Getting Permission FAQ
Almost everyday I get emails and PM’s on forums from a lot of different people asking me how I get permission at so many places. So I wanted to post this on my site, hopefully someone can get some answers here. Here are some questions I am frequently asked. If I get more I will add at a later time.
Q-How do you ask a homeowner for permission, what is your method, what do you say?
A-Most times I just get in my car, drive down the road looking for an old house that catches my eye. When I see one, I stop and walk to the door. I knock on the door, and here is EXACTLY what I say EVERYTIME: Hello, my name is Terry and my buddy and I have a hobby of metal detecting. We enjoy looking around older homes like yours for old coins, tokens, buttons, relics and just about anything old and interesting. Would you mind if we detected your yard?
That is it! I keep it short and simple, and say the EXACT thing everytime.
Q-Do you take your detector with you when you ask permission?
A-Yes and no, yes I have it in my car, but no, I do not ever carry it to the door when I ask. I do not ask for permission for another day because if you get permission and then leave, you are giving the homeowner time to sit and think about it and they may start thinking of reasons for you not to detect. So BE PREPARED to hunt right then and there if they say yes. Have your gear in the car ready to go!
Q-Do you offer to split finds, or do homeowners ask for your finds?
A-No I have never made the offer up front to split finds, mainly because no one has ever asked me to split finds. I have people say stuff like if you find a jar of gold we will split it, then we both laugh and I walk off and start detecting.
Q-Do homeowners ever ask to see your finds?
A-Very rarely, I’d guess that 90% of homeowners give me permission, go inside and I never see them again. For the 10% who are actually curious of what I find, then I show them.
Q-When you leave do you stop and talk to the owner again on the way out or do you just leave?
A-Almost always I just pack up when I am done and head out. Now if the yard was just super awesome and had great finds and there is more I want to cover, then I will knock on the door and ask the homeowner if they mind if I return for a second hunt. I’d say 9 out of 10 homes I hunt once, until I feel I have covered what I want to hunt and never go back. If a yard is good I will hunt 5-6 hours.
Q-How long do you hunt a house before you move on?
A-I normally hunt with a partner, we will hunt for one hour and if neither of us have a keeper by that time, we pack up and move to a new location. I never have trouble getting permission, so why waste time on a unproductive site.
Q-What are the areas that you hit first to see if it’s worth hunting more or not?
A-I have hunted a couple hundred houses easily and from my experience majority of finds come from the front yard, back yards especially at farms are real trashy and produce very little keepers. And in the front yard the BEST spot I have found the most coins is the path from the front door to the mailbox. If there is a sidewalk, even better. Around large trees where people sit in the shade is good too. Only areas I always try to hit in backyards is under the clothesline.
Q-What do you do if a homeowner is having a hard time saying yes, or they are acting like they are gonna say no?
A-The first thing I do is to explain to them I am very neat at what I do, explain how I cut a U shaped plug, flip it back and retrieve the item. Tell them I lay down a towel to lay loose dirt on, so there is absolutely no mess left in their yard. I also tell them when I am done, you cannot even tell I was there. Also one tip to remember. Never use the word DIG, use “cut a plug” and retrieve the item. The word “dig” puts pictures in their head of shovels and messes. You want to steer them away from anything negative.
Thanks for reading, and I hope I have helped someone out with this write up. Happy hunting!
Q-How do you ask a homeowner for permission, what is your method, what do you say?
A-Most times I just get in my car, drive down the road looking for an old house that catches my eye. When I see one, I stop and walk to the door. I knock on the door, and here is EXACTLY what I say EVERYTIME: Hello, my name is Terry and my buddy and I have a hobby of metal detecting. We enjoy looking around older homes like yours for old coins, tokens, buttons, relics and just about anything old and interesting. Would you mind if we detected your yard?
That is it! I keep it short and simple, and say the EXACT thing everytime.
Q-Do you take your detector with you when you ask permission?
A-Yes and no, yes I have it in my car, but no, I do not ever carry it to the door when I ask. I do not ask for permission for another day because if you get permission and then leave, you are giving the homeowner time to sit and think about it and they may start thinking of reasons for you not to detect. So BE PREPARED to hunt right then and there if they say yes. Have your gear in the car ready to go!
Q-Do you offer to split finds, or do homeowners ask for your finds?
A-No I have never made the offer up front to split finds, mainly because no one has ever asked me to split finds. I have people say stuff like if you find a jar of gold we will split it, then we both laugh and I walk off and start detecting.
Q-Do homeowners ever ask to see your finds?
A-Very rarely, I’d guess that 90% of homeowners give me permission, go inside and I never see them again. For the 10% who are actually curious of what I find, then I show them.
Q-When you leave do you stop and talk to the owner again on the way out or do you just leave?
A-Almost always I just pack up when I am done and head out. Now if the yard was just super awesome and had great finds and there is more I want to cover, then I will knock on the door and ask the homeowner if they mind if I return for a second hunt. I’d say 9 out of 10 homes I hunt once, until I feel I have covered what I want to hunt and never go back. If a yard is good I will hunt 5-6 hours.
Q-How long do you hunt a house before you move on?
A-I normally hunt with a partner, we will hunt for one hour and if neither of us have a keeper by that time, we pack up and move to a new location. I never have trouble getting permission, so why waste time on a unproductive site.
Q-What are the areas that you hit first to see if it’s worth hunting more or not?
A-I have hunted a couple hundred houses easily and from my experience majority of finds come from the front yard, back yards especially at farms are real trashy and produce very little keepers. And in the front yard the BEST spot I have found the most coins is the path from the front door to the mailbox. If there is a sidewalk, even better. Around large trees where people sit in the shade is good too. Only areas I always try to hit in backyards is under the clothesline.
Q-What do you do if a homeowner is having a hard time saying yes, or they are acting like they are gonna say no?
A-The first thing I do is to explain to them I am very neat at what I do, explain how I cut a U shaped plug, flip it back and retrieve the item. Tell them I lay down a towel to lay loose dirt on, so there is absolutely no mess left in their yard. I also tell them when I am done, you cannot even tell I was there. Also one tip to remember. Never use the word DIG, use “cut a plug” and retrieve the item. The word “dig” puts pictures in their head of shovels and messes. You want to steer them away from anything negative.
Thanks for reading, and I hope I have helped someone out with this write up. Happy hunting!
