I think at least 75% of the home inspections I did during the Great Recession were vacant properties that had been foreclosed or were in a short sale. If the first four months of this year are any indication, the Great Recession is definitely over and good times are returning.

Late last year I did a vacant property that was actually in pretty good shape. However, when I came down from the attic, I showed my Clients the following picture:

I said that they might be able to find something valuable that they could sell on eBay to help with their mortgage!

Several years ago I was under a house out in Ocean Beach and found a huge collection of soft drink bottles from Pepsi, Coca-Cola, and others, all pre-World War II. I brought a couple of bottles out with me and told them that they should be able to sell them and make a little bit of money.

When I went to their house-warming party a month after they closed escrow, they informed me that they had found over 500 bottles in the crawl space and had sold them for $5,200. They also presented me with a nice finders fee and consulting commission, which was appreciated and totally unexpected. I didn’t do anything other than advise them on the finding and how to dispose of them. I sponsored a party for my employees with the money and bought a couple of spare ladders, flashlights, and digital cameras.

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