House of Horrors, oops, HOARDERS

[JB4310]

It is a neat looking house to restore though. Assuming it's structurally sound and you don't mind the work that will be involved...might not be a bad deal.
Are you (or your brother) planning to live in the place?

Yeah it's great looking house and with some land too.

Looks like all brick ? Great potential there. I'm pretty sure I would buy, but not as an investment

I bought both my houses from certified hoarders. My first one, I had a 30 yard dumpster delivered while I was at the closing. When I came back and saw that huge dumpster, I thought it was too big. but I filled to the point the truck couldn't get it out of the driveway with out me holding up the wires with a wood pole. Then I filled another whole 30 yarder and still had a pile of junk.

My second house, Which I live in now was even worse, this guy hoarded everything from light bulbs, to motor oil to paper towels. People who grew up in the depression never forgot it. He had over 20 televisions, some brand new in boxes, and every issue of playboy magazine
This guy was fairly well off and had 2 caddys and 2 Lincolns in the yard and a lincoln in the garage with 18 miles on it! I spent 8 months and $100,000. working on this house.

Cleaning up an old place is the easiest sweat equity you can get out of a property.

JB

 

[jmurray01]

Yeah it's great looking house and with some land too.

Looks like all brick ? Great potential there. I'm pretty sure I would buy, but not as an investment

I bought both my houses from certified hoarders. My first one, I had a 30 yard dumpster delivered while I was at the closing. When I came back and saw that huge dumpster, I thought it was too big. but I filled to the point the truck couldn't get it out of the driveway with out me holding up the wires with a wood pole. Then I filled another whole 30 yarder and still had a pile of junk.

My second house, Which I live in now was even worse, this guy hoarded everything from light bulbs, to motor oil to paper towels. People who grew up in the depression never forgot it. He had over 20 televisions, some brand new in boxes, and every issue of playboy magazine
This guy was fairly well off and had 2 caddys and 2 Lincolns in the yard and a lincoln in the garage with 18 miles on it! I spent 8 months and $100,000. working on this house.

Cleaning up an old place is the easiest sweat equity you can get out of a property.

JB

You kept the magazines right ? :laughing:

 

[JB4310]

JDGreen227, looks like dust masks/respirators and gloves are in order....

Oh yeah that too

Some times you have to take a chance if you want a unique property.

You kept the magazines right ? :laughing:

I tried, but a family member of the owner, snatched (no pun) the best ones, from the 50's.

JB

 

[Duffster]

On the other hand, looking at the house, would you want to eat food that was prepared there?

Why not? We have no idea what the kitchen conditions were at the time of canning.

 

[Dan Hunter]

I hope you get the place just so the site as another interesting thread to follow.

Hoarders freak me out but then I can't stand clutter in any form. Watching the show for me is like Nightmare on Elm St but it does have the added benefit of getting other members in the house engaged on picking up after themselves.

Ultimately I'd pay someone young and stupid to haul it out and away. Before that, I'd get a bin dropped in front and drag/throw out the light and large stuff and then turn stuff over but largely leave it in place. People that keep everything have no differential evaluation; you could find jewelry under hamburger wrappers.

The exterior of the place has massive character.

 

[Rocksprings]

Call the pickers. :laughing:

 

[EddieWalker]

Everything is relative. If you have ever owned or worked on rental units, you will never understand just how nasty some people can live. I do quite a few jobs with an organizer, and I repair damage and build shelves for hoarders that have a very severe mental disorder. They save everything and it's stacked from floor to ceiling in every room. Sometimes we come in after they have passed away and the family is trying to clean up the house to sell it. Other times, I get there after months of counseling and a very slow process of removing "tons" of material.

While that looks like a bit of a mess, it also looks pretty normal for an older house. Best thing would be to hire a group of teenagers and promise them a bonus if they get it all done in one day. Then just fill up a dumpster and never look at anything they haul out of there. You don't need it, you don't know what's there and you'll be better off not knowing what's up there.

Good luck, it looks like an interesting house, but probably a huge money pit.

Eddie

 

[JDgreen227]

Everything is relative. If you have ever owned or worked on rental units, you will never understand just how nasty some people can live. I do quite a few jobs with an organizer, and I repair damage and build shelves for hoarders that have a very severe mental disorder. They save everything and it's stacked from floor to ceiling in every room. Sometimes we come in after they have passed away and the family is trying to clean up the house to sell it. Other times, I get there after months of counseling and a very slow process of removing "tons" of material.

While that looks like a bit of a mess, it also looks pretty normal for an older house. Best thing would be to hire a group of teenagers and promise them a bonus if they get it all done in one day. Then just fill up a dumpster and never look at anything they haul out of there. You don't need it, you don't know what's there and you'll be better off not knowing what's up there.

Good luck, it looks like an interesting house, but probably a huge money pit.

Eddie

My brother signed over a deed to one of his rental properties to me for a bond on my loan so I will not take any loss, but I agree with you---it's a money pit, and thankfully HIS money pit. I would NEVER undertake such a project---maybe if I were 25 years old again, yes.

 

[JDgreen227]

Why not? We have no idea what the kitchen conditions were at the time of canning.

Next time I go back, I will get this stuff out of the kitchen drawers plus a few jars from the basement and send them to you. No charge at all, as long as you send us a video showing you consuming the stuff....:laughing:

 

[JDgreen227]

BTW, is that a brick exterior?

Yes, all brick exterior, pine trim, has one huge pocket door that closes off the front parlor. My brother is saying he will move there, not me!! I hate stairs. Has a side porch that needs demolishing. Another pic shows garage from back, inside is so full you can barely open the doors !!

What I find amazing is that next door there is a $450,000 house !!! Why he has not had the township taking care of the debris and general disorder is a mystery to me.

 

[sandman2234]

Yes, all brick exterior, pine trim, has one huge pocket door that closes off the front parlor. My brother is saying he will move there, not me!! I hate stairs. Has a side porch that needs demolishing. Another pic shows garage from back, inside is so full you can barely open the doors !!

What I find amazing is that next door there is a $450,000 house !!! Why he has not had the township taking care of the debris and general disorder is a mystery to me.

Some people believe in keeping their noses out of other peoples business. What they do on the other side of the property line is their business as far as I am concerned. If they need help, and I see it, I will volunteer, but otherwise, call me if you need something. Getting government officials involved just makes for bad neighbor relations. If the guy with the 450K house isn't planning on selling anytime soon, then the house in question is doing him a favor by keeping his property values (TAXES!!!) lower. If he decides to sell, then maybe it would be time to talk to the owners about cleaning up a little.
My Dad brought a place where the owners didn't throw out ANYTHING. He went thru it and cleared out a huge amount of trash, etc, but some of the stuff was extremely valuable. My daughter saw a stack of comic books, and asked him if she could have one. He said yes, and pulled one from a few down to get away from the years of dust. On the way home, I took a look at it, and it is like new, Daffy Duck comic book from 1956. Probably worth more than it's face value to a comic book collector. I am pretty sure Daddy has sold enough stuff to recoup his investment.
My wife's uncle has a "store" on his property. Kind of allong the lines of Ike's on The Walton's. He doesn't sell anything, it is just for looks/conversation etc but nothing in that store has bar codes. People who remember the old days really like his store, and every now and then he gets something in the mail from people who have visited it, and found something to donate.
David from jax

 

[Duffster]

Next time I go back, I will get this stuff out of the kitchen drawers plus a few jars from the basement and send them to you. No charge at all, as long as you send us a video showing you consuming the stuff....:laughing:

I'd eat it. If I get hungry enough. Which why you don't throught soemthng like that away.

Some people believe in keeping their noses out of other peoples business. What they do on the other side of the property line is their business as far as I am concerned. If they need help, and I see it, I will volunteer, but otherwise, call me if you need something. Getting government officials involved just makes for bad neighbor relations. If the guy with the 450K house isn't planning on selling anytime soon, then the house in question is doing him a favor by keeping his property values (TAXES!!!) lower. If he decides to sell, then maybe it would be time to talk to the owners about cleaning up a little.
My Dad brought a place where the owners didn't throw out ANYTHING. He went thru it and cleared out a huge amount of trash, etc, but some of the stuff was extremely valuable. My daughter saw a stack of comic books, and asked him if she could have one. He said yes, and pulled one from a few down to get away from the years of dust. On the way home, I took a look at it, and it is like new, Daffy Duck comic book from 1956. Probably worth more than it's face value to a comic book collector. I am pretty sure Daddy has sold enough stuff to recoup his investment.
My wife's uncle has a "store" on his property. Kind of allong the lines of Ike's on The Walton's. He doesn't sell anything, it is just for looks/conversation etc but nothing in that store has bar codes. People who remember the old days really like his store, and every now and then he gets something in the mail from people who have visited it, and found something to donate.
David from jax

:thumbsup:

 

[JDgreen227]

OP here, I can understand people keeping stuff that is basically usable, but when it's moldy, rotted, broken, moth or mouse chewed, or simply otherwise just trash and junk, they should GET RID OF IT....PERIOD !!!! Tell you guys something, I am a neatnik and my wife is a pack rat, a DISORGANIZED pack rat. She insists on keeping stuff like her income tax records going back to 1969!!!!

Why do the neatniks ALWAYS seem to marry the messy type?

 

[jonyyuma]

JD, Ya,mean we should not keep our ole income taxe records? The Show makes my wife livid with all the stuff piled up and not able to be using the plumbing?

 

[jmurray01]

OP here, I can understand people keeping stuff that is basically usable, but when it's moldy, rotted, broken, moth or mouse chewed, or simply otherwise just trash and junk, they should GET RID OF IT....PERIOD !!!! Tell you guys something, I am a neatnik and my wife is a pack rat, a DISORGANIZED pack rat. She insists on keeping stuff like her income tax records going back to 1969!!!!

Why do the neatniks ALWAYS seem to marry the messy type?

They do say opposites attract...

You would think I could understand hoarders, considering I have 7 Vacuum Cleaners and over 40 mugs (don't ask...), but at least my hoarding possessions are usable, as you said.

I once heard of somebody who hoarded used toilet paper. Just plain strange.

 

[JDgreen227]

They do say opposites attract...

You would think I could understand hoarders, considering I have 7 Vacuum Cleaners and over 40 mugs (don't ask...), but at least my hoarding possessions are usable, as you said.

I once heard of somebody who hoarded used toilet paper. Just plain strange.

40 mugs of WHAT? Stuff from vacuum cleaner bags? About the used TP you gotta be s----g us pun intended. :laughing:

 

[jmurray01]

40 mugs of WHAT? Stuff from vacuum cleaner bags? About the used TP you gotta be s----g us pun intended. :laughing:

Just mugs that I use for Coffee. They sell them for 10 Pence (20 Cents) each at my local recycling store. I can't resist...

I'm being serious about the toilet paper by the way. It was on television.

 

[RobertN]

You haven't watched Antiques Road Show?

While that looks like a bit of a mess, it also looks pretty normal for an older house. Best thing would be to hire a group of teenagers and promise them a bonus if they get it all done in one day. Then just fill up a dumpster and never look at anything they haul out of there. You don't need it, you don't know what's there and you'll be better off not knowing what's up there.
Eddie

 

[JDgreen227]

Just mugs that I use for Coffee. They sell them for 10 Pence (20 Cents) each at my local recycling store. I can't resist...

I'm being serious about the toilet paper by the way. It was on television.

You can only drink out of 2 mugs at a time :laughing: but well the two of us probably have close to 100 mugs here don't ask why.

 

[65fl]

I like the house, it has a lot of character. Kind of hard to tell if it is worth the effort though from the pictures. Far as the hoarding goes it doesn't look that bad, pretty normal for the circumstance of the place in my opinion.

Now for a couple of hoarding stories.
I wouldn't call my mom a hoarder, but she did have a few 'collections'. After she passed and I was clearing out the house I boxed up 184 coffee cups. None special, just local business give aways. This does not include the cups associated with dish sets. She rarely used them as they were stored in the top cabinets where she would need a step ladder to get at them.

Here is a nasty one. I once helped clear a clogged drain in a hoarders home. This person kept used sanitary napkins, she would place them in the original wrappers, then in the original box and then store them for eternity in large cardboard boxes. I never watch those hoarding shows, don't need too. I already know what a mental illness will do to a person.