Mar 19, 2024
Flash Shelton, 57, has made a career out of his singular talent for “squeezing out squatters.”
The California native, who identifies as an “anti-squatter activist, squatter hunter, squatter remover,” says he just does whatever he has to to help people get squatters out of their homes. And sometimes that means using these “unwanted guests’” own strategies against them.
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In an interview with KTLA 5, Shelton says many of these offenders aren’t necessarily homeless, but rather career criminals “looking for easy street” — however, now they’ve got him to contend with.
Turning it back on the squatter
Shelton’s passion for the cause started back in 2019 when his father died. His mother decided to sell her Northern California home, but while the house was empty and on the market, seven strangers moved in — even bringing in their own furniture.
Local law enforcement told Shelton there was nothing they could do so he decided to take matters into his own hands.
As Shelton explains to KTLA, squatters sometimes have a fake lease, and so his first move was to have his mother prepare him a phony lease for the property. Then, when the group left one day, he snuck in through an open window and put up cameras, ensured they couldn’t get back in and moved their belongings out onto the driveway.
“I figured out that if they can take a home, I can take a home.”
And now taking homes back has become his full-time gig, with fees starting at $5,000. Social media posts for his business rack up millions of views as he shares clips of confronting squatters or reclaiming possession of a property.
He’s even petitioning to have the laws around squatting changed.
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Protecting yourself, your investments
KTLA emphasizes that Shelton always works with police and “does his homework to assess the threat” before he moves into a property, but his strategy does put him at risk of physical harm or injury.
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However, there’s clearly a need for his services. Headlines of serial squatters or “professional tenants” are commonplace these days. Countless management companies have even created resources for landlords or property managers to help them spot scammers.
For the “mom-and-pop” landlords in the U.S. — many of whom are just trying to secure a little extra stability for their retirement — getting targeted by serial squatters is a worst-case scenario.
But leaving yourself open to this risk isn’t the only way to make a little extra money by investing in real estate.
Commercial real estate, for example, has long been a savvy investment that only the ultra wealthy could access. Now, using certain platforms, you can even own a share of properties leased by big-name national brands like Whole Foods, CVS, Kroger and Walmart.
Rental properties are another popular option for those looking to earn a little passive income. But as any landlord might tell you, there’s nothing passive about taking care of these types of properties. And that assumes you have the capital to buy and manage a property in the first place.
Those curious about the investing possibilities of vacation rentals but anxious to avoid the costs and headaches involved, might want to explore the alternatives.
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Sigrid is a senior associate editor on the Moneywise team, where she has also worked as a reporter and staff writer.
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