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Field Notes
Practical notes on preservation, maintenance, and turnovers from the crew that does the work. What holds up, what fails review, and what it costs to get it right the first time.
01/Latest
02/All Posts
Operations
In Florida's climate, an empty house with the AC off can develop mold long before anyone walks through. Here's how humidity control fits into vacant property maintenance.
2 min read
Operations
From Myrtle Beach to Hilton Head, salt air corrodes AC units, locks and exterior metal faster than inland. Here's how it shapes maintenance on coastal vacant homes.
3 min read
Local Market Update
Fayetteville is the only NC metro in the national top five for foreclosure rates this year. What that means for property maintenance on vacant homes.
2 min read
Local Market Update
Columbia had the worst large metro foreclosure rate in the U.S. in August. What that and the city's 120 day vacant building rule mean for property upkeep.
3 min read
Local Market Update
Punta Gorda had the highest first half foreclosure rate in the U.S. What Charlotte County's 12 inch grass rule and storm season mean for vacant homes.
3 min read
Industry Update
Florida's SB 4-D milestone inspections and SIRS deadlines converge on December 31, 2026. Here's what routine maintenance can do before the inspector arrives.
3 min read
Local Market Update
Florida's Memorial Day 2026 budget reappropriated $405 million combined across My Safe Florida Home and its condo pilot, clearing a backlog for 45,000 homeowners already inspected. Here's what it covers and how it fits a maintenance plan.
3 min read
Industry Insight
A St. Petersburg zip code posted the highest zombie foreclosure rate in the country in the third quarter of 2026, with New Port Richey close behind. Abandoned pre foreclosure homes are a vacant property maintenance risk that's easy to miss.
2 min read
Industry Update
Columbia, Spartanburg, Fayetteville and Charleston all ranked in the top five for foreclosure rates in August 2026. As completed foreclosures jump, property maintenance demand across the Carolinas is climbing with them.
2 min read
Property Care
Forestry officials say Hurricane Helene's debris will elevate wildfire risk in western North Carolina for 10 to 20 years, and a worsening 2026 drought is adding to it. Here's what a fall property check should cover.
3 min read
Industry Update
Forecasters give a very strong El Niño better than 90% odds this winter, and the Southeast has the strongest wet signal in the outlook. Fall is the time to check roofs, gutters and drainage on vacant homes.
2 min read
Operations
The Atlantic has had no hurricanes so far this year, a record quiet start. But the season runs to November 30, and vacant homes in the Carolinas and Florida still need storm ready checks.
2 min read
Industry Update
Lenders repossessed 5,794 U.S. properties in August, up 42% from a year earlier. South Carolina and Florida are near the top of the foreclosure rankings, which means more vacant homes that need attention.
2 min read
Industry Insight
With the construction industry short 349,000 workers in 2026 and specialty trade roles taking months to fill, property portfolios built around a single contractor are the ones feeling it first. Vendor coordination is becoming the skill that keeps response times steady.
3 min read
Operations
Punta Gorda and Lakeland, Florida, along with Columbia, South Carolina, posted the nation's worst metro foreclosure rates in the first half of 2026, matching the same ranking from the first quarter.
2 min read
Field Services Insight
Most Florida homeowner policies include a vacancy clause that can slash coverage once a property sits empty for 30 to 60 days. For REO and vacant properties in Jacksonville, that clock is already running.
3 min read
Industry Insight
A Saint Petersburg, Florida zip code posted the nation's highest zombie foreclosure rate for the third time this year. Investor owned homes nationwide are sitting vacant at nearly three times the rate of owner occupied housing.
2 min read
Storm Season Prep
Forecasters have downgraded the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season to well below normal, but the Carolinas are still flagged as a higher than average risk zone. For vacant and REO properties near Charleston, that is a reason to prepare, not relax.
3 min read
Local Market Update
Charlotte's foreclosure and distressed property inventory keeps a steady stream of vacant homes moving through banks, servicers and asset managers. Every week one sits unmaintained is value slipping off the eventual sale price.
3 min read
Owner & Manager Guides
A standard make ready should take a matter of days, not weeks, but only if the work happens in the right order. Here's what belongs on a make ready checklist, and why sequencing matters more than the task list itself.
2 min read
Industry Update
Nevada, South Carolina, and Florida posted the country's worst foreclosure rates in July, and completed foreclosures jumped 23 percent annually. North Carolina wasn't far behind, posting the third highest REO count of any state.
2 min read
Property Care
Loan servicers and insurers don't use the same clock for vacant property inspections, and the gap between the two can cost an owner a claim. Here's what the actual inspection windows require, and how to build a schedule that holds up.
2 min read
Property Care
Winterizing a vacant property is a defined sequence of steps, not a thermostat turned down. Here's what HUD and Fannie Mae actually require, and why doing it out of order can undo the point of doing it at all.
2 min read
Operations
Charlotte, Raleigh, and Greensboro don't run a vacant property registry. They enforce through housing codes triggered by complaints and inspections instead. Here's how that model works, and what it means for anyone holding vacant inventory in North Carolina.
3 min read
Industry Update
Columbia, South Carolina gives vacant buildings a 120 day window to register with the city, with its own paperwork and penalties separate from ordinary code enforcement. Here's what the ordinance actually requires from owners and servicers.
3 min read
Industry Update
Florida requires a wood destroying organism inspection before most home sales close, and a vacant or REO property carries more risk of a finding that stalls the deal. Here's what the law actually requires, and where routine maintenance fits in.
2 min read
Operations
Copper prices have climbed more than 35 percent this year, and thieves are noticing. Vacant and foreclosed properties, where a break in can go unnoticed for weeks, are emerging as one of the easiest targets.
2 min read
Industry Update
A new South Carolina law lets property owners get an occupant removed within 24 hours of filing, joining expedited removal laws already in effect in North Carolina and Florida. For owners of vacant property across the Southeast, the legal process just got considerably faster.
2 min read
Industry Update
Citizens Property Insurance just cut rates statewide for the first time in over a decade, and private carriers are following. Vacant and REO property owners in Florida are underwritten in a separate category that isn't sharing in the relief.
2 min read
Operations
Years of low foreclosure volume thinned out the property maintenance vendor pool, and now rising REO activity is testing what's left of it. Servicers and their coordination partners are feeling the strain first.
2 min read
Industry Update
Florida recorded the highest state foreclosure rate in the country in the first half of 2026, while North Carolina posted one of the sharpest year over year increases nationwide. For REO and property maintenance operations across the Southeast, the numbers point to a busier back half of the year.
2 min read
Industry Update
New catastrophe modeling shows millions of Southeast homes exposed to hurricane wind and storm surge damage this season, with hundreds of billions of dollars in property value sitting outside mandatory flood insurance zones. For vacant and REO properties, that exposure carries added weight.
3 min read
Industry Insight
"Turnkey" gets used loosely across real estate listings and investment pitches alike. Here's the plain-English definition, and what should actually be included before a property earns the label.
2 min read
Industry Insight
Not every provider selling "turnkey" delivers on the promise. Here's what actually separates a genuine turnkey real estate investment service from a renovated house with a marketing label attached.
2 min read
Industry Insight
About ten people die from drowning in the US every day, and most child drownings happen in home pools. On vacant and REO properties, an unmaintained pool turns from a cosmetic issue into a serious liability fast.
2 min read
Operations
Water damage and freezing account for nearly a third of all US property insurance claims, and vacant properties are among the most exposed.
2 min read
Industry Insight
Florida condo buildings turning 30 in 2026 face a December 31 milestone inspection deadline, and boards that fall behind on reserves risk daily fines and six figure assessments. Here's how routine property inspection fits into avoiding that outcome.
2 min read
Industry Update
Completed foreclosures rose 45 percent year over year in the first quarter of 2026, and timelines are compressing at the same time. Here's what a faster REO pipeline means for the states carrying the heaviest volume.
2 min read
Owner & Manager Guides
Spreadsheets and separate vendors work fine at a handful of properties. Past that, the cracks show. Here's what actually matters when choosing a maintenance vendor for a growing portfolio.
3 min read
Owner & Manager Guides
The scope of work is the single most important section of any property maintenance contract. Here's what it should spell out, and why 'I thought that was included' is always a documentation problem.
2 min read
Owner & Manager Guides
Most budgeting rules land property maintenance costs somewhere between $1 and $1.30 per square foot a year. Here's how that range gets set, and what actually moves it up or down.
2 min read
Property Care
Mowing frequency should swing with the season, not stay fixed all year. Here's how commercial landscaping services schedules actually work, and why a fixed cadence usually costs more in the long run.
2 min read
Property Care
Landscape maintenance covers a lot more than mowing. Here's what a proper contract should include, from irrigation checks to seasonal cleanups, and why the paperwork matters as much as the work.
2 min read
Authority Post
HUD requires every vacant, HUD-insured property in North Carolina to be winterized by October 1st, unless the heat stays running at 55 degrees. But HUD's rule only covers the house. A separate state law decides who is legally allowed to do the work.
2 min read
Ready When You Are
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