I did one many years ago at the behest of NCDOT. There were 9 brand new houses that had been built right where a new bypass was going to pass thru a development. DOT bought out the houses (not all were complete but most were 90%) and contracted us to demo them. We had 30 days so we pu tan ad in the paper and allowed builders to take them down for reuse (and private partie with insurance). We got paid for the contract plus the income from the houses and some people got into some nice houses for not a lot of money.
Industrially I've done a fair amount of deconstruction where equipment salvage was the main goal. It can pay off pretty well provided there is a market for the gear.