No Access: 3 Dirty Tricks of Real Estate Acquisition

Ah the joys of real estate. Apparently the market is heating back up because the dirty tricks of the trade are starting to peek out of their down market hibernation.

Before the market started to turn, access to foreclosed houses was not a problem. You got the code, opened the box and sashayed on in. Sometimes, the doors were just left unlocked. Nowadays however, heifers want to keep the competition at bay. Here are the top 3 dirty tricks I've encountered:

1) Jam the only access door from the inside so that subsequent viewers can't see the property. The last person to see a house will lock the deadbolt from inside and climb out of a window to ensure that anyone coming by afterwards will not be able to get in to see the house, even if they have a key.

2) Camp out at the property and when a prospect arrives to view it the interloper proclaims (falsely) that she already has had her offer accepted and she is just waiting for the carpet guy to come by so you might as well keep on moving.

3) Take pictures of the real estate agent, potential buyer and their license plates so that you can upload them on YouTube later while claiming they are out to "destroy the neighborhood." This is not a joke; I keep my sunglasses on me for unsolicited photo sessions.

More common ploys are to remove the mailbox, obscure the house address, hide the for sale sign and toss the house key in the bushes leaving the lockbox/supra key empty. The silly thing is, in this state, only 1 of 3 foreclosure deals that go to contract actually close. Chances are that the deal the trickster is trying to shield so desperately will fall through anyway. I know it's easier to climb out of a window than to line up solid financing, but only the latter will get you title; the former will just get you dusty.

All is fair in love, war and real estate, but you know what? If you want to keep me from buying the house, just offer more. It won't be that hard.