this is "nightline." tonight, real estate impossible. >> buyer beware. >> it doesn't exactly look like a dream home. >> it's a garage sale gone epically bad. >> but sometimes, one man's trash is another man's hidden treasure. why brokers see opportunity in homes like these and why maybe you should, too. plus, jake gyllenhaal's new movie. it is dark, it is gritty, and it came at a price. >> success at any cost. >> tonight, he opens up about his grueling physical transformation. how a 30-pound weight loss affected more than just his looks. and it's taylor swift 2.0. a country star comes to the big city and stranges her sound. we've got the interview as he drops her new album. why the woman behind "welcome t

new york" teared up today. >> i get so emotional. >> but first -- the "nightline" five. >> if you're up there, i could use some help. >> smart, sarah. seeking guidance. just like with your investments. that sets you apart. >> it does? >> it does. you're type e. and seeking another perspective is what type es do. oh, and your next hand hold is there. >> you don't have to go it at alone. e-trade gives you the guidance to maim informed decisions. are you type e?

good evening. and tonight, you're going to meet a real estate agent who carries a concealed firearm with him to work. that's because he's selling

houses packed to the gills with trash, filth and even sometimes illegal squatters. how on earth does he move this kind of inventory? and is it possible that this is the kind of investment opportunity that you should consider? here's abc's gloria riviera. >> reporter: in the market for a mansion but don't want to pay a premium? you might want to look in jacksonville's exclusive gated communit pablo bay. this is nice. fountains. really well-kept grounds. nice community. inside, there is a house for sale that will take your breath away. but not in a good way. wow. this is crazy. severe disrepair. seemingly unliveable. and seemingly unsellable. >> it's a garage sal gone bad. >> reporter: it's a garage sale gone epically bad. unless you're real estate agent todd arnold. what do you see it as? >> something that has opportunity. someone can easily clean it up. you have to get rid of all of

this. >> reporter: you have to get rid of this stuff. but it's the filth. where most see trash, todd sees potential treasure. he finds distressed homes like this in danger of foreclosure, prices it low and tripes to sell them fast. it's called short sale. >> opportunity for me, because i believe the house is only worth what someone's willing to pay. >> reporter: todd's mission today is to convince mom of three jennifer that this nightmare of a house could become her family's dream home. so, tell me why you are here. what are you here to see? >> we're here to look at this house because it is a short sale and a good price for this neighborhood. >> reporter: but there's a catch, right? >> not very clean. >> reporter: jen's first impression? what is that? >> smoke and animals. >> reporter: smoke from what? >> smokers. >> reporter: i expect jen to high tail it out of here, but she seems to be seeing the potential. >> i guess i'm just an optimist. i like a challenge. >> reporter: well, you have a challenge here.

>> i mean -- it really, though, i mean, it would come down to the price. this could be a lot worse. >> reporter: it's pretty bad. >> have to get a new toilet seat. >> reporter: yeah, you need that. what's in here? oh, my god. look at this. nasty. if these homeowners don't take their belongings with them, jen could be stuck with all of that cleanup. >> is that dog pee? >> reporter: i think it is. todd thinks he can convince jen to buy it for the bargain price of $315,000. that's 40% below the market value. oh. >> storage room. >> jack and jill bedroom with a bathroom in the middle. >> reporter: she still sees the upside. >> good eye. >> it's worth the price. >> reporter: outside in the fresh air, jen seems to have second thoughts.

>> it's full of junk and filth. and filth is feces, urine, smoke, cigarettes. >> reporter: short selling dispressed houses is a big business. that's happening all across the country. this three-bedroom home is selling for $1.8 million. barbara corcoran is a real estate mogul and host on abc's "shark tank." >> pipe down, little man. >> reporter: her take on jen's home? >> if i was riding an ad on this house, i'd say, buyer beware. >> reporter: but she does see the investment potential. >> it's always worth it to buy a hoarder house and here's why. you get a 20% to 30% discount on the house. all you have to do is do what the hoarder couldn't do. get a dumpster and get rid of the stuff. >> reporter: todd takes us on a tour of his inventory. his business is booming. >> this is jacksonville. the orange park side. >> reporter: and can also be dangerous. you feel like you need to carry a gun? >> absolutely. >> reporter: wow. >> dangerous business. >> reporter: sometimes todd's not sure what will be waiting

for him on the inside. >> people could be living in this place that don't really belong there. i like to honk my horn, let anybody that's there know that i'm here. hello? i knock on the windows, you know, get a peek in. >> reporter: this house is abandoned and i have a hard time magic how this bombed out abode could become a cozy home. you think there's a buyer? >> absolutely. >> reporter: he thinks with a little work, this $38,000 flop house could easily flip. >> in the short sale business, we like to call it broom swept clean. means you can take a broom across it and you don't run across anything. >> reporter: the next home we visit looks pretty decent from the front. but what was once a backyard. oh, my lord. what is going on back here? is no a junk yard. and the inside is packed to the gills. homeowner tommy thompson says he and his wife became overwhelmed by their own collection. why don't you get rid of some of this stuff? >> you'd be surprised what he

have gotten rid of. >> reporter: tonight, todd reports that this home has multiple offers with a contract pending. >> the good, the bad, the ugly. they all have to find a buyer. i think of them not as homes i'm selling but buyers and sellers that i'm helping. >> reporter: it seems jen was able to see through the zoo inside. >> it has a formal dining room and an eat-in area. >> reporter: i missed the formal dining room. >> the birds were there. >> jimmy: o >> reporter: i missed that. before putting an offer in, buyers should do their research. >> there's a wild card. you can't get into the basement or through the basement to see if the boiler even works, to see what the plumbing is like. you can't get to see what the view is like because you can't get to the window. there's some guess work. >> reporter: jen is finally ready to make a decision. you know all the work that it will bring. are you still thinking about putting in an offer? >> yeah. >> reporter: yeah? >> yep. i would do it.

>> reporter: you are not easily daunted. but jen may not have been fast enough. tonight, todd reports that home received multiple offers and went over the asking price. no snake the highest price, right? that's a good thing. >> i'm happy to sell at any price. if i sell at $10,000 or $300,000, as long as they close, it's money. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm gloria riviera in jacksonville, florida. coming up here on "nightline," the physical and psychological transformation that jake gyllenhaal underwent for his new role. about the sometimes seedy side of the news business. an overnight underworld that very few of us ever get to see. and later, she couldn't just shake it off like taylor swift. she got a little bit choked up today. the setting is perfect. but then erectile dysfunction happens again.

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every night in cities across america, there are people who do nothing but listen to police scanners and wait for word of murders and car crashes. and then they drive to the scene as fast as they can and they take video. officially, these people are known as stringers. unofficially, they've been called the paparazzi of pain. and they are now the subject of a major new movie starring jake gyllenhaal. abc's byron pitts takes us inside their world. >> start filming. >> reporter: hollywood's latest inspiration. those horrific high speed, heart-stopping, caught on tame moments. >> will this be on television? >> morning news. >> reporter: in "night crawler," jake jillen hall plays the man behind the camera. >> i have some footage for sale.

>> reporter: aungry flee lancer who will stop at nothing. >> you have to call the cops. >> and we will. at the right time. >> reporter: to make it big. who is lou? >> he's part of a generation of people that are looking for jobs in a world where jobs are redefining themselves. he's a thief. sort oaf a petty thief at the beginning of the movie. runs across this accident scene and sees guys who film accidents and crimes and stuff for local news and he finds his calling in an instant. >> you have a good eye. i want you to contact me when you have something. >> something like this? >> think of our news cast as a screaming woman running down the street. >> caught on camera, a high speed chase. >> pursuit suspect is in custody this morning. >> reporter: that may be harsh satire, but we've all seen it. the chases. the crashes. the chaos. >> the scene early this morning in the 400 block. >> reporter: and the just plain unexpected that bring in viewers. the movie dives into the psyche of this twisted world.

why so dark, this character? >> there's a special type of personality that can do this job. you have to love the night. >> reporter: or hate the sun. >> actually found myself really disappointed when the sun would come up as i was playing this character. >> reporter: to become lue, gyllenhaal drew inspiration from one of southern california's other nocturnal creatures. what did you do to prepare for this role? >> i wanted him to look like a coyote. in order to do that, i had to look hungry and be hungry. >> reporter: he means that literally. gyllenhaal lost nearly 30 pounds for the role. by eating a diet of kale salads and going on long runs. >> i would do this loop, this ten-mile loop and i would picture myself as a coyote. like i was running with my brethren or something after awhile. >> reporter: gyllenhaal's research included heading out after dark with this man, howard. >> i'm an adrenaline junky.

>> reporter: he's a real life los angeles night crawler, who for 15 years th s has been sell video. gyllenhaal found him after the character was written, but they still got a dose of harsh reality. >> first thing he said, you guys want to wear the bullet proof vests or not? you got shot at. we were racing at 100 miles an hour. we arrived at a car accident where three young women had been ejected from a car. it was very horrible, bloody, violent. howard, very professionally, got out his camera, filmed it, cut it together. >> what was the thinking there? i didn't ask that to hear myself speak. this transformation is very different from many of the roles i played in the past. it was a physical one, a mental one. but i brought me to a world that was different than any role i've ever played. >> reporter: so, we hit the streets to see what his adrenaline-packed nights are really about. what's the goal? >> goal is getting something

like a crash on tape. we will go to minor crashes on the freeway and sometimes we're there before they block the freeway and we get cars piling into everything and that's worth a bit of money. >> reporter: stringers can make a few hundred to thousands of dollars a night. in the movie, jake plays lou. are you lou? >> i'm lou to a certain extent. without the felony aspect. >> reporter: during downtime, he waits in a parking lot with easy access to the highway. >> possible fatal crash. multiple calls have come in. three calls. possible fatal crash. come on. [ bleep ]. if it's a good crash and it's visual, that would definitely sell. this could be a good start to the night. >> reporter: it's a job where good is relevant. >> this is going to be a dump the car and run. come on, come on, come on. move! >> reporter: as he arrives, police are already on the scene. >> everybody clear out!

>> this is not a safe area. that's a brutal impact. i mean, i've seen a lot of crashes, but that is brutal. i just spoke to the fire department. they said the guy was in full arrest, so, it's not looking good. >> reporter: there's a certain stoicism about his sat tuesdaat. you've been called paparazzis of pain, video vultures. they work for you? >> no, no. >> reporter: give me what you prefer? >> i'm a stringer. >> reporter: he also served as the technical adviser on the film, helping to translate the complicated language of the emergency scanners that contain hidden tips, if you know how to decipher femme. >> >> 25,000 channels. >> they have every fire department. >> armed robbery. 187 is a homicide.

okay, we have an officer needs help. i don't know if it's an officer down. he was screaming for help. lapd everywhere. i have never seen a policeman get so many resources into one area so quickly. >> i will never ask you to do anything that i wouldn't do myself. >> reporter: in the movie's over the top plot line, gyllenhaal doesn't hesitate to violate all sorts of professional and legal codes. >> i think you withheld information. >> that would be a very unprofessional thing for me to do. >> it would be murder. >> reporter: in this movie, your character crosses a line, more than a few times. >> i think lou's opinion of that is he's an artist. my opinion is that i think all the things he says are right but i think the things he does inevitably do cross that line. >> reporter: the character in the movie clearly crosses the line. do you ever cross the line? >> no. >> reporter: you hesitated. >> there's a few laws we break. we have to get to the scene

quite fast. we do -- go over the speed limit sometimes. we are very, very safe, though. >> 911, what's your emergency? >> reporter: gyllenhaal found himself identifying more and more with all the different shades of his character. >> there were pieces of me that are in lou. i would say a generation, i speak for myself, but i would say a generation has been raised with the success at any cost. you know, that ambition is admired. but at the same time, i think it can be very easily misused. we want all of it. >> reporter: in "night crawler," success at any cost will make your palm sweat. for "nightline," i'm byron pitts in los angeles. >> and "nightcrawler" is in theaters on halloween. coming up next on "nightline," our interview with taylor swift. also, what she did with her most die hard fans that required an enormous amount of trust. ♪

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even though i'm a 43-year-old guy and not at 13-year-old girl, the next time i sit down at my home computer, i will download the new taylor swift album. this may indicate that i'm in a state of arrested development, but it also tells you what a huge crossover star swift is. and she's gotten there through a combination of song writing chops and, as you're about to see, marketing genius. >> will you please shake it off with me? >> reporter: she's so excited about her new album that she's shouting it from the rooftops.

♪ shake it off >> reporter: performing live in a top secret event for yahoo!. just one of many surprises she has up her sleeve. this is what happens when one of the biggest music stars on earth invites fans into her living room. >> hey, guys! >> reporter: yes, she has an unconventional relationship with her swifties. a whole month before dropping her new album, she played it for them in private. >> it was something i decided to do, a secret gathering all over the country of fans in my living rooms listening to the album and the coolest thing is, these fans heard the album a month ahead of time and they didn't leak anything. >> reporter: taylor talked about that trust with our robin roberts on "gma" today. >> you trust your fans and your fans trust you. >> i really do. and i trust that they're going to be good to each other. they're going to be positive. they're going to be excited and enthusiastic. >> reporter: and it has helped

make taylor swift a best-selling artist. her last two albums each sold a million copies in the first week. >> i decided to go in a completely different direction. >> reporter: now the former country star is getting an all pop makeover in "1989" with catchy singles like "shake it off." >> i'm been playing around with pop for the last couple of years and i really wanted to go for it. ♪ shake it off >> reporter: but in the end, most critics have had nothing but praise for for the transformation. one of them calling it a pop tour de force. it's 16 tracks of danceable fun. and that's just what they did in a contest sponsored by "good morning america". this morning, we revealed the winners. >> i get so emotional watching it. i get so emotional. >> reporter: and it brought taylor to tears. and that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you become a megastar with customer service like that. thanks for watching "nightline" tonight. be sure to tune into taylor's

next live performance on "gma" on thursday. of course, we're online 24/7 at abcnews.com. thanks again for watching and good night. mornin', deb. here's your paper. thanks, robert. just stopped by mom and dad's for me coffee, but couldn't take all the...mom and dad. here. you can have ray's. oh. thanks. there's a vibe over there that gives me... i can't describe it. searing abdominal cramps.

why do you keep going over there? good coffee. how's this, huh? well, when you... when you factor in the vibe here, robert: hey, ray. whole package is g good. robert. out of milk. you did that on purpose. you wanted milk. [door opens and closes] i've gotta buy myself a coffee maker.