Some homes worth less than their pipes

[badmomma]

Thieves now stealing valuable metals from foreclosed homes

BROCKTON, Mass. - Shards of broken glass outside the basement window of 31 Vine Street hint at the destruction inside the three-story home.

Thieves smashed the window to break in and then gutted the property for its copper pipes — a crime that has spread across the United States as the economy slows and foreclosed homes stand empty and vulnerable.

“They cut it here and then pulled it right out of the wall,” real estate broker Marc Charney said, pointing to broken plaster near a wrecked baseboard heating system in the 2,774-sq-ft home in Brockton, Mass., a working-class city of 94,304 people.

This is quite common. Here in my state the have been stealing
the copper tubing from propane tanks. Criminals can come up
with all kinds of ideas to make a quick buck. Unfortunately they
are costing us a fortune.

[hometowngrl53]

This is just awful for the home owners to lose value
because of people stealing the copper for the homes
why do people think that stealing is the way to get
money i know that the job market is slow but i mean
really a job is a better way to go i would think

[flippinout]

This is a real shame when you consider the cost of replacing all of the pipes in the plumbing system. Plus the cost of dry wall etc. from the damage caused by thieves pulling the pipes out of the walls.

Hopefully the economy will take a turn for the better soon, and these thefts will become a thing of the past.

[JaredfromIndiana]

On the flip side, when I've made offers on houses that have the plumbing missing it is a great negotiating tool!

[thohome]

Well I guess there is a plus side to every situation Jared. But I believe this is just another way for poor people or just theives in general to make a quick buck.. I heard recently that a man and his adult son were stealing copper wire and ran into some electrical wiring and the son was being electricuted and the fater tried to save him and they both died.

[JaredfromIndiana]

Wow! That's terrible!