Wow! What a nightmare!

Wow  - what a horrible experience!  I really feel for your owner!

Tina in Virginia

How tragic, this is a nightmare for everyone involved - including the neighbors. But the homeowner gets stuck with the clean-up.

Todd- Wow, that must have been horrible for your client. I hope he can get it cleaned up and be able to sell it.

OMG, I thought you were going to say there was a dead body in there! What a scary story!

Okay, you have justed topped the worst experience that I have ever heard yet. Glad you were all safe, that could have turned into a very bad situation. Thanks for the story. I will always remember this one and share it with others.

How about if it reeks of ammonia and there are pets.....hmmm I guess it could be both....But you're right about the nightmare.......I live in an area out in the country that has had some reputation over the last few years of having been a 'grow up' destination, very conducive private surroundings for lots of properties.........but we're talking primarily 'pot'.....here if a place is busted and condemned....if the 'owner' has property insurance........minus the deductible ...this kind of a catastrophic situation could be remedied.......provided he was in no way linked to his tenant's line ...ummm...of work......

That is so horrible for your client.  I have a rental home and this is my biggest fear after going in there one day and smelling something funny.  The next visit it was ok though, but it still made me wonder. 

The homeowner is lucky to have the home still even, Meth is very volitile and the home/ neighboorhood could of went KABOOM real fast, not to mention had the tenant been busted and the home seized by police the homeowner (in some states anyway, I know Michigan is 1) could lose the property and even face jail time themself as it is their property and illegal activity is going on in their property. My parents know a guy who bought a home from a city here in MI that was seized for Meth manufacturing and distribution. He got it for like $4,000 and it was the biggest 2 or 3 story home in the area not even a mile from a high school. He had to completely gut the home within so long and redo everything and pay a bunch of fines they never told him about and different things that almost made him lose the home back to the city after he was almost done fixing it up.

Also you can not just "clean-up" meth. It is a very hard and long process many times it calls for completely gutting the home, and cleaning even the studs and plywood that is under the brick/siding/or wood exterior, and then redoing the entire interior with new drywall, and everything. Deoending on the size of the home might even bee easier to doze it and build a brand new one.

That's horrible. I am glad you got out quickly, but what a mess. Thanks for this important information. Just sorry for you and especially your client.

This is just horrible, Todd, I feel bad for you and your clients. What a terrible and selfish thing those tenants did to people who trusted them with their property.  I hope he does not get into any trouble either. IT is so unjust that a landlord can be held responsible in some states! Just keep empowering the bad guys with a loack of accountability. 

Todd, That's terrible!! I feel for the owner. This is going to cost him big bucks. Meth labs are quite common in my area but fortunately I've yet to run into one. They are extremely dangerous. Glad to her you guys got out quickly. Keep us abreast of what happens here.

I also thought you were going to say y ou found a dead body!

How horrible! 

What an experience.

Wow!  What a bummer, both for you and your clients.  Maybe cats would have been better!

Oh, how horrible!!!!!

I had a similar situation a few years ago. I had a property listed that was vacant. I always check on my vacant listings once a week or so, usually first thing on a Saturday or Sunday morning (easy to drive around town at that time). So, one Sunday at around 7:30am, I opened the lockbox of the listing and started to unlock the door. Before I could, a young guy opened it for me, with a piece of pizza in his hand and a smile on his face.

He said that Steve (my seller) had rented the place to him the week before. I was pretty annoyed with Steve for not telling me there were renters, so I called him a few hours later and started to give him hell (nicely) about it. He had no idea what I was talking about.

So, $25,000 and three months later, we put the place back on the market. It did sell, but at a nasty loss.

Just line 'em up and shoot 'em. Sorry - that's how I feel. I don't care if they want to kill themselves with that nasty crap, but don't mess with other people's property!!!

Wow Todd, This is an awful situation. I cannot imagine but I do know it happens. Here in NH the question is on the Sellers Disclosure "has this home ever been found to have a meth lab?" This has to be one of the worst stigmatisms to a property - might as well tear it down and sell the lot.

OUCH! Texas has added an item to our state seller's disclosure asking the seller if it has ever been used to manufacture methamphetamines. what is this world coming to? I'm praying I don't have this same nightmare. Best of luck to you and your seller!

Todd, what a nightmare for your client. My husband picks rent up at several of our homes, nice to have an idea of what's going on at your property. Judy, I hope we don't see the day when the seller's disclosure asks if there's ever been a meth lab. 

 Oh that is really terrible! Both of you are victims in this mess. The government really leans heavy on the homeowner. Thank you for sharing your experience and warning. We do have meth lab disclosures here in Ca. 

This is good information to know.  This is frightening and I would be nervous about going into a house and possibly breathing that stuff.

WOW! I wasn't expecting this when I was ready! I figured it was just a crappy house! Wow and very scary!

How sad for the owner.  I would never have known what the smell was or what to do.  Great job of being on the ball. 

OK, Thank you everyone for your concern for the seller and in Oregon we do also have to disclose that it is a Meth house on the disclosure form. If you search for the address on the net, they appear on the records as being a meth house.

The only way to remove it from that list is to burn down the house, even if you gut it, remodel it and get EPA approval, it still will show as a meth house until it is burnt down. (Really wrong if you ask me)

Todd

If that does not sound like a nightmare.

Sincerely

Tom Braatz

Todd, wow I feel for your sellers. I've never run into a meth lab. But, I have read on them. Not on our disclosure forms in Michigan. Interesting comment about about burning the house down. Let us know what the end result is.

Thanks for stopping by my post on the same subject.  This drug is devastating our society and most haven't even seen it yet.  I'm afraid the costs in the future in going to be enormous.

That just bites.  How sad.  I had an agent that had one of those homes. Expensive to clean up...but you are better off getting it cleaned up yourself than reselling and having someone else do it.  Just better get the cash.