How do I get inside the house?

Question

I want to wholesale a home in my area, but it is all boarded up. Who is authorized to take the boards down just so I can take a look inside? There are some more homes like this home on the same street. Isn't it a risk to put homes like these under contract? I mean they are located in a very poor area in a real close knit spot.

Account Closed · Answer

I'll add that permission for entering isn't even an issue until you find and communicate with a motivated seller.  Vacant and boarded up houses don't necessarily indicate a motivated seller.  It may indicate a problem but not everybody takes care of their problems as you would. And, if the owner is deceased, heirs are a total wild card.  Start by finding out if you have a live one.  You can worry about entering later.

Aaron Mazzrillo · Answer

You need to get written permission from the owner to enter the house. You might be tempted to take a quick peek inside. I know plenty of trustee sale buyers who do it. If a neighbor calls the cops, you could be arrested. Not worth it. Write the owner a letter. Tell him you want to make an offer for both houses, but you'd like written permission to inspect the inside first and promise to board it back up just like you found it when you leave. If he gives it to you, I'd stop by the neighbors and let them know you spoke with the owner and he authorized you to enter.

If the police show up while you are inside, they are going to assume it is a B&E. The house is boarded up and there are only 3 people who would break into an orphaned house; squatters, copper thieves, and drug addicts. I don't imagine they deal with any of those three people with their guns in their holsters.

Will Barnard · Answer

The only person authorized to open up a home like that is the current owner or someone acting on their behalf (like an agent for instance).

Find out who the owner is and request access.

As for the situation, I personally wopuld not touch it unless I could buy both boarded up homes at one time. I prefer to buy the ugly home on the nice street. With two or more ugly homes, you will have (or likely have) difficulty in selling it. Retail buyers certainly do not want to live next to or near board up homes or trashed homes. That is worse than those on main busy streets.

Account Closed · Answer

Ryan Webber  I know your comments about hard work were intended for Antonio, but thanks for the vacant/abandoned/probate property pep talk!  I'm kind of dragging this morning and kind of grumbly because I have to go to my farm to just to meet a lock smith.  I've never had to hire a locksmith because there's never been a property I couldn't get into before.  I've always prided myself on that.  But this property is in a nice HOA and sealed up tight and I can't just go breaking the windows to get in....even though I own it.

As for marketing dollars versus aggressive tracking/targeting time, I'm been giving that a lot of thought lately.  I'm considering spending a lot more on marketing and spending less time on the targeting.  The challenging leads will still get to me one way or another.

Account Closed · Answer

The #1 culprit for B&E into vacant/abandoned properties in all my farms:  kids. They know where their parents power tools and crow bars are stored and they know how to use them. #2 is the homeless.  My experience with #2 is so enmeshed with theft and drugs that it makes it difficult for me to remember not to lump homelessness, theft and drugs all together.

Account Closed · Answer

Will Barnard Thanks for commenting on the importance of being open to dealing with probate/estate properties. I was just going to leave the OPs comment alone.  My only 6 digit pay day (to date) was a complicated probate deal.  I've done many probate props and they take way more time than a regular deal.  A property that is owned by an estate and the required probate action has been completed is like dealing with a regular seller. A property held in a trust is a piece of cake.  A property with an owner who died intestate, or even with a will, assuming you can find heirs to work with has many costs and it takes a lot of time.  In the best situation you might be able to get it done in six months.  Not for someone in hurry to wholesale.  Not for someone without capital for legal expenses.  But the profits are there.

I know you are working with short sale purchases and networking with agents to get your deals.  However, if you ever run across a property with a deceased owner in CA and run into a wall, please feel free to call.  I love to brainstorm on probate and title challenges.

Stuart Karim · Answer

This is something new that I learned. will try to remember this if ever I am in the same situation. Thanks.

Ryan Webber · Answer

I LOVE boarded up houses, and I LOVE out of town heirs.  Both of those are very good signs.  Not that I would worry about getting into a house before I talk with the owner or at least one of the heirs.  I don't waste my time unless they want to sell.  I find that out first and then go break in (with their permission of course), but I have never worried about getting written permission.

I've had the cops called on me by a neighbor once.  I wasn't in my We Buy Houses vehicle so I kind of suspected it might happen.  Still most drug addicts, homeless people, or kids don't park a nice vehicle in front of an abandoned house in the hood.  The cops were relaxed and when I told them why I was there and handed him my business card, they mumbled they figured and left without another word.  Outside of that one time I've had no problems with going into HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of vacant houses.  Most cops are not going to assume its a B&E if you have a vehicle out front with a We Buy Houses sign on it.  I don't suspect they would be busting in doors with guns drawn on that one.  For all they know, its your house and the neighbor is crazy and doesn't know the house sold.  Its kind of self explanatory if you have advertizing on your vehicle, and I wouldn't even worry about a neighbor calling the cops if my vehicle is outside with my sign on it.

Antonio Bodley, you don't have time to deal with heirs?  What the hell do you have time for then?  This business is work, and money doesn't fall out of the sky into your lap (most of the time).  The big profits come from the hardest deals, just as K. Marie Poe shared.  If you are in this business because you think it will be easy, you should quit now.  Really and truly, get out.  You won't make it.  It takes a tremendous amount of focus and time over the course of years to build a successful operation.  And a "make it happen" attitude is paramount to success.  You will never succeed in this business, or any business for that matter, without it.

How are you going to be a wholesaler without time to go after the good deals?  I hope you have a ton of money for marketing because if you can't aggressively and proactively go after the hard deals the only other option is to spend the BIG bucks to get them to come to you.  Wholesalers only value is deals and deals come from either dumping money into marketing or spending time and energy aggressively tracking them down.  And many of the deals that come to you through marketing (at least half of my deals have title issues) will have heirs spread out all over the country.  So get a good title agent and go to work!

Jerry Woods · Answer

Get you a good ole fashion hammer and knock the boards down.
Nahhh, find the owner and have screw gun handy.

Will Barnard · Answer

Sounds good K. Marie Poe, I will do that.

How do I get inside the house?

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