It's the newest thing in housing these days... 4 BD/3BA... no kitchen. No kitchen, no ceiling fans, no landscaping, even no light fixtures. Yes, it appears that appliances and hardware are the latest casualties in the nation's foreclosure meltdowns. A recent article in the New York Times calls attention to this growing phenomenon. It cites a recent ad in Craig's List where the owner makes no effort to hide his intentions. " 'Stripping House — Before Foreclosure,' the ad declared, offering potential buyers the cabinets and counter tops, the sinks and toilets, the doors, the appliances, the sprinklers. Even the palm and citrus trees in the yard were for sale, with a catch. 'You dig,' the author advised." According to the article, areas like Las Vegas, which have seen the nation's highest foreclosure rates, have also been affected the most by home strippers.
Some metro areas, like Phoenix, have laws in place that make stripping homes prior to foreclosure a felony under a state fraud statute. In cities like this, the FBI has been able to apprehend home owners attempting to liquidate appliances. Although the sentences for these crimes is usually quite light (18 months probation for a recent offender), police hope that criminal prosecution may deter home owners from trying to strip their houses before they leave. But in other cities, like Las Vegas, there are no laws that make gutting your property prior to eviction illegal. Mortgage contracts do specifiy that homes must be kept in good order, but the lack of state law on the subject makes the issue a civil, rather than a criminal, matter. And legally pursuing home owners that sell off a home's assets prior to foreclosure is not usually a profitable venture for the bank, as costs of a lawsuit greatly outweigh potential recovery.
This has led to rampant home stripping in the Las Vegas area. But we don't need an article in the New York Times to tell us that. I see these stripped homes first hand every day. In fact, they have provided me and my investor clients with some great money making opportunities.
One of my most recent purchases was a 2113 square foot home that was only three years old. When we walked through the house, it was a mess. It had no kitchen and needed new paint, carpets, and various hardware items that had been stripped. We purchased the house for $104,000. It had been sold new for $319,000. After putting in a brand new kitchen for $4500 and spending $1500 on new carpets and $1500 on new paint and accessories, we had a beautiful home for a total of $112,000 ($53 per square foot.) We were able to turn around and lease the property under a two year contract for $1295 per month. This created terrific cash flow for my client and translated to acquiring the home for $0.33 on the dollar at an 11% cap rate (based on the $104K cash purchase.)
These types of deals are available for anyone who is willing to put in the time and effort to revamp one of these foreclosure homes that have been gutted by the previous owner.
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