Ants in the Lockbox ~ Adventures in Real Estate!

Ants in the Lockbox ~ Adventures in Real Estate!I have experienced a lot of things in real estate but had a new one yesterday!  I was attempting to show a commercial warehouse and the lockbox was at the bottom of the fence to the property.  As I approached the lockbox I could see that a lovely fire ant pile had surrounded the box. Now I keep a lot of emergency items in my car but I have not made it a habit to keep bug spray!  Yikes, these nasty, stinging little creatures were swarming.  And if you have ever messed with a fire ant pile, you have no doubt experienced how mean these little guys are!  They will sting you hard and you will experience days of misery with blisters, pain and swelling! Here in the Houston area we have been experiencing torrential rainfall so these little ants are seeking any place that is dry including a lock box!  They actually made their nest inside the lockbox which jammed up the mechanism to even be able to open it up.  What a mess! Although the owner wanted the lockbox to be placed in an obscure location, this has proven to be non-effective!  The invasion of the fire ants will undoubtedly prevent many clients from seeing this space. Ideally a lockbox needs to be placed where agents can find it easily as well as being able to extract the key from it!  And it needs to be high enough off of the ground to prevent an ant invasion! Ah the adventures we face in this profession!  From now on, bug spray and gloves for me!  Luckily the owner of the building was not far away and was able to come and let us in!  I believe he now understands the this lockbox may not be in such an ideal location!        "Have you fully lived today?" Paula L. McDonald ~ REALTOR® Broker ~ The Woodlands, Texas 936-203-0279 Direct Selling The Woodlands real estate and surrounding areas! Paula@ChevauxGroup.com                    Copyright 2015 Paula McDonald