Thread: Homeowners In Foreclosure Stripping Houses

Many of us have inspected forclosed houses that the departing homeowners have stripped or vandalized. I remember one a couple of years ago that the departing homeowners (presumably) removed the range, dishwasher, microwave, numerous light fixtures, garage door opener, interior doors and floor registers. They took everything but the kitchen sink but they did take the kitchen sink faucet.

Below is an article about a homeowner in Arizona who was arrested for "deconstructing" the home he was losing to foreclosure:

Chandler man accused of 'deconstructing' foreclosed home before bank sale

February 16, 2010

CHANDLER -- Chandler police arrested a man who reportedly removed doors, toilets, sinks, a water heater and other essential items from his foreclosed home, which was scheduled to be sold by the bank next month.

On Thursday, a person in a neighborhood near Germann and Dobson roads told a patrol officer that a previous neighbor was "deconstructing" his foreclosed home.

The officer responded to the 2200 block of West Wildhorse Drive where workers were removing various essentials from the home, including two air-conditioning units, a water heater, a water softener, interior doors, toilets, sinks, cabinetry, countertops and the garage door opener.

Detectives from the financial crimes unit were contacted and responded to the location. It was determined that [the homeowner] knowingly removed various essential items from his foreclosed home before the home was to be sold in March by the bank.

[The homeowner] was arrested and charged with defrauding a secure creditor and criminal damage.

Chandler police encourage homeowners to be aware of this law and to watch foreclosed homes in their neighborhoods and report any suspicious activity to police.

Be sure to check out the Photo Gallery. I wonder if the homeowner was careful to make sure the gas was entirely turned off when he removed the gas water heater.

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BB: I once had a listing agent attempt to hold me responsible for missing A/C condenser units at a vacant foreclosure property. Since that time I video the entire property - inside and out - prior to leaving.

I had the same thing (different appliance) happen about 2 years ago on a new house. I video them too.

Well they have exceeded those basic items already. A/C equipment and appliances were the first to go.

Now they are selling the brick pool, patio and driveway pavers on craigslist (no joke) for ¢.25 each. Every single light bulb and fixture, the closet wire shelving, even the trees, bushes and other landscaping from the yard.

Certainly interesting times....

Dom.

Originally Posted by Bruce Breedlove

Many of us have inspected forclosed houses that the departing homeowners have stripped or vandalized. I remember one a couple of years ago that the departing homeowners (presumably) removed the range, dishwasher, microwave, numerous light fixtures, garage door opener, interior doors and floor registers. They took everything but the kitchen sink but they did take the kitchen sink faucet.

Below is an article about a homeowner in Arizona who was arrested for "deconstructing" the home he was losing to foreclosure:

Chandler man accused of 'deconstructing' foreclosed home before bank sale

Be sure to check out the Photo Gallery. I wonder if the homeowner was careful to make sure the gas was entirely turned off when he removed the gas water heater.

I'm sure Sheriff Joe is willing to give him a few days of Gov assisted housing.

Some of the home have open and exposed wires sticking out of the walls. some one is going to get hurt. If you want to do a good deed and mack a few points. Go down to your local news paper and see if you can't get a reporter to do an section of these unsafe condition ad advise parents to keep there kids away form these homes on there street.

Best

Ron

I've seen them where they have even taken out not only all of the appliances and mechanical equipment, but have cut out all of the electrical wiring in the attic, take the receptacles and even remove the interior doors and door frames.

Some are guilty though of leaving a few poor abandoned cockroaches in the cabinets. Poor things!

rick

I did one last week where they even took the dry wall off the walls!!

Sure they weren't just dealing with the Chinese drywall?

I usually see them take all the appliances and even the smoke detectors. What kind of trash dont pay their bills, then strip the house on their way out. True bottom feeders.

I did a foreclosure a few weeks ago where I noticed some of the walls in the house were freshly painted, but not cut in at the corners. I asked the clients agent about it and she said the previous owners were in the midst of a divorce during the foreclosure and were writing very obscene things about each other on the wall.


Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!

Or the one I like to watch on the mexican TV channel that always has scantily clad girls pulling their tops off.
Jose! Jose! Jose!

LOL, not quite the same thing but a few years ago I did and inspection on a "flipper" that was nicely landscaped and decorated. When I checked back after escrow with the buyer they told me the seller had ROLLED UP THE NEW SOD!! and taken it away. They said "it was part of the decoration" and not included in the sale. I love it!! RENT-A-LAWN

Wow! This guy carried it a step further:

Frustrated Owner Bulldozes Home Ahead Of Foreclosure

Man Says Actions Intended To Send Message To Banks

February 18, 2010

MOSCOW, Ohio --
Like many people, Terry Hoskins has had troubles with his bank. But his solution to foreclosure might be unique.

Hoskins said he's been in a struggle with RiverHills Bank over his Clermont County home for nearly a decade, a struggle that was coming to an end as the bank began foreclosure proceedings on his $350,000 home.

"When I see I owe $160,000 on a home valued at $350,000, and someone decides they want to take it – no, I wasn't going to stand for that, so I took it down," Hoskins said.

Hoskins said the Internal Revenue Service placed liens on his carpet store and commercial property on state Route 125 after his brother, a one-time business partner, sued him.

The bank claimed his home as collateral, Hoskins said, and went after both his residential and commercial properties.

Hoskins said he'd gotten a $170,000 offer from someone to pay off the house, but the bank refused, saying they could get more from selling it in foreclosure.

Hoskins told News 5's Courtis Fuller that he issued the bank an ultimatum.

"I'll tear it down before I let you take it," Hoskins told them.

And that's exactly what Hoskins did.

The Moscow man used a bulldozer two weeks ago to level the home he'd built, and the sprawling country home is now rubble, buried under a coating of snow.

"As far as what the bank is going to get, I plan on giving them back what was on this hill exactly (as) it was," Hoskins said. "I brought it out of the ground and I plan on putting it back in the ground."

Hoskins' business in Amelia is scheduled to go up for auction on March 2, and he told Fuller he's considering leveling that building, too.

RiverHills Bank declined to comment on the situation, but Hoskins said his actions were intended to send a message.

"Well, to probably make banks think twice before they try to take someone's home, and if they are going to take it wrongly, the end result will be them tearing their house down like I did mine," Hoskins said.

So he is having big trouble with the IRS too. I hope he does not own a plane.

In what could be a first in Riverside County, a former homeowner is charged with a crime in connection with damage to a property in foreclosure.

A San Diego police officer and his wife have been charged with a felony in the trashing of their six-bedroom tract home, which was in foreclosure, in the French Valley area of southwest Riverside County. From stones smashed off the facade to dye poured on carpets, the damage totaled $200,000, according to court records.

The extent of the damage and the "obvious malice" pushed the case into the realm of criminal behavior, Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. Mike Hatfield said...

Ex-homeowners charged in house damage | Local News | PE.com | Southern California News | News for Inland Southern California

As an agent, I've seen a lot of this in San Bernardino County. Here, it's not likely to be prosecuted for a number of reasons:
1. Highest foreclosure rate in California
2. Highest murder rate (we are between LA and LV--so not all the deaths happened here, we just get the bodies)
3. We are the largest county in the US, but we have a very low density.
4. We are the place where LA and SF counties are sending their parolees due to low housing costs.

This leads to a situation where our police are over-worked, and the property values don't support hiring more officers. So, our sheriffs are spending the majority of their time on violent crime (and speeding tickets).

As a property manager, it would be nice to see the police charge vandalizing renters. But this is the People's Republic of California, so that's not likely to happen.

In what seems to be another lifetime (like about 20 plus years ago) while working for a govt. housing agency, I was visiting a house that was in foreclosure and where almost every door or wall had at least one hole in them. Except for one wall and door which the homeowner actually showed me were still whole -- whereupon his teenage son said "well I can fix that dad" and put his fist right threw them. So some things have not really changed a lot in all these years -- we are just seeing it on much more upscale homes sometimes compared to the houses we financed. I truly think it is homeowner attitude not income that drives these actions.

I've also seen foreclosures cleaned and left like new. They lost it, but it was their home. They could no more destroy it than hurt one of their children.
But bottom line for me . . . inspecting foreclosures is 50% of my business now.
JLMathis