Dealing with Squatters for Prospective Purchase

[Cherisse B.]

I'd like to make an offer on a property that appears to have an issue with squatters. I've never dealt with this before. Is it worth the hassle? If anyone's had to deal with this before, how did you handle it? Are there considerations in cost that I should be adding to my analysis of the property? Please feel free to share your experience and/or advice on how to handle it. Even if we choose to not move forward with this property, it's still helpful information and I appreciate the feedback.

[Tanner Sherman]

Not how it is in Florida, but in some states squatters are treated legally as tenants after a certain period of time. The best way to CYA is to have it written into your offer that the seller is responsible for the eviction of the "tenants" prior to closing. Otherwise you will have to go through the eviction process which is expensive, and most states give the squatting tenants more rights than the landlord.