"Hey Crack head, and I want my plumbing back !!"

Scott went into a home last week that same thing only it had a full basement so they just went into the basement and ripped it all down. 

This is horrible.  I was not aware this was even going on.  Would you mind if I reposted this on my Myrtle Beach area social site?  Myrtle-Beach dot com at our town center/express yourself page?

Please let me know,

David Hucks

Scott, I have seen people pull copper wiring our of new construction homes.  Guess there is a market for re-selling it?

P.S. I get a sad kick out of the 'tag' words you decided to use - very creative!

I've seen it a lot.  I dont think its worth a $1000 a job...I dont know though.

Wow..what rock have you been living under? Many drug addicts, homeless people and poor people in general (around large metropolitan areas especially) have vandalized properties and stolen fixtures, hardware off the doors & cabinetry, not to mention the piping (copper and otherwise). Ever been to Newark, NJ or Philly or Brooklyn or Houston or Boston? This has been going on for ages. Sometimes though it's not always a "crackhead" believe it or not, and now-a-days it's no longer an "urban" issue but rather an American poverty issue. It's sad and unfortunate, but true.

Scott, I'm sorry to hear about the problems you're having with vandals destroying your homes for the copper, but unfortunately, it's an all too common story.  I too have seen many properties ripped apart just so drug addicts can get to the copper.  I've even had short sale deals that were approved, but then when my investors went back to inspect the properties one last time and discovered the new damage they immediately backed out the deals.  I didn't blame them though one bit for backing out --- because there wasn't much left of a profit margin for them to be gained from the deal.

Oh I have seen this in tons of homes here in Central Florida they go through and tear out any and all copper piping throughout the homes its sad.

i had no idea copper was worth that much.

So disturbing that someone would go to all that work just so they can get their next fix, if in fact it was a user who tore the place up.  It's becoming so common these days :(

I just think that is nuts. I have seen some houses that people just tore up because they had to move, but I have not seen any that people just go in and do that. YOu almost just want to laugh just because. Too funny!

Hi Scott,  Lots of folks stripping electrical out of empty/construction projects.  The new A/C units are walking away too.

I list and sell a lot of investment properties.  We were evicting some tenants and they were given permission to go into the property and remove their items.  I was standing at the curb with the Sheriff and out comes the tenant with the radiator and the other one coming out with the pipes.  I said, hey hold on a minute those aren't yours.  They said, well they were in my apartment so their mine.  I called the police and they came and the thieves were arrested.  I thought the judge was going to choke when the thieves tried to justify how the pipes and radiators were their personal possessions.  Long and short of it, drug addicts will stop at nothing to feed their habits.

We're having quite a problem with this also.  I've discovered several empty houses that have been stripped.  It may not be crack heads but just unemployed contruction workers.  Crack heads may not be skilled enough to know how to take it out.  I consider them experienced thieves who methodically go about their business.  Until the buyers of the copper are shut down the thefts will continue.

How do you know it was a crack head, I think it was Joe the Plumber

Looks like this problem is all over.  Out here not only do they steal copper they love to steal AC units.

It doesn't have to be a bad neighborhood, I've inspected (well partly inspected) 4 in rather nice neighborhoods.  The neighbors just think it's someone working on the house.

We bought a foreclosure last spring that had this happen to it.  Every bit of recyclable metal was stripped from that home. 

Ha- Joe the Plumber, that is hilarious! 

After reading more of these posts, putting tenants in a vacant house doesn't seem so bad after all!

Soo sad.  If only beer bottles would become valuable then maybe some of my ghetto listings would clean up themselves. :)