NWMR: abandoned neighbor house

mommymegan831

we've been in out house for 6 years.  Last fall the woman who lived next to us passed away.  She had no family and the only one ever there was a care taker.  Since then the house has been undisturbed.  No one has been to the house, nothing has been done to it.  A few days ago we noticed the blinds in two of the windows are missing.  It doesn't sound like much, but considering the house hasn't been touched in over a year, all of the windows were covered with drawn shades from the inside, so for all of the sudden two of the windows to be uncovered, it seems really odd.  We can't help but wonder if someone has broken into house.  On the other hand, maybe someone is finally working on coming in and getting the house ready to sell.  We're home by around 3 so it does seem odd that we wouldn't see someone if they were coming and going legitimately.  Would you call the police and mention this?

FemShep

Yes, I would call.  If you're wrong, it's a minor inconvenience for the police.  If you're right, it's a serious safety issue.

LauraChicago

You can call the village office. They should be able to give you some information (not release names or anything but can you tell you the bank is dealing with it, it's being sold etc).

We had the exact situation two years ago and the village was able to help us when there were issues with the property.

LauraChicago

Also, it doesn't hurt to call non emergency police number but if you don't think anyone is hurt you can just call the town.

litzo27

Can you set up a camera to watch it for a day or so? I would watch it for a bit and maybe call the association or another local authority if you have it. This house does belong to someone so maybe it's finally being ready to be sold. No need for police until you have more definitive suspicions.

Katelobster

It doesn't hurt to call the police and ask if they know anything about it and ask if they could keep an eye on it. I had a convicted felon squatting in the vacant house across from me

Try looking at your County's website and see if they have property ownership or deed records online. That will show you if it's been foreclosed on and now owned by the bank, or if it's still in her name. If it has a mortgage on it, it will be repossessed eventually, but her death will make the process take longer, especially if she had no will. If she owned it outright, the County will eventually do something with it for non-payment of taxes. It varies widely, but in my area, tax-delinquent properties are sold at a public auction after 3 years of non-payment.

It's also possible that either her will, or a probate court, awarded the house to some long-lost relative who is just now bothering to show up.