When I first saw the ‘Hoarders’ TV show, I wondered how they found all those houses.
After buying houses for years, I realize that hoarders’ houses are everywhere. Shocking!
The photo above is of one of the hoarder houses we purchased. Hundreds (thousands?) of dolls. They were in EVERY room on both floors with only one path to walk. and boxes and all accessories. I never walked alone through that house. chucky?
But a lot of people have houses full of things. Sometimes forced to leave: This woman was moved to a retirement community by her children. Sometimes I guess they just broke up? We have had several houses that look like the salespeople just left on an errand, all their furniture and clothes are still there, the dresser cabinets, kitchen and bathroom are full, the closets are full, the refrigerator is full, there are still personal items lying around. Maybe they just packed a suitcase and left? I guess when you’re done, you’re done.
How do you, the buyer, get rid of all the stuff? That can end up being a huge expense.
A house we bought had 62 tires inside. That?!
I have tried many things to avoid throwing it all in the landfill (think of the expense). I’ve tried “move” sales, selling to vendors at flea markets (“for just $X amount you can have everything”), salvation army, any donation collection source, Craigslist.
Once, I had a house in which several larger items were left. Lots of old and worn furniture, but certainly still usable. I put pictures on Craigslist and said, “FREE. Open House 12-12:30. Come with a truck.” I left the house open and came back after 1:00 p.m. Nothing left but crumbs. It was fabulous.
Naturally, we have also spent thousands of dollars in the landfill emptying houses. We ask sellers what they plan to leave (and hope they’re honest) and then lower our offer by approximate costs to clean the house.
Real estate investing is interesting on many levels. We have also left behind some amazing finds: I have a wonderful and beautiful piano. A seller texted after moving out that he had left his motorcycle in the garage and the signed title on the kitchen counter. After my husband had some fun… we sold it for thousands. Again, shocking. Why didn’t the owner sell it instead of leaving it to us? Who knows, I stopped thinking about sellers years ago.
So many stories and so much fun.
What houses of hoarders have you entered? What fabulous discoveries have you obtained with the purchase?