What methods do you use to find YOUR sites?

[txpathfinder]

My two current favorite research methods which I use to find potential house lots to search are:

1. Go online to an MLS (real estate listing) website. No two are exactly alike but by using the search parameters on some of these sites I can search for all homes built before the year of my choosing that are on the market and listed on the MLS. I usually use the year 1940.

2. I check the website of the local Historical Landmark Commission to find out which historic homes have been granted a permit for demolishment.

Note these are both done online with a web connection.

My question is what are your research methods for finding potential sites to treasure hunt? Please be as specific as you care to be and hopefully we will have a thread we can all learn from.

 

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[Sandman]

Here is the method I use to pick where I am going to hunt. I resist the urge to spin two out of three times and allow fate to decide for me. I also have a larger one for land hunting with more choices.

 

[sniffer]

if it's house lots I'm looking to hunt, I drive through the older parts of town and look for the older homes.
most of the time, I'm looking for the medium size house (more finds). when I find one, which looks
promising, I knock on the door and ask for permission, sometimes they say yes.
biggest thing is persistence. don't give up, good sites are out there

 

[txpathfinder]

m
bu p.
Have some and add to the forum...

 

[snyper77]

You guys may slam me for this one, but you may understand as well. I live in a small town of 15,000 in Mississippi. Recently, while driving older neighborhoods (1940's mostly), I noticed a few that have been foreclosed on. There are stickers in the windows that say "this home has been winterized. In case of emergency, call 1-800- blah blah...."
Well, I figure those properties are "fair game". After all, I'm only gonna dig up a few coins and I absolutely will fill all my holes and leave the property as I found it. The other day, I visited one of these houses, parked in the driveway, and started detecting. After 10 minutes, I heard someone yell my name! I looked around and a coworker of mine was walking over to me from the house next door. I asked him about the house I was detecting and sure enough, he said "it was foreclosed on a few months ago".
I ended up finding a silver fork and a 1953 quarter in the yard. Yes, I know I was trespassing, but I also know that there was NO WAY to get caught either.

 

[mikeofaustin]

You can take old maps and overlay them onto google maps, and they'll give you old home sites. It's quite lovely too, because you'll see a home that was 1850's, and in the current sat images, you'll see little indicators on the current day sat maps of where it used to be. Most of the time though, they are on someone's land. They might have 50 acres, but it's there.... just have to get permission...and with economy, I doub't anyone would want to just give away there gold and silver.

 

[oneeye]

Yes, I know I was trespassing, but I also know that there was NO WAY to get caught either.

This is how MD'ing gets a bad name. Trespassing is trespassing. In some parts of the country, you could get shot for that. BTW, someone "owns" that property regardless if it was foreclosed or not. I could trespass on tons of property if they only factor was whether I would get caught or not.

Trepassing is a HOT button with me, as it has nearly ruined deer hunting too!
Dan