I got a squatter out during COVID, here's how .....

[Christopher Epp]

There once was a squatter that lived in our home; but this ain't Nantucket my friends, it's New York. Home of squatters haven. A state where tenent's get treated like gold and the big bad landlord can bear the cost or foreclose ☠️

Around here you often hear of stories about "professional tenants" and for those of you that might not know what that is, it's typically when a tenant shows up, seeming like the perfect fit, soon to find out you won't be collecting more than your first month and security deposit. Then start the lengthy process of eviction; usually six months to a year. This happened to me and my wife back in 06' but that's another story ;)

A little background on this property before I disclose the magic bullet that worked for us.

> It was a property that I won at auction (took two years to close due to the owner filing an appeal days before the auction)

> Came owner occupied.

> $4k/ mo holding costs

> Cash for keys - squatter wants $50k

> Took us 3 months to take over the property during the height of covid in NY.

Step 1: Gain intelligence....we started by doing drive-by's. Then kept a remote eye on things using deer cams that had cellular transmission. At this point we didn't want the previous owner to know that the home was ours and wanted to remain stealthy. Back up about six months prior to closing, we had our attorney try to work a cash for keys deal and the owner was trying to extort us for 50K to get out. This was not your average squatter so remaining stealthy was key here.

Step 2: Be patient..... high holding costs and getting anxious to start your project could be a detrimental combination to your end game. After watching this guy for a few weeks pulling up in a Maserati, Benz or another one of his luxury vehicles can really get your blood boiling 🔥 don't make rash decisions!

Step 3: The art of surprise ....Find an aggressive eviction attorney that specializes in eviction. This was really key for us on this one. Our attorney served him a few times in a row and in a way that got him shook up. Don't try doing this step yourself. I know it's tempting and you want to save money, however if this part isn't done right it could wind up costing you so much more.

Following the third letter he called our attorney and asked for a few extra days to finish getting his stuff out. This was the best news we could have hoped for. By catching him off guard he didn't have time to research evictions during Covid and didn't want to have an eviction on his record. I understand every situation can be a little different but I would do this process again in a heartbeat.

Having the intelligence set up gave us peace of mind. We could see the moving trucks pulling up and knew that he was cooperating. Use technology to your benefit. We use truly plug and play security technology to monitor assets in real time during construction or during vacancies. This is my forte so feel free to hit me up with any questions!

Cheers !

[Theresa Harris]

The owner sounds special.  Who knows how long they lived there for free and they still wanted $50K to get out?  I'm glad you were able to eventually get him out.