"hi. I'm CerealEyes and I'd like to destroy your front yard

CerealEyes

Junior Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2017
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43
So, that's not the best way to ask a strangers permission??

I'm so impressed with how much success people have with permissions but... Where to start?

Do you simply knock on a door and.. ramble what to this stranger? Do you have a favorite opening line or story?

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I find people to be far too suspect and suspicious now a days. If they even open the door, they are skeptical or think that you know something may be on the property. I've never had much luck with cold calls on someone's house.

I've had better luck with property managers and also I once posted fliers about finding lost items. Got a number of calls about things missing in the yards. I normally do a hand shake deal that I keep everything I find that is valued less than $50. Anything over $50 I split with the owner. Of course, if I find the item I'm looking for, its free of charge. this was several years ago and I did it maybe a dozen or so times.
 
....Do you simply knock on a door and.. ramble what to this stranger? ....

to start with, you try as-much-as possible, to not have to "knock on doors" to begin with. Anyone knocking on the door will have the instant category of door-to-door salesman, or door-to-door missionary of-various-persuasions, etc.... And even though YOU are not "selling" something, or trying to "convert" folk, yet.... you will simply be lumped into that mental category of persons who just interrupted their breakfast or TV show.

Instead: catch them when they're on their front porch (so-to-speak). Eg. someone out doing yard work, working in their garage, unloading the groceries, sipping ice-tea on their porch, etc...... Even if that means scouting block after block of homes in older neighborhoods for a single one like that, and even if it means that such a one isn't particularly the better looking one.

Because the moment you can do ONE like that, it tends to "open up doors" to adjacent ones. Introduce yourself as "their neighbor from a few blocks away...". Have your detector in hand (so that they have the full mental conception of your intention/request). Have a buffalo nickel and a few wheaties you "just found at the house/yard on the corner" so you "have a suspicion that other yards on this block, being equally as old, hold same potential". And you're "writing a story for a historical research you're doing", blah blah.

Make sure you casually get the name of the person whose yard you got onto. Then as you're doing this one, you see someone else arriving home next door or down the street. Thus you "drop the name " of the first one, showing what you just found there (the buffalo and IH you brought with you from the start), and were wondering "if I can try this yard as well".

And I always add: You're welcome to any/all coins I find, as this is just for research hobby I'm doing. I have NEVER (well, only once) had anyone actually ever exercise the option to obtain all the coins I'd found.

It also helps if you are plugged in to museums and historical societies in your area as docent worker/volunteer. Then you have a name badge (for your 6 hr. per month desk-watching duty) to "flash" as you describe the historical article you're writing on the area. And if you go this route/yarn, be sure to have a little knowledge ahead of time as to when their house was built, and something tantalizing about "the stage stop that used to be at the end of the street", etc....
 
I was just on Facebook reading a few posts in one of the metal detecting groups I'm in and they posted a good idea in regards to scoring permissions. He said that he joined a few groups within his community and was posting pics of his finds and was contacted a few times and given permission from fellow members of the community groups. It might be a good way to go providing you're on Facebook?
 
Yeah! Like Tom was saying! "Trust through transferrance" is a huge door opener...Read a lot of Brother Beepheads posts, and take his methods to heart....I will say this, banging on a total strangers door?..after the knock, get the hell off the porch and back off 10' or so...

People need a bubble of protection as they size you up and get comfortable...its just a natural defense deep brain amygdala thing..be aware of how you look and how you present yourself...Are you are a big bearded dirty looking bastard, right up in their grill? Are you a friendly Mr Rogers "Neighborhood person" looking for a safe place to enjoy a beautiful morning getting some exersize??

You gotta give them a safe amount of cushion so they can get a read on you and relax that amygdala....

Sure, babble on like an idiot about the weather or hummingbirds, drop a name...whatever...Beephead just knocks down one permission after another...He's got it down, and it just comes natural to him...

Or else just give them a good hard slap and tell them to put on a pot of coffee, and bring you out some damn pancakes!:laughing::laughing:
 
I can relate. Would you do me, a total stranger a favor that may cost you? How does one get up the nerve?

So, that's not the best way to ask a strangers permission??

I'm so impressed with how much success people have with permissions but... Where to start?

Do you simply knock on a door and.. ramble what to this stranger? Do you have a favorite opening line or story?

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk
 
to start with, you try as-much-as possible, to not have to "knock on doors" to begin with. Anyone knocking on the door will have the instant category of door-to-door salesman, or door-to-door missionary of-various-persuasions, etc.... And even though YOU are not "selling" something, or trying to "convert" folk, yet.... you will simply be lumped into that mental category of persons who just interrupted their breakfast or TV show.

Instead: catch them when they're on their front porch (so-to-speak). Eg. someone out doing yard work, working in their garage, unloading the groceries, sipping ice-tea on their porch, etc...... Even if that means scouting block after block of homes in older neighborhoods for a single one like that, and even if it means that such a one isn't particularly the better looking one.

Because the moment you can do ONE like that, it tends to "open up doors" to adjacent ones. Introduce yourself as "their neighbor from a few blocks away...". Have your detector in hand (so that they have the full mental conception of your intention/request). Have a buffalo nickel and a few wheaties you "just found at the house/yard on the corner" so you "have a suspicion that other yards on this block, being equally as old, hold same potential". And you're "writing a story for a historical research you're doing", blah blah.

Make sure you casually get the name of the person whose yard you got onto. Then as you're doing this one, you see someone else arriving home next door or down the street. Thus you "drop the name " of the first one, showing what you just found there (the buffalo and IH you brought with you from the start), and were wondering "if I can try this yard as well".

And I always add: You're welcome to any/all coins I find, as this is just for research hobby I'm doing. I have NEVER (well, only once) had anyone actually ever exercise the option to obtain all the coins I'd found.

It also helps if you are plugged in to museums and historical societies in your area as docent worker/volunteer. Then you have a name badge (for your 6 hr. per month desk-watching duty) to "flash" as you describe the historical article you're writing on the area. And if you go this route/yarn, be sure to have a little knowledge ahead of time as to when their house was built, and something tantalizing about "the stage stop that used to be at the end of the street", etc....
then you tell them that the East coast guys find all the history and you're just looking for gold !:laughing:
 
in a past line of work, i often had to go on/near private property to do my job (inspections). Alot of people won't respond, or respond positively to a knock on the door. what always worked for me was to politely knock once, if no answer, write a concise note containing your reason for knocking on their door. Leave it and return later, or the next day, and you'll be surprised at how many more people are home, than were the day before. Once you have a decent rapport with at least one person in the neighborhood, you're in like flynn....I live in a small rural town, so my experience may be unique, but i've found that going to the public library and chatting with the oldest librarian there, will net you a notebook full of places, names, and refferrals of the people who know what you need to know about the area.
 
Knock, knock,

Will would please provide some glasses and split this with me, I'm new to the area looking for friends. Midway through, Hey, let me detect your yard, you finish this off for me, also going to need to borrow your shovel.
 

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Knock, knock,

Will would please provide some glasses and split this with me, I'm new to the area looking for friends. Midway through, Hey, let me detect your yard, you finish this off for me, also going to need to borrow your shovel.

Indeed. Few will turn away a man with whiskey. While the "donors" in my area prefer Bourbon, the yards are still stacking up...:D
 
You guys got it all wrong. First, find the property you want to hunt. After the owner goes to work, shopping where ever. Throw a handful of dry wall screws onto the driveway. Go back the next day before they again leave the house. As they open the trunk to try and figure out what end of a jack to use, walk up and offer to help. As you're changing his/her flat, mention you were on your way to metal detect such and such a property. Tell them you probably won't be able to make it to there because of this delay. Then cheerfully say "hey, would you mind if I hunt your yard?" Even tell them you might be able to locate some more of those dry wall screws and save them another possible flat. Works every time!

PS, I get a $5.00 kick back from the tire guy down the street.
 
This thread topic is hilarious..lol..I honestly just can’t stop laughing.(.Hi,I’m Cereal eyes,and I’d like to destroy your front yard)) :laughing:

I needed that,,thanks
 
Go online and find the owners name. This is very important. Wait until they go to work. Start digging. If anyone stops you just say that "owner name here" gave you permission. You might even get permission to hunt their yard.

#dontdothis #justkidding

BCD
 
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