In all the years as a real estate expert, investor and sales agent I never noticed "squatting" like I do today.
Squatting is where people reside illegally in a vacant dwelling.
On several occasions now I have shown homes that were vacant according to the listing agent and when I arrived it was not.
At first I thought it was tenant occupied since many of the short sales are occurring today when the primary owner moves out of the residence and allows a tenant to rent short term until the house gets sold or goes foreclosure and collects on the money while not paying the mortgage with it or paying very little to the mortgage.
In essence, the owner is getting out while they can get into another situation and then renting out there home where they are delinquent on the mortgage and trying to sell it through short sale and they are profiting from renting that unit out.
Anyways, I found that this townhouse had an air mattress and a few things inside the home like clothes baskets, large 50 gallon bags of stuff and a few odds and ends.
At first I thought must be moving in or just moving out, but as I began to show more homes in that area, it was obvious to me that these people were living in these homes illegally.
This was even more apparent after I called the listing agent and said that the house was not vacant and that he must have made a mistake.
He affirmed that the place is empty and on a key box.
I have shown that same unit several times and more people have moved in and out of it.
There is more evidence of squatting in my local area than people probably want to admit.
I think having them shack up in some vacant home gives the illusion that we don't have a homeless problem like other medium size towns.
This certainly is not true.
It maybe pretty easy to determine if there is someone living in a vacant home.
If you see a lock box on the door and you see a For Sale sign in the yard, you can call the Realtor and ask if the home is vacant.
If you then see any action inside that home over night you can call your local police.
Remember that Real Estate Agents typically do not show homes at night.
You will typically see the same vehicle parked overnight and flashlights being used inside the home late at night because in most cases this is a foreclosure home and the bank owns it and shuts off the power.
If you see the Real Estate Agent at the home, you can introduce yourself.
You will then know what kind of vehicle they drive and you can report any suspicious activity to them as well.
I have recommended neighborhoods with several foreclosure properties to start a neighborhood watch.
I must admit that this is a good program regardless of the real estate market, but it is a great reason to form one if one does not exist currently.
I will leave you with a thought.
What are these "squatters" doing? They are trespassing.
They are breaking and entering to a residence that does not belong to them.
They are not paying rent and in some cases I have seen there has been evidence of drug use like hypodermic needles.
The good paying neighbors in this area I don't think have a clue.
But if it is not addressed, what will happen to the neighborhood, the resale value of the homes and the safety of the other neighbors?