Wholesaler · Mt Airy, MD · Member since 2016 · 130 posts · 56 votes
I pass a house all the time that is a vacant house (starting to fall apart, unkept, notice on window from county, mail piling up, ect.) that would make for an excellent flip in a desirable area. I've been trying to contact the owner in various ways and found out by asking a neighbor that the owner is in a nursing home and has a mental disability. How should I go about this? The neighbor said that it could not be sold in case he got better and was able to return...although it has been vacant for some time and is now uninhabitable according to the county (notice on window).
In my opinion, it would make more sense for him to sell for cash (the house will become less and less valuable over time) and if he got better he could rent using the money rather than returning to a house that needs a ton of work just to be safe to live in again.
What I do not want to happen is to be accused of taking advantage of someone with a disability, but I truly think this is the best solution for him.
How should I go about this? Is it even legal to contact him (This is in Carroll County, Maryland)? Has anyone ran into a similar situation?
Have your lawyer do the tracking and approach the owner, chances are if he has a mental disability his affairs are in the hands of a designated Attorney of Finance that will be making all the decisions not the owner.
Have your lawyer do the tracking and approach the owner, chances are if he has a mental disability his affairs are in the hands of a designated Attorney of Finance that will be making all the decisions not the owner.
@Justin Lenk, as Greg mentioned, if he has a mental disability, then it's unlikely he can enter into an agreement legally and that another should be acting on his behalf.
@Justin Lenk Depending on what kind of government assistance the person is getting it may not be in the owner's best interest to get cash or even find a buyer.
Many elderly people are covered by Medicaid. If the house is converted to cash much or even all the money could have to go to Medicaid.
I would try to find where the owner is. See if there are any relatives that can give insight to the situation. Do a little detective work or you can actually hire a detective.