# Safeguard



## Blue Granite PPs

So, grass cutting season is ramping up here in the southeast (outside of GA and FL) and I know that every neighborhood I go to for my current clients there is at least ONE BAC property managed by Screwguard.

What would happen if "we" photographed the property (from the street of course) showing SG deficiencies and sent DIRECTLY to BAC asset managers? OR what would happen if we filed a code violation on the BAC property?

What would happen? :whistling2:


----------



## JDRM

It seems they are untouchable, this has been happening for years!


----------



## Zuse

I see a lot of this in the SC and never gets fixed,I really dont think they care..


----------



## Blue Granite PPs

Zuse said:


> I see a lot of this in the SC and never gets fixed,I really dont think they care..


"They"=the Banks?


----------



## Blue Granite PPs

JDRM said:


> It seems they are untouchable, this has been happening for years!


NO ONE is ever "untouchable"--this industry needs and Elliott Ness! :shifty:


----------



## Gypsos

I have one across the street from one of my properties. About 10 CY of debris in the yard - old couch, table and other stuff I cannot make out, and the grass gets mowed every few months whether it needs it or not. 

No edging, no weed trimming, nothing. A neighbor told me he has had to call the cops several times because the house has been broken into.


----------



## BRADSConst

Blue Granite PPs said:


> So, grass cutting season is ramping up here in the southeast (outside of GA and FL) and I know that every neighborhood I go to for my current clients there is at least ONE BAC property managed by Screwguard.
> 
> What would happen if "we" photographed the property (from the street of course) showing SG deficiencies and sent DIRECTLY to BAC asset managers? OR what would happen if we filed a code violation on the BAC property?
> 
> What would happen? :whistling2:


That depends. Banks will always choose the lowest cost route. If it costs them $50/month for a violation versus $85/bimonthly to cut it, they will happily pay the fine.

I talked with a code inforcement inspector for Milwaukee. He said they loved BAC. They charged them $325 per month for a city violation. That was the only way they could get them to make a half azzed attempt at maintaining properties. As a result, I got tons of work last year curing violations in Milwaukee. That was the only place I ever mowed to cure a violation......


----------



## Zuse

Blue Granite PPs said:


> "They"=the Banks?


They the banks,this was the hole reason to push the account and liability off on to the servicer.

We all saw this early last year,i even said some to the boss at a LPS conference that the BAC account was coning of for grabs,but they didn't believe it.

Chase has turned over to outside servicer.
Wells Forgo is thinking of doing it to.

Its all about turning liability and responsibility over to the next fellow.


----------



## Blue Granite PPs

Someone "cares"; someone has "metric" that a bonus is tied to--that person must care.


----------



## cvalley

It's only getting worse. SG has come out with maps that doubled in size. They told me today, "take it our leave it". I just lost a municipal contract, and really don't want to lose all my properties, thus starting over in the biz. If I do that, I am going to go in a different route. It's very frustrating, I try to get to upper management and talk to them, but get sent to the same person who doesn't give a crap each time I call.


----------



## Zuse

Blue Granite PPs said:


> Someone "cares"; someone has "metric" that a bonus is tied to--that person must care.


Ok...if someone cared why are so many many property's not getting serviced.

BAC falls into the "TO BIG TO FAIL" Category,or as the Senate hearings just put "TO BIG TO PROSECUTE".

As the CEO of SG said some-time ago...He has more lawyer's than you.When it cheaper to pay fines than do the work why bother.

SG is sung as a bug in this industry,they make the rules either fallow our get the F**k out the way.I had a bid to de-limb a tree off a home in Charleston.SC, 3200.00 worth my contractor from Myrtle Beach went down to do it because he was slow with work,turns out the guy across the street came out of his house and was a sub for SG,the guy offers to cut the tree off the house for a 100.00.May contractor hauls off the limbs and the job is done.The sub for SG worked all day for the 100.00

There appears to be an endless supply of people that will work for those prices.They "SG" still call me about every 3 months asking me to come back to work for them.


----------



## Blue Granite PPs

Safeguard has an exclusive contract with BAC to provide PP services on BAC properties; i am SURE that contract has metrics that Safeguard must meet and if they don't must cure AND a termination for cause clause...that said, someone cares that the contract is being adheard to--BAC is paying SG for its services--an employee, a manager, a director or a shareholder--someone cares...just have to find WHO...


----------



## BamaPPC

Blue Granite PPs said:


> Safeguard has an exclusive contract with BAC to provide PP services on BAC properties; i am SURE that contract has metrics that Safeguard must meet and if they don't must cure AND a termination for cause clause...that said, someone cares that the contract is being adheard to--BAC is paying SG for its services--an employee, a manager, a director or a shareholder--someone cares...just have to find WHO...


Just a bit off with your facts. Safeguard doesn't have a contract with BAC. SG purchased the P&P side of BAC. It is now Safeguard. There is no BAC property preservation anymore.

http://www.housingwire.com/news/2012/08/02/safeguard-buys-bank-americas-field-servicing-operations


----------



## Cleanupman

Safeguard is not untouchable....trust me, no one is untouchable ,when there is this much money changing hands and there becomes a legality issue....
I'm betting bottom dollar that things will change and when they come there will be a lot of unhappy people...especially the nitwit that work for $100 a day...
Thise with out the proper licensing, permits etc....they will be the ones falling off the cliff....and most the regoinals also....glad we have deversified somewhat so this industry is not the bulk of our incoming revenue....


----------



## STARBABY

BamaPPC said:


> Just a bit off with your facts. Safeguard doesn't have a contract with BAC. SG purchased the P&P side of BAC. It is now Safeguard. There is no BAC property preservation anymore.
> 
> http://www.housingwire.com/news/2012/08/02/safeguard-buys-bank-americas-field-servicing-operations


 
This must be why I stopped getting FHA work orders from 5 Brothers they were Bank of America!


----------



## warranpiece

Everyone is right here. SG does not need to worry about a contract with BAC Field Services. They purchased it outright. BoA can indeed run things through another channel if they so choose, but thus far this is and was huge for Safeguard. They are a billion dollar company and seemingly signing someone new to service every week. Their corporate culture is the worst in the industry, and they fleece their network. It is simply unbelievable that they have gotten this far without any real blowback. If we were willing to work long enough for them to be done wrong by them, we would go after them ourselves.


----------



## JFMURFY

If the banks don't care what the exteriors of their property's look like why should we care. If they are blighted, the local Code Enforcement Officer needs to be contacted. 
If they're an eye-sore an bringing surrounding homes value down, and I lived across from one or one was in my neigborhood, I would be in daily contact, and would have my neighbors contact local Code Officials and get them doing their job.


----------



## Zuse

I too was under the impression that SG had a 2 yr contract with BAC,news to me.Seeing how SG is a privately head corp their pretty much accountable to no one,it basically comes down to who will do the work or not.

I know they will fly someone in from corporate to fix it if the SHTF on any given job as they see fit,which they have done before.

Local code inspectors are at a loss when it comes to dealing with SG,hell they will go over their heads with lawyers or make donation to keep them off their back...FACT.


----------



## wmhlc

Sg had a two year contract that was a trail before they purchased it.

Sg is loved by our local code enforcement units, in my area safeguard handles all all code violations very quick. They do a very good job in my area.


----------



## BPWY

BRADSConst said:


> That depends. Banks will always choose the lowest cost route. If it costs them $50/month for a violation versus $85/bimonthly to cut it, they will happily pay the fine.
> 
> I talked with a code inforcement inspector for Milwaukee. He said they loved BAC. They charged them $325 per month for a city violation. That was the only way they could get them to make a half azzed attempt at maintaining properties. As a result, I got tons of work last year curing violations in Milwaukee. That was the only place I ever mowed to cure a violation......





Some parts of the country a "simple" grass violation runs in the mid 4 figures.

Even that does not get the banks and service companies attention. 
Seen it with my own eyes more than once in 09 when I had an extended coverage area.


----------



## BRADSConst

BPWY said:


> Some parts of the country a "simple" grass violation runs in the mid 4 figures.
> 
> Even that does not get the banks and service companies attention.
> Seen it with my own eyes more than once in 09 when I had an extended coverage area.


BPWY, I should clarify my previous statement. This is on PPO properties. The code inforcement department in Milwaukee does everything they can to justify their existance and they know properties are not supposed to convey with violations. So I guess in a round about the taxpayers via HUD are paying to clear the violations, not the banks. I never did chit on REO's except a tarp and haul debris. Sold as is, and paid the fines to the city at closing.

Had one REO shack that sold for $2,500 last year. They (BOA) new the violations were going to be in the 10's of thousands. Sold it with debris and SEWAGE in place just to because it was cheaper than fixing it. All we did was board 13 windows and a door to keep the squatters out. They wanted out quick before the fines started adding up.


----------



## RichR

wmhlc said:


> Sg had a two year contract that was a trail before they purchased it.
> 
> Sg is loved by our local code enforcement units, in my area safeguard handles all all code violations very quick. They do a very good job in my area.


This is what I find in my area as well.


----------



## Blue Granite PPs

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/foreclosure-crew-empties-wrong-building/nWmgp/

amazed SG is still is favored by banks!


----------



## Blue Granite PPs

http://www.indeed.com/forum/cmp/Safeguard-Properties/Per-Manager-No-Surprises-Safeguard/t462285


----------



## 68W30

Sg is loved by our local code enforcement units, in my area safeguard handles all all code violations very quick. They do a very good job in my area


Not loved Here ,, I was in Violation court representing a Client , SG didnt even show and i Quote the Judge " have these guys ever had anyone show up ?"


----------



## PropPresPro

68W30 said:


> . . .I was in Violation court representing a Client , SG didnt even show and i Quote the Judge " have these guys ever had anyone show up ?"


They need to be held in contempt, and uniformed officers need to walk into their offices & pull someone out in cuffs! :whistling2:


----------



## STARBABY

Blue Granite PPs said:


> http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/foreclosure-crew-empties-wrong-building/nWmgp/
> 
> amazed SG is still is favored by banks!



I`t is a crying sham this man isn`t getting any kind of action from SG!

was reading the comments and the people need to calm down! They refer to the contractors as thugs and such!


----------



## GTX63

Have you seen this contractor? Call 1-800-THATSMYSTUFF Operators standing by.


----------



## BPWY

Blue Granite PPs said:


> http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/foreclosure-crew-empties-wrong-building/nWmgp/
> 
> amazed SG is still is favored by banks!





As long as the bank is insulated from paying any damages I doubt they care.... much.



WTF is wrong with the "contractor" that cleaned this stuff out? $150,000 in personals and he still proceeded?
I'd be all for the person responsible landing in jail.


----------



## garylaps

I agree, the contractor should still have some liability. I've trashed out the wrong house...It's not that hard to do if all the right things line up. Fortunate for me this house was abandoned and was to be foreclosed on the next week. We also got the heads up from a broker and was able to put the debris in the garage with only a half day wasted. There were TWO houses on a dead end road and neither had a address afixed to it, I even met the departing home owner and he said "WOW the banks are quick! Needless to say I went home at noon and cracked a beer, work was over for me that day


----------



## BamaPPC

Well, I've never trashed out the wrong house. I have entered the wrong house due to the lack of addressing on the exterior. But, there is always old mail or paperwork of some kind on the inside. 

We never move anything until confirmation is made of the address. 
Never. 
Even if that takes extra time to confirm the location on the county revenue site.

We once had a house on a little cul-de-sac. Five houses on the street. No addresses on any house. Only one is occupied. Spoke to that guy. He told us his address and then was helpful to direct us to the house he thought was the one we were looking for. We changed a lock. Turns out its the wrong house. We are sent back, we know what the address is for the house we changed a lock on, we have the address given by the guy, we think we know where the right house is. Lock change. Wrong house again.
We're sent back, turns out the guy was lying to us, it's his house we've been looking for all along. We get back to the street, he's burned his house down. I guess he knew we were closing in, and would be back.

Learned a lesson...people will lie to you. Go figure.


----------



## PropPresPro

BamaPPC said:


> . . .Learned a lesson...people will lie to you. Go figure.


WHAT? No!!!


----------



## garylaps

my point. not hard to be wrong on an address. Our national/reginal do not give any legal description, not any satilete pics for us...


----------



## Cleanupman

Hey you should see what some of the people say on Safeguard Properties Facebook page....


----------



## mtmtnman

garylaps said:


> my point. not hard to be wrong on an address. Our national/reginal do not give any legal description, not any satilete pics for us...




You should never get an address wrong. You have good resources in Minnesota. http://www.mngeo.state.mn.us/chouse/land_own_property.html


----------



## mtmtnman

Actually Minneapolis has one of the best systems i have seen...... http://gis.co.hennepin.mn.us/Property/Map/default.aspx


----------



## GTX63

Cleanupman said:


> Hey you should see what some of the people say on Safeguard Properties Facebook page....


Pretty hard to keep an active site if you have to control all of the negative comments, lol.


----------



## BPWY

They don't catch all of them.


----------



## 68W30

PropPresPro said:


> They need to be held in contempt, and uniformed officers need to walk into their offices & pull someone out in cuffs! :whistling2:[/QUOTE
> 
> 
> Funny you say that THIS judge calls your name , then calls it at the end in case your late to court , then straight out orders a bench warrant ( dont ask how i know ) and at this court date he remarked well i guess we cant get a corporation arrested


----------



## 68W30

garylaps said:


> I agree, the contractor should still have some liability. I've trashed out the wrong house...It's not that hard to do if all the right things line up. Fortunate for me this house was abandoned and was to be foreclosed on the next week. We also got the heads up from a broker and was able to put the debris in the garage with only a half day wasted. There were TWO houses on a dead end road and neither had a address afixed to it, I even met the departing home owner and he said "WOW the banks are quick! Needless to say I went home at noon and cracked a beer, work was over for me that day


first off GARY YOU DODGED A BULLET i woulda gone home and takin a xanax with a six pack chaser :thumbup: 

i have a town in the catskills, monticello to be exact the town fathers renumbered the houses up and down the streets TWICE in one year in some cases the houses still have up to 3 numbers on the mail box


----------



## Wannabe

Thankfully it never happened to our company BUT it came "close" several times. Never trust a work order address, check utility companies for regular power usage, talk to neighbors etc etc. I saw a LOT of properties where the lockchange was completed om wrong homes so dont trust the previous crew.

Several years ago, when the 911 system went into place, most addresses changed on rural homes amd that created a nightmare for the P&P contractors!


----------



## SwiftRes

A couple of my guys just went to a house yesterday. There was a real POS(looks like a foreclosure) next to a very nice home. Neither had house numbers. The inspectors vacancy sticker was on the POS home. My guys called me from site since there were no house numbers, we verified on the assessor it was the very nice occupied home next door, NOT the POS home and the POS home was owned by some rental property company. 

This was a close call. Had they trusted the inspectors sticker and secured that house, we would have done the wrong one.


----------



## SwiftRes

Wannabe said:


> Thankfully it never happened to our company BUT it came "close" several times. Never trust a work order address, check utility companies for regular power usage, talk to neighbors etc etc. I saw a LOT of properties where the lockchange was completed om wrong homes so dont trust the previous crew.
> 
> Several years ago, when the 911 system went into place, most addresses changed on rural homes amd that created a nightmare for the P&P contractors!


We still run into that on rural homes. 4 digit house numbers vs 5 digits. Confusing. Thankfully we have pretty good assessors.


----------

