Thoughts on an Early Morning Visitor


This morning sometime between 7 and 7:45 my Ring notified me that there was motion by my front door.  I was getting coffee, but my husband said he saw a man taking a photo of the front of our house and then move to the side.  By the time I put down my coffee and stuck my head out the front door, I didn't see anyone.  I thought perhaps it had something to do with our neighbors (who are moving) or it was public service.  However, I thought it odd if it was either of the two, that I didn't see him further down the street. I also didn't see any official vehicles on the street either.  It was all very strange and disconcerting.

A few minutes later I looked out the front window and I saw this person walking down the street away from my house (In the direction I had assumed he would have walked a minute or so ago).  He was wearing a snow cap, a reflector vest (NOT an official one that the utility companies have) and a clipboard.  I stepped outside to see where he was heading.  He noticed me and came back.

I was a bit wary.  I stayed outside on the front stoop. My husband propped open the door (yes, we were heating the world) and stood to my right (slightly behind me).  I asked if I could help him.  He said he was with X insurance company.  This raised my inner alarm a bit and I'm wondering if this is some sort of scam.  The he asked if I was "Jane Doe."  (The name he actually used was my mother's and a little background information might be needed here.  If you've been following this blog for a while, you might know that I live in what used to be my maternal grandparents home.  My mother is the owner of the house and we are technically her tenants.)  Now I was really wondering what the story was.  I said no.  He asked if we had recently moved in.  Again I said no, but slowly a light went off in my head.

Several MONTHS ago my father (acting for my mother) had said he was negotiating with the insurance company that they use to cover the house to get a better rate.  Someone would call us and make an appointment to see the house.  Again, he mentioned this back in 2019 and just a couple of weeks ago my father brought it up again and I said we had never been called and an inspection of any sort had never been done.

My brain was starting to engage (remember I hadn't had my coffee yet) and I said I thought I knew what this was about.  I said that we were tenants of "Jane Doe" and what insurance company was with again.  (Making sure that I kept that name in my head.)  He gave me the name again and asked us some generalized questions.  Things like how many bathrooms, what type of heat, etc.  And that was that.  He went on his way.

I'd like to point out that I NEVER invited him inside.  He never asked to come inside.  He never showed any identification, but I never asked either. I would not have even know that he had been on the property if it weren't for our security system.  (Or if my husband and I hadn't been looking outside.)

While I have no problem with an "inspection" or with the insurance company, I DO have issues with someone creeping (my husband's words not mine) around our property, especially at an unusually early hour of the morning.  Sunrise was just after 7 this morning and the day had not yet fully dawned when he was here.  Who does an inspection at that time?  Who does an inspection without notifying the occupant?  Isn't that a good way to get yourself in a bad situation?  (I don't live in a Stand Your Ground state, but...)

Shouldn't he have immediately showed me some identification WITHOUT me asking?  (Again, I did NOT ask.)  Should he have been wearing a uniform or driving a vehicle that identified him.  (I never did see what he was driving...he was not parked anywhere close by.)  If nothing else, this shows an extreme lack of professionalism that concerns me.

This incident just serves as a reminder to me that we all need to be aware of what is going on around us AND when/if we are the "stranger" to be forthcoming and professional in presenting oneself.

Those are my thoughts...what are yours? 

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