortunately there isn’t much that you can do. I do recommend that you take allot of pictures at the time you sign the contract. Take photos of all of the appliances, light fixtures, fans, pool equipment and pretty much anything that has value and could be taken or vandalized. This way you can at least prove what was there when you signed the contract.
This information was provided by Southwest Premier Home Inspection, the Phoenix Arizona Home Inspection Leader. Visit our website at www.swpHomeInspect.com or call us at 623-203-0106 to schedule your Home Inspection in Phoenix.
