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Abandoned, Disused & Ruined Places

While I love urban exploring, I feel uneasy about seeing it done to furnished homes rather than either obviously emptied or industrial buildings.
I know the "well, they've been abandoned" routine. But unlike gutted places or wrecked houses, with all the stuff still in situ, it implies that there's still owners of that property. It might be in the middle of a court settlement or relatives are hard to trace. Maybe I'm a bit squeamish over the personal stuff that's been left.
I don't feel the same way about deserted factories, or bombed out ruins, or abandoned islands ( ;) ) but 'exploring' an ordinary house seems more like being nosy or looking for loot? Not that I'm saying those who do 'explore' take anything away with them but it seems more intrusive to me. I suppose it's because most of the stuff left is so mundane and personal.
 
While I love urban exploring, I feel uneasy about seeing it done to furnished homes rather than either obviously emptied or industrial buildings.
I know the "well, they've been abandoned" routine. But unlike gutted places or wrecked houses, with all the stuff still in situ, it implies that there's still owners of that property. It might be in the middle of a court settlement or relatives are hard to trace. Maybe I'm a bit squeamish over the personal stuff that's been left.
I don't feel the same way about deserted factories, or bombed out ruins, or abandoned islands ( ;) ) but 'exploring' an ordinary house seems more like being nosy or looking for loot? Not that I'm saying those who do 'explore' take anything away with them but it seems more intrusive to me. I suppose it's because most of the stuff left is so mundane and personal.

You're right. It is being nosy and I'm just sitting here living vicariously as I watch. I love it.

In my opinion, there is no such thing as an ordinary house. We all have a story to tell. Most people could not care less about that story and that's why 90% of these places have treasures that will never see the light of day again. They will just sit there until they decay back to nature. There are a couple of places, full of belongings that Adam Mark explored that have sat untouched for more than 50 years.

Some of these places that are full of stuff look like time capsules. It's as though all the occupants just stood up and walked out the door with just the clothes on their backs.

Maybe they won the lottery. More than likely, the bank foreclosed on their mortgage, or they owed huge amounts of back taxes and they were forced to leave while police or sheriff's stood there and watched. Some just died of old age and there was no one left to leave it to. Some probably had grown kids that moved to other countries long ago and cannot get back to their parents residence.

And then, there are some like you say, are in dispute or litigation.

As for looking for loot? Urban explorers don't take anything. They never force their way in. If a place does not have already existing open access, they leave. They are respectful and never show any personal documents or reveal addresses. They never raid the undies drawer or expose your sex toys. By taking a video camera along, they are allowing me/us to share in the adventure. They do take still photos as well. There is real beauty in untouched natural decay.

Yes, they are breaking the law and risk arrest if caught. Which is another way to keep them honest. If they are arrested and they have nothing on their person that belonged to the house, 9 out of 10 times the police let them go.

If they break in to enter, or they pocket some of the items, or they don't leave things exactly as they found them, they're not urban explorers, they're thieves and vandals.

Personally, I admire them. It tells me they live with integrity and they have a strict moral compass because some of the things they find are so beautiful and most likely worth big bucks. I'm sure it would be tempting. Not sure I could walk away from something I really wanted if I saw it sitting there surrounded by mold and debris.

We spend a lifetime accumulating stuff we believed were important treasures and they were.... to us. I remember a long time ago, my half sister badgering me to leave all my belongings to her. We argued because I said she wasn't much younger than me and would not need any of it. She was so insistent that I finally agreed just to shut her up. I no sooner agreed when I saw her take a slow look around the room and quietly say to herself, "Now, what am I going to do with all this junk." :headbang:

That old saying is really true, you can't take it with you.
 
Oh, don't get me wrong.
I find such exploration fascinating and don't disapprove of such investigation.
I just feel, personally, uncomfortable when it involves such an intimate setting. As I said, I'm not suggesting these 'explorers' are dishonest but, I suppose, I question the ... um ... aims(?) of the many You Tubers who film going into wrecked homes. Not places but homes.

I am fascinated by abandoned and deserted places. I've 'mucked around' in such, not giving myself the lovely title of "urban explorer".*
I love seeing a place, a mansion - say - that local rumour has it that it was owned by a 'stranger' who paid for it to be built, had loads of friends for the weekend (to the annoyance of locals) and threw money about ... only for one "mysterious night" to be deserted before a police raid.
It's not stating fact but we can all see the implication of desertion from the law. We want to grub around, to see "how they lived", see if there's evidence of salacious goings-on. But "they" are not "of us".
These are attractive, compelling.

When it comes to a semi- or completely detached house in a suburban setting then, surely, there has to be a point where someone asks "Right, why do we want to go in here?"

* In SE London in my youth of the 1970's, I was used to clambering over "bomb sites" (not a true label) and urban renewal. I spent many a time in the ruin of a church which, only 4 years earlier, I'd been at a harvest festival. You couldn't keep me out of deserted, wrecked houses.
If you'd called me an 'urban explorer', I'd have exploded with pride.
 
Rock City...
Them were t'days.

Shane MacGowan at Rock City with the Pope's, so pissed he couldn't stand up, clutching the microphone stand for dear life, and yet absolutely on fire as a performer. One of the best gigs I ever saw.

Or driving past the queue to get in on my old Russian bike and sidecar, and getting a massive cheer.

Yeah, I liked that place ...
 
You could probably buy Detroit from the administrators for $100 now :p

“You Can Buy a $1 Detroit Home. But Should You?


Yes, it’s true. You can buy a home for $1 in Detroit. But you really don’t want to. The $1 houses are mostly gutted. The taxes alone would make a $1 house a bad deal.

Detroit’s economy has gone off its own fiscal cliff. The city’s population has gone from a high of about 1,850,000 in 1950 to just 700,000 in 2013. That’s a drop of about 62%. Detroit has $20 billion in debt and an unemployment rate of more than 50%. The city has over 78,000 abandoned homes.”

https://moneynation.com/can-buy-1-detroit-home/

maximus otter
 
My youngest nephew bought a house in Liverpool for £1 a year or so ago..
I'm not sure what the exact terms of sale are, but my reaction to it was 'I'm sure there's a catch'.
 
My youngest nephew bought a house in Liverpool for £1 a year or so ago..
I'm not sure what the exact terms of sale are, but my reaction to it was 'I'm sure there's a catch'.
I remember there was a tv programme about that, i think in the terms you had to renovate it and live there (not sell or let it) for 5 or so years.
 
I remember there was a tv programme about that, i think in the terms you had to renovate it and live there (not sell or let it) for 5 or so years.
He has no plans to live there and has no money for renovation.
 
My youngest nephew bought a house in Liverpool for £1 a year or so ago..
I'm not sure what the exact terms of sale are, but my reaction to it was 'I'm sure there's a catch'.
There’s one rather obvious catch.......it’s in Liverpool.
 
Heh, I live in what most would call a "small town" and we have a surprising number of abandoned buildings. If you look around the town square carefully it's obvious most of them aren't being used for their original purpose and some of them are deteriorated to the point they need remodeled in order to be usable..... this is the middle of town.

You could do some pretty hard core urban archaeology here. The stuff things used to be is pretty weird.
 

“You Can Buy a $1 Detroit Home. But Should You?


Yes, it’s true. You can buy a home for $1 in Detroit. But you really don’t want to. The $1 houses are mostly gutted. The taxes alone would make a $1 house a bad deal.

Detroit’s economy has gone off its own fiscal cliff. The city’s population has gone from a high of about 1,850,000 in 1950 to just 700,000 in 2013. That’s a drop of about 62%. Detroit has $20 billion in debt and an unemployment rate of more than 50%. The city has over 78,000 abandoned homes.”

https://moneynation.com/can-buy-1-detroit-home/

maximus otter
You can despair, or you can do something constructive and positive, like join an urban gardening project:
https://www.miufi.org/
"We are creating America's first sustainable agrihood with multiple projects under development!"
and
https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/michigan/articles/the-best-urban-farms-in-detroit-mi/
"Urban farming is one of the most popular ways for Detroiters to get involved in a community while also tackling problems like poor diet and inadequate nutritional education."

Or help reinvent the city itself:
https://www.metrodetroitd4.org/
"We work with decision makers to cultivate effective public policy and legislation; we partner with grassroots organizations to launch on-the-ground campaigns negotiating community benefits with developers; and we hone the leadership skills of community leaders to help them organize their own neighborhood."
 
He has no plans to live there and has no money for renovation.
How is he paying the Council Tax? I understand that they've stopped giving discounts for empty and unoccupied properties, so why would anyone buy somewhere to leave it empty?
 
How is he paying the Council Tax? I understand that they've stopped giving discounts for empty and unoccupied properties, so why would anyone buy somewhere to leave it empty?
I don't ask too many questions, sorry.
He'll find out the hidden costs the hard way.
 
Haunted abandoned village for sale

The Old Village of Lawers: Ruins 'haunted by seer who predicted invention of trains and steamships' is on the market​

The ruins of a village said to be haunted by a 17th-century seer who predicted the invention of trains and steamships have gone on sale.

By Laura Paterson
Friday, 25th June 2021, 5:08 pm



The Old Village of Lawers, on the north shore of Loch Tay in Perthshire – whose ruins are a Scheduled Ancient Monument – is on sale for offers over £125,000.
https://www.scotsman.com/heritage-a...rains-and-steamships-is-on-the-market-3287259
 
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