All Forum Posts by: Mariele Storm

Ah, perfect, thank you so much, that's exactly what I wanted to know! :)

Gotcha--I didn't know about the cost ratio, but I did know about the rest. I guess my question wasn't clear. I mean, in order to buy the condemned home, who do I contact? If the building inspector was the one who condemned it, do I just start cold calling building inspectors and asking if there are any homes they condemned in the area recently? Same with police and fire departments... do I just call them and ask? It seems like people mostly mention just seeing a condemned house while driving around and then calling the owner from there, but I'm trying to figure out how to find the condemned homes and who to contact in order to buy them without that. Driving down every street in the city just doesn't seem efficient, especially in this day and age.

Thank you so much for answering my questions, Lynnette E.! 

Lynnette E Thank you! Just to put a bit finer of a point on it: what condemning authority? Is there one per county, or does it vary depending on who condemned it for what? Trying to figure out these practical details is my main stumbling block.

Crazy. I know condemned can also be used for houses that are just missing something like a toilet, which seems so silly... but I guess a better deal for me, then. :)

BL Sheldon Yes---I understand. Finding something that is completely uninhabitable and making it habitable is exactly what I want. I am not the least intimidated or squeamish about something like that. The bonus of a condemned house is that condemned houses have a list of what needs to be fixed to no longer be considered condemned.

I realize plenty of people are silly and underestimate the work or plain disgusting filth involved, but I can assure you I am not one of them. I fixed up a house that was so saturated with animal filth that it soaked through to the sills and studs. The same house also had black mold. So... I know what I want here. :)

Hi--sorry if this isn't in the right area, I wasn't sure which board to put this in. I've spent the past two days reading every thread on BiggerPockets that mentioned condemned properties (and the first three pages of Google results :) ). But I have one question that seems incredibly stupid and obvious but I can't find a solid, detailed answer for.

That is: how exactly do you buy a condemned property?

What I mean is, I know you can drive through neighborhoods to find one, contact City Hall, the police station, Craigslist, et cetra. What I'm curious in is--can you find a condemned property through a real estate agent? If so, do you have to hire a particular real estate agent who specializes in condemned properties for that, or would any one that knows the area you plan to buy in be able to do that? Is this something real estate agents would consider worth their time? Would those be seller-owned properties only? What if the city owns it now--would my only option be to contact the city building department? In which case, would I need someone to represent me when I buy it, or would I (or the city) just have a contract drawn up? This is all assuming I'd be paying cash.

On a similar note, is there always a time limit to bring it up to code? I've seen 90 days and one year quoted a few times. Does it depend on the exact code violation and local laws?

I'm sorry that I have a lot of questions, but it seems like I've only been able to find pieces of the answers scattered all over and I'm having a hard time putting it all together to understand exactly how to go from A to B to C. :)

If it helps--I wouldn't be looking to buy for a few years. I'm actually not looking into real estate investment as a flipper or wholesaler, this would ideally be a home that I could live in after a gut (yes, I know, sounds silly, but I've done complete guts before and gutting and then living in a run down home has been my dream since I was seven years old, so I do know what I'm getting into in that sense and it's not the HGTV effect :) ). So I wouldn't be necessarily looking for the avenue of the most ROI. I'm just trying to plan ahead!