Some parents enjoy having their children accompany them to showings and involving them in the home-buying decision-making process. But is it worth the risk? One Utah-based real estate agent says no.
Whether you’re refining your business model, mastering new technology, or finding a strategy to take advantage of the next market boom, Inman Connect New York prepares you to take a bold step. The next chapter is about to begin. Please join us. Join us and thousands of other real estate leaders from January 22-24, 2025.
Homebuyers often think of buying a home as searching for a sanctuary, a place where they, their family, and friends will all feel welcome and safe.
But what happens if something goes wrong with your home and its safety is compromised?
Participate in the November INMAN Intel Index Survey
A tragic accident involving a 6-year-old girl at Carina VanOrman’s home screening in South Ogden, Utah, has led her to recommend that children not attend screenings with their parents. This is one of the reasons.
In a story the Lehi, Utah-based Real Brokerage agent shared on TikTok last week, Van Orman explains how a client’s young daughter’s excitement led to a frightening airlift to the hospital. did.
“The kids would be running around the house watching it,” VanOrman said on TikTok, where the video has garnered about 67,000 views. “Just like all children do. They look at the house and get bored. The parents observe every detail… and the kids look inside the house within two seconds. It’s like zooming.”
@karinasutahhomes Why children are not encouraged to come house hunting with their parents. I learned this the hard way! #lifeflight #traumtizing #realestatestories #utahrealestate #utahrealtor #showinghouses #dangeroussituations ♬ Original song – Karina.VanOrman
Van Orman and a couple were attending a viewing of a 1970s home that was being renovated in South Ogden. While her parents were looking at their kitchen, their 6-year-old daughter became excited and ran around the house, then came out the back and started playing in the garden.
“The family arrived early and was already looking around the garden and everyone was so excited,” VanOrman said.
“I saw their 6-year-old daughter run out in front of their house at full speed into the backyard, and I could see that she didn’t realize the sliding glass door was closed, so I saw her run out front as fast as she could. He was running and I yelled, “Stop!” But before she could stop, she ran straight through that glass door. ”
The house’s glass door was original to the 70’s house, so when the girl hit it, it broke into large pieces instead of small pieces. As the girl stumbled away from the door, a large piece of debris remained lodged in her abdomen, VanOrman said.
Despite Mr. Van Orman’s warnings to the girl not to touch the fragments, the girl looked down in alarm and instinctively pulled the fragments out of her body, cutting her hand off in the process. There was nothing in the empty house to help stop the bleeding, but fortunately VanOrman had a blanket in her car, which she was able to use to put some pressure on the girl’s abdominal wound. . Meanwhile, the girl’s parents were shocked and called an ambulance.
Fortunately, paramedics arrived quickly and found the girl’s injuries were severe enough to have her airlifted to Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, VanOrman said.
“He just needed to be strong in that situation,” his agent told the New York Post. “And I had to try not to be shocked.”
After the incident, Van Orman told the Post that she broke down in her car and was “crying.”
The child was lucky that the glass missed major arteries and organs. Van Orman said in a comment on the video that she too has made a full recovery.
“This was a hard lesson I learned,” VanOrman told the Post about her decision to ask homebuyers not to bring young children to home viewings.
Some TikTok viewers wondered who would be financially responsible for the accident, including what is sure to be a hefty hospital bill. VanOrman said the seller’s homeowner’s insurance was able to cover most of the hospital costs and the cost of replacing the door.
Even if no home construction is underway, there are risks to young children wandering around an unfamiliar property. If children don’t know what to look for, they can easily get tangled in blind cords, trip on unfamiliar stairs, or accidentally expose themselves to poisonous plants in the garden.
Some parents enjoy having their children accompany them to showings and involving them in the home-buying decision-making process. But is it worth the risk?
Email Lillian Dickerson
