What is Code Enforcement?
Code enforcement violations are one of the clearest signals of distress. Owners end up here for four common reasons: they’re in a fight with the city or county, they don’t have the money to make repairs, they’ve moved away and left the property, or the property has passed to heirs after a death. In each case, these situations often go unresolved—creating strong motivation to sell and making this play a valuable use of your time.The Right Audience
These are owners with abatement liens that are well into the enforcement process—strong signals that the violations are unlikely to be resolved and that a sale is the most likely outcome. An alternative audience can come from county-level lists of more recent code enforcement actions, which may indicate owners earlier in the process but still facing mounting pressure. Lien Doc Type = Abatement Lien Lien Status = Open/ActiveOutreach Channels
The best outreach combines Door Knocking|Phone|and Email—all of which allow for direct|personal engagement with the owner. These channels work best because code enforcement properties are often still occupied or tied to reachable heirs.Measuring Success
Track early engagement and how many owners request evaluations or book consultations. Listings are a great outcome, but the bigger win is reaching them before the city or stress forces a worse decision.