The house across the street from me has been empty for a couple of years. The owners walked away from it (and the mortgage) when their homeowner's insurance stopped paying for repairs due to trees falling on the house, and roof damage from the tree removal people (the most expensive company around) poking holes in the roof.
I thought after their movers took their stuff away, there was nothing left worth breaking in for.
I talked with them a couple of days ago, when they drove here to look at the house, after the Parks Department cleaned up the grounds around the house, removing all the hedges and bushes and tree remnants. (The place looks nice now.)
They told me the electricity was still on (I see the doorbell button is still lit up, and the ceiling light in one bedroom), for which they are being billed $7.00 per month.
But ...
I asked about pipes breaking last winter, since it's an oil furnace and I know no one has been paying to have the tank filled.
They told me the pipes can't burst, because ...
they're copper pipes.
and
someone got in by pushing in an air conditioner in the back of the house, and
Spoiler
stole all the copper pipes.
Because the holes in the roof were left uncovered for several months, the whole house is mildewed.
So it will need to be gutted, or torn down and replaced.
There was an offer of a little over $200,000 last year, which the mortgage company rejected.
Too bad.
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Ed I feel your pain. the house across the street from me is in total disrepair. But the people are still living there. They tried to sell it but no one was buying it at the price. It is a tear down. My guess is that they used the house as if it were an ATM and now owe more money on it than it is worth. Eventually they will have to walk away from it. I'm hoping sooner rather than later. It brings down the value of the rest of the houses.
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