Bug Alert!

Sometimes this business requires you to get down and dirty - literally. Recently, I had a trailer cleaned out. While the cleaning crew was there, I noticed there were a lot of flys hovering over the carpet. I mean a lot of flys, like 30 of them - seriously. So, I ask my cleaning crew about the flys. They told me they weren't sure why they were there - maybe there was some food in the carpet. I planned to have the carpet cleaned professionally after the trailer clean out.

I decided to seek some professional counsel - aka another park manager. The park manager told me it has to be food or something in the carpet. She advised me to fumigate the entire house with "fogger" (see the pic below) before the carpet cleaners came to clean the carpet so the bugs would be dead on arrival.



So, I took the park manager's advice - fumigated the entire house with "fogger." Basically, "fogger" comes in a spray can and you set it down in each room in the middle and it begins spraying the stuff that kills the bugs dead. I was kind of freaked out about it as I thought it was like bombing the house and wasn't sure how much time I'd have to get out. But, it was no big deal. Once you start it, it sprays slowly and you've got some time to get out of the house. I did this for each room in the home.

In any case, I came back after a couple days so that I could meet the carpet cleaners. Guess what I found? Check this out:



It was crazy! It wasn't just one, but a bunch of these things dead all over the house! Yuck! Guess they were hiding. And, yes those flys died instantly too.

In any case, the carpet cleaners came and cleaned the carpet. I've found it better to clean carpets rather than replace them using an awesome carpet cleaning company referred to me by a park manager - they do wonders with carpets. Even if the carpet is really dirty, they take it out using a special machine to steam clean the carpet.


So, lesson learned. Guess I always learn something new with this business. It's all worth it, even if I have to get down and dirty from time to time!

Here we go again!

Here's another deal. This home was an eviction - very different from what I'm used to. Most of the deals I've made have been straight from long time homeowners. The situation was pretty complicated. I won't go into too much detail - let's just say there was a lot of drama with the seller's personal situation. Enough said.

In any case, the seller had the physical title from the owner on record. This meant that ownership needed to change from the owner on record to the seller, and then to the seller to me. I did not know if this was possible to do on short notice - the park manager literally was going to evict the seller in 2 days! Eeeek!

So, I get on the phone with the housing office and they tell me it can be done but needs to be done all in one transaction. Otherwise, we will have a waiting period if done separately. Ok, good. Now, all I needed to do was talk to the park manager to stop the eviction.

I get on the phone with the park manager - he agrees to work with me but not with the seller. So, the eviction was stopped. We went down to the housing office, did the title work and now the seller is packing and getting ready for the big move.

The seller is having a garage sale this weekend to raise more money for the move. We agreed that no funds will be paid until the seller is completely out of the home as well as all of the contents in the home. I am not going to be stuck with someone else's stuff. Agreed.

Wow, what a roller coaster ride this has been ! The park manager now tells me there's another one in the park he wants me to look at - same situation - he is getting ready to do another eviction. Guess this is how you learn, just going through the motions!

INS Raid

This home was the subject of a major INS raid - 26 illegal immigrants and their families living here held hostage as wage workers. The owner who was collecting rent from these people was sent to jail and the FBI was involved. Pretty crazy stuff!

Window Units and Space Heaters

Interesting pic, eh? Yes, this window unit is being held up with a stick - it is too heavy for the window.

Checked out a home with 3 window units in the living room/dining room and 2 space heaters used in the bedrooms, no central heat and air. This is my first encounter looking at a home without central heat and air. The space heaters could be a potential liability - I hear there are some that have automatic shut off. If I end up pursuing this one, I may look into getting more window units for the bedrooms.

Interesting Article - "10 (More) Reasons You're Not Rich"

Read this article. Pretty interesting stuff. Truth is, most people who are rich really do not look rich. For the most part, it is the people who look rich who are not really rich.

Latest "Lonnie" Deal

Well folks, here's my latest "Lonnie" deal. I had no idea this thing would go through. Actually, I was on my way to see a home out on a piece of land before going out to see this one. Turned out, the home on land didn't work out - the lady told me someone else came before me and put a deposit. Told her I know she has a deadline to get the home off her land - if it doesen't work out to contact me but please give me advance notice. Ah yes, many a times I've been called in desperation with someone having a home they need moved that day or the next day! Seriously, this business can be very demanding at times...

Getting back, I went out to this home. It's quite an interesting story. It was owned by a husband and wife couple - they had other properties they owned and managed. The husband wanted to sell but the wife did not - they were currently renting out the unit. After talking with them for awhile, I got on their good side and they both decided it was a good idea to sell. The crazy thing is that out of all their properties this was the one that was cash flowing for them. Why on earth would someone want to sell this?

Well, they didn't really see any value in the home. They told me "....it's a depreciating asset," and plus they told me they weren't the type to shop at Wal-Mart, if you know what I mean. Yes, many a times I get laughed at for doing this business, I think the word "ghetto" is what most people (including some of my friends) have referred to it - guess it just ain't so glamorous, eh?

In any case, I checked out the home. Everything was in pretty good condition and they even threw in a washer and dryer! Guess they really did want to sell the home.

So, we closed on it. Of course, it took the whole day to do the walkthrough inspection and the paperwork with the housing office. But, it was well worth it. Plus, I learned a few things from the sellers about taking care of animals - they used to have goats on a farm. Gotta love this business!

Now, it's in the process of getting cleaned up. Once it's cleaned up, I may have the living room and kitchen painted as the paint is coming off and the carpet shampooed. Then, it will be ready. There are already some people in the park interested - they approached the sellers and asked them if they can buy it. But, the sellers told them they are working with me. Guess they didn't want to be bothered with so many people.

It was a win/win situation for all. The sellers are now happy they don't have to deal with this home anymore. I got a deal. Win/win for everyone.

I'm working on a couple more things. Have more opportunities now with some parks to fill lots - now they are paying me to move homes in ;) Pretty cool....Gotta love this business!

Bank REOs

With the end of the year approaching, my new angle is to work the bank REOs in addition to working with individual sellers. Surprisingly, the banks have been more than helpful. Personally, I was a little apprehensive working with the banks as I've heard they are hard to deal with and have been unresponsive to most people. I don't know if it's just me and my personality, but the banks have been pretty cool to deal with. Maybe my studies with Gitomer had something to do with it. Go figure!

So, today I checked out another bank REO located in one of the parks I work with. Guess what? As soon as I drove up to the house, I could tell the home had some issues. I didn't even have to set foot in the house. What tipped me off? Check this out:



Hmmmm....What's wrong with this picture? Can somebody say roof damage? And, let's not forget about those lovely wood panels with the moisture issues. Can you see the wood breaking up? Here's a closer look:





Ok, so is it just the outside with issues? Here's what I found when I went inside:

Water damaged wall



Mold



Water damage ceiling



Door entryway water damage



Clearly, the house had some issues. As soon as I walked into the house, I could smell the mold. Surprisingly, the park manager didn't think it was that bad...until I came and pointed out these issues. But, what really confirmed my feeling about the house was not the house itself but the neighbor who lived next door.

The neighbor was a friend of the prior owners. Let's just say people talk...And, they talk a lot. Most people want to talk, talk, talk. But, I've found out that if you listen to what people say, you'll learn a heck of a lot especially in this business.

I start talking to the neighbor and asked her a couple of questions about the house. The park manager was with me and really didn't think the neighbor really had that much insight into the situation. Little did she know what the neighbor knew. The neighbor told me about all the water and moisture issues with the house. How did she know? Well, she was the prior owner's neighbor and friend, and regularly came to the house to visit. Whenever people have problems, they talk about them to their friends and people they know. Pretty logical stuff.

So, the neighbor goes on about the house and tells me how the house was always leaking, moisture was getting into the walls, how one of the water pipes burst, how the prior owners would complain water kept getting into the house, etc, etc. Wow, the list goes on and on! Then she goes on to tell me the a/c unit outside is gone - someone stole it. And, there's always been a major leak in the bathroom. Plus, the commode in one of the bathrooms doesen't work anymore. Honestly, this is very important information to know.

What I deduced from the situation was that the roof probably has not been sealed for quite some time. Somehow moisture has made its way into the house and will continue until the problem has been found. However, it's already been to the point where mold is growing and moisture has seeped into the walls. The insulation is going to need to be torn out and replaced with new insulation. Probably the roof will need to be sealed again. All of the walls with the moisture will need to be replaced. Plus, the wood paneling outside will also need to be replaced. Clearly, this house is a much bigger project than what I'm looking for. It will take more time and work to get the home ready and safely habitable. So, I decided to pass.

Lesson learned. I have learned to be humble and listen more to people when it comes to this business. Most people want to talk and think they know what they are doing even though they don't - a big mistake. I learned the hard way. Let's just say my mistakes in the past have cost me a lot of time and lot of money. Now, I have learned to listen when it comes to matters of the unknown.