Supplies

Gary Sasoon

Need Advice,
I'm just starting out with a company for securing foreclosed homes.
Where would you say is the best place to pick up padlocks and lockboxes. My brother in-law is using a company called nuset but he told me they just raised their prices. Is $15 that crazy??


Any Advise.

Mike Finley

The best place to pick up locks for tool storage in foreclosure rehabs is not to buy locks at all!

I'm guessing that these are not million dollar foreclosures? Let me just tell you what I know, not from experience of it happening to me, but from experience of it happening to others I know. In neighborhoods with a lot of foreclosures and flipping going on that are less than desirable neighborhoods - the local thief's regard these rehabs as nice little ATM's. They watch for the contractors to show up and wait a few days or weeks, they watch you leave at night and then they strike at night and steel everything they can get their hands on. They see these rehabs as nice little chickens to be plucked. The good news is in about 3 weeks you can go buy back all your tools from the local pawn shops after the crack heads sell them to them.

Be super careful with thoughts of leaving your tools at these places no matter how you lock them up. A pit bull and a few rattle snakes would be about the only deterrent. They will hook your locked job box up to a chain and drag it through the front window and down the street.

firemike

I agree with Mike 100% - DO NOT ever leave tools (or even expensive materials) on the job in situations like that. Thieves are generally watching! On larger jobs where I leave tools I always use a job box (gang box) and if I am even the least leary or suspicious, I chain it to a beam/column or lag bolt it to a wall (from the inside of the box) so they don't steal the entire box.

__________________
-Mike-

LNG24

A Trailer is perfect for this. Pick one up for around $3k on Craigslist and put all your stuff into it. Pull it home or to home base at night and you never have to worry.

As far as Lock Boxes for the house?? Like the REALTORS use? Simply visit HD or your local hardware store. They all sell Lockboxes for the housekey.

The puch button ones work best. but remember, these are not designed to keep out crooks. A can of instant freeze ( for freezing electronics) and a hammer will open them ever time.

LNG24

Gary,

Where are you from? What state and if NY what town. I can give you some good advise as both a contractor who has done these and as a Realtor who markets Flips