found out who owns the property...now what

[funkman]

I know what to do is to gain permission to hunt the property. I got the owner name from the county tax maps dept. and the only address they had was a PO box. I know that most if not all of you meeting the person face to face but without sitting at the post office and waiting for someone to show up and open that PO box I cannot meet this person.
My next option is to obviously write a letter stating my intention to detect the property (which is not habitated......real word .......) and to get their approval. With this letter what should I say in it that would help me gain permission. Naturally I would not dare enter the actual household do to it's run down condition. Should I mention this? Also should I state that I would not hold them responsible for any damage to myself or my equipment. This should alleviate fears that they would have in case I fall and break something. I feel that I am on unknown property and if I hurt myself, it is my fault...not theirs.

ANy help in this matter would be appreciated.

Thanks

Funkman

BTW...here are pics of the house and property so you know why I want to detect there very badly. The first 2 are the house. The next one is the barn and the last is some kind of outbuilding in the back. According to tax info, it was built in 1900 but looks older to me.

 

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[jeff of pa]

Last Resort Write a Letter.

They Rarely work. For me Never.


First try to find the Person in the Phone book,
or ask the Closest Neighbor if they know who ownes it.
and Try your Best to Talk to them in Person.

Phone call Second Resort.

By the Way, Nice Property !

Good Luck !

 

[jeff of pa]

I take that Never Back.

Just rememberd One case it worked.
However The Guy gave me Exclusive Permission in Person Years before,
and My Letter was just a "Is it Still OK ? " Letter.


And DON'T FORGET THE S.A.S.E.

 

[Natman]

If there was a way to remove the small trees and brush hog the area around it, who knows what you could find on the outside..it'll be kinda difficult to keep that coil close to the ground with all the overgrowth.

Also, if you ever get the permission you seek, please be careful if you actually go inside..not just because of weak timber..you never can tell what's living in there!

Nat

 

[funkman]

Thanks Jeff and Nat. There is a person in the phonebook with the same last name...which trust me is not a common name. I might just for the ehck of it go to the address that is in the phone book to see if it is the same person or a relative.

Nat...the pics I showed are from the summer. Most of that vegetation is gone now. There is still tall grass around the property but more of the house comes out now. You can even see the crawlspace under the front porch. Will try to stop again and take more pics.

Funkman

 

[Natman]

It would be good for you if someone did indeed clear the brush since the photos were taken..I work in the lawn biz and I can tell you when that live grass dies off it becomes like thick straw if it hasn't been cut, it making it nearly impossible to get the coil anywhere near the ground.

I hope you get the permission to search, it looks like a great spot to find relics from another time. Keep us posted and be careful!

Nat

 

[funkman]

Drove by there again this morning on way to work. Here is a pic of the house without much of the vegetation. I found out that the owner is an eye doctor in NYC. I assume this is who it is because it is the same first and last name and she also lives in the same town as this old house is....only about a mile away.
Now if I can just get the nerve to go to her house and ask permission. Should I get it now for the springtime or should I wait until I am ready to go detect there and ask a few days before?

Thanks

Funkman

 

[Natman]

Funkman, it's really easy to ask permission! You have nothing to lose. I would go to her residence sometime soon, and say,
"Hi, my name is _____ and I have kind of a strange request..have you ever had your old property searched with a metal detector?" See what she says. You could go on to say that you have this hobby and that you were just curious as to the history of the place, and would really like to check the area around the old house. Say that you drive by it often and have been meaning to contact her for quite some time.

If she seems interested tell her if you find anything of great value you'll split it with her 50-50..you may find silver, but unless they are rare coins worth hunderds of dollars you should be able to keep what you find with a clear conscience. You may even want to give her a souvenir of something you find there to keep things good.

I asked permission to hunt before and have said these things, and it worked. I also said to one lady that "my wife bought me a metal detector and I've been wanting to try it out somewhere.."

Do it, Funkman..let us know what happens!

Nat

 

[halfdime]

I'm rather introverted about most things, but I'm passionate enough about metal detecting that I will ask permission to hunt a site. I've been pleasantly surprised by the response I get, and it often leads to other sites. I also try to leave as many souvenirs as I can as a thank you. That long grass and brush has to go, but that site looks like a real diamond in the rough. Good luck.

 

[Monty]

The approach I use works about 99% of the time. I introduce myself and tell the person I am a history buff and interested in the history of the old house and property. This will usually get them to talking in a friendly manner especially if it was handed down in the family. You'd be surprised what some people will tell you. Then after you get a friendly conversation going ask if it would be alright to see if you could find some artifacts related to the history of the property. Say, I have a metal detector and it makes it a lot easier to find things and I would like to check it out if you don't mind. Ask if they remember anyone losing something that they would like to have back. I usually don't even mention things of value or coins, just historically interesting things. But if I find something they lost I would photograph it and return it. Coins, tokens, etc goes in my pouch and I keep the people informed at what I find if anything. Say something like Oh, I found some pocket change and an old toy truck, etc. One old lady went on for over an hour about how her son-in- law and daughter lived there and her daughter was murdered by him. She knew he did it but the pollce could never prove it. That made it kind of spookie to work around. Monty

 

[red]

Well I thought you got one bit of bad advice.Never,Never ,Never suggest making a 50-50 split or any other valuable split with a property owner, They could and do start thinking there could be something of value on there place and as long as no one is allowed to hunt for then it is still theres to find one day if they decide to.
If they bring up the "If you find something you gotta split it with me" I always laugh and tell them the most things of value I find are horse shoes and square nails but I'll be happy to cut them in half for them.
This has always gotten a laugh from the owner and I get to hunt.

Good luck.
red

 

[Natman]

Well I thought you got one bit of bad advice.Never,Never ,Never suggest making a 50-50 split

I would never think of giving bad advice to anyone here. Most people who are approached aren't ignorant of your intentions to hunt. As soon as they know you'll be bringing a metal detector, they will know there is the potential of finding something of great value. As a property owner myself, I know I would.

I tell them this up front so they know there is this chance..if by some twist of fate this would actually happen, I would never mislead someone by saying I only found "a few coins" and never tell them what I actually had.

Nat

 

[red]

Natman,

Of course you would know there is the potential of finding something since that's one reason we all love this hobby. But you also know the probability of finding a good cache of coins or something of great value is against you.

On old farms and homesteads, the most things you find are horse shoes and nails. Yes, a few coins here and there, so there is nothing misleading about telling them about the horse shoes and nails.

Another thing, every place I have ever hunted, the owners have told me I probably won't find anything since the previous owner or their grandparents didn't have any money to hide.

I have never hunted a place where I was told I might find this bucket of coins that grandpa buried. If you have those types of places, then great; and yes, offer to split it with them.

But otherwise, don't offer what you don't have or they don't ask for.

I have been hunting for 30 years and have never offered to split something except when asked; maybe 10 times. And, I have only been told no to hunting 2 times and that was because the property was owned by too many family members.

But just like using your detector, use it and do what works best for you since everyone has their own way and opinion.

If asked what you've found, I never said not to be honest and tell.

HH and good luck!

red

 

[RonNewbie]

That's a great looking location. I would just go ask the owner...the worst they can do is say no. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.