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Permission from Builders Flipping Old Houses

marcus118

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Joined
Jun 5, 2008
Messages
1,440
Location
Scotch Plains, NJ
Looking for some advice on getting permission from builders who flip houses. Where I live, old houses are constantly being torn down by builders. Usually they buy the house and let it sit empty for months before tearing it down. I'm wondering what would be the best way to get permission and what I should say to get a builder to agree to it.

For context, I live in NJ. We're not known for being the friendliest bunch :laughing:

Thanks!
 
Flipper Properties

Looking for some advice on getting permission from builders who flip houses. Where I live, old houses are constantly being torn down by builders. Usually they buy the house and let it sit empty for months before tearing it down. I'm wondering what would be the best way to get permission and what I should say to get a builder to agree to it.

For context, I live in NJ. We're not known for being the friendliest bunch :laughing:

Thanks!

Well, it sounds like you are probably way friendlier than most people in Jersey, so hopefully this will work to your advantage when you proceed with the goal you have outlined. It is going to be sort of like playing a slot machine over and over many times until you hit a triple. So you will need to get a pen and notebook and make a list of every single flipper you know of in your area, especially ones who appear to have a larger monopoly on the “Buying and Flipping” market. Sending a written inquiry would net little response, so you will have to call or figure out a way to meet with them in person. Certainly, meeting in person would be the best way of establishing an ongoing network of available metal detecting properties. Figure out when they will be at a particular house near you so you can drive out to meet them. You can construct a good verbal script based off of the many ideas people post on this thread. If you already know of properties that have been bought, they usually waste no time and can be found on the property soon after and you can just stop by and knock on the door for a brief conversation about what you are entered in doing. Knowing how easy a person if might be for a person to be curt and give you the quick brush-off (especially with people having their defenses up for phone scams), I would do everything possible to connect in person. Catching them by surprise in person would probably better results.
 
.... and let it sit empty for months ...

In the 2008 to 2009 -ish real estate melt down, here in CA, certain cities and certain neighborhoods were hit the hardest. Many homeowners simply "walked away" from "upside down" mortgages. There were some areas, in some cities, where it seemed like every single block had 1, 2, or 3 shuttered and empty homes. Very tell-tale because the window are covered with plywood, the lawns aren't mowed, etc....

I suppose during the year or so that they sat there, they would technically be owned by some faraway bank in another state. I knew some guys (honest, it wasn't me), who made sport of simply hitting all these lawns. No one ever bothered them.

But I realize that the *technical* answer to your question is far different. :roll:
 
A couple of years ago I noticed an empty lot in an old part of town. There way a big sign in the middle of the lot saying "Future home site of Habitat for Humanity" or something along those lines.

I called Habitat for Humanity and was granted permission to detect. In addition they told me anytime I came across any other lots with that HFH sign on them, I'm welcome to detect those as well.

The only issue I've run into is that when I see them, the original house is already gone, meaning that much of the lot had been disturbed and lots of trash was abound. I can typically still see where the house was and stay more in the area of the undisturbed yard and sidewalk easements.

This is sort of what you're looking at, with exception of the property being owned privately vs. a non profit/charitable organization.
 
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