Back in March of 2009, a real estate appraiser named Jason received a normal appraisal request. A two-family house, owner unoccupied, get to it when you have a chance. Simple. Jason arranged to pay a visit on a Thursday.

A certified appraiser for a number of years, Jason saw nothing out of the ordinary when he pulled up to the saltbox-style house. It was located on a side street in Danvers, Massachusetts, which history buffs will recall was once a part of the original Salem Village. But nothing unusual about the house. Just a house.

There was a lockbox on the front door. No one had lived there for a while, so this was standard practice. He keyed the code for the lockbox, got the key, and let himself in.

The first thing that struck him was that every single light in the house was on. Sometimes owner unoccupied houses are kept on timers so that it looks like someone is home at night, but Jason was there in the middle of the day. It didn’t make sense.

He stepped in and took out his digital camera to take some photos of the property. The first floor was laid out like a very wide hallway, one room leading straight into the next. At the end, opposite from where he entered, was a doorway that led to an enclosed porch. The stairs to the second floor were just outside the doorway.

There were a few pieces of furniture left behind by the most recent owners, and one of them was a recliner to the far left of the doorway. Jason paid it little notice.

After he finished with the first floor, he passed through the doorway and out onto the porch. He climbed the stairs to the second floor. The layout was identical to the first floor. Jason made his way through, snapping photos and making notes in his notebook.

As he passed the archway between the dining room and the living room, something suddenly pushed him hard from behind, right between his shoulder blades. He whipped around fast and caught movement out of the corner of his eye. His immediate thought was that a cat had been perched somewhere, pounced on him, and then took off. But there was nowhere for a cat to perch, nowhere for a cat to hide. He couldn’t find anything that could have pushed him. He was all alone in the house.

Jason sped through the rest of the second floor. He was supposed to check the attic, but he thought the attic could wait. He was ready to go.

He went back down the stairs in the enclosed porch, headed for the doorway that led back to the first floor. At the foot of the stairs he froze. The recliner he’d seen earlier was now blocking the doorway.

After taking a minute or so to process this, he shoved the recliner aside, sprinted through the house, ran through the front door, and slammed it behind him.

Real estate appraisers can see some strange things, but sometimes they see some really strange things. Buyer beware.

By: Present Value LLC