Inconsiderate Realtor

It's in my best interest for this property to fetch the highest price. The former occupants weren't happy much when we bought for $300k less than they did. True the house has a few SqFt and extra bdrm over ours, but I want a high price.

Our county was one of the hardest hit in the real estate decline and still hasn't recovered. We plan to re-evaluate in another 6yrs.

BTW- the HoA is on the job now. They are sending notice to the bank and then will send a crew to clean it up and bill them if they don't comply.
 
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There's not going to be any movement until you do it.

Two options:

1. Stare at the problem and whine.
2. Fix the problem.
 
Now I know why the American Indian I use to work with would always ask me ...

"how'd y'all survive the first winter?"
 
This is one reason why I am so very happy to no longer be a home owner. Been there, done that, for more than 30 years.

now I am happy in my rental townhouse. I know I am missing out on investment opportunities and tax breaks, but it sure is less stress.

And I have lots more time to do what I want to do - I am not spending time just taking care of the house.


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RalphInCA said:
This is one reason why I am so very happy to no longer be a home owner. Been there, done that, for more than 30 years.

now I am happy in my rental townhouse. I know I am missing out on investment opportunities and tax breaks, but it sure is less stress.

And I have lots more time to do what I want to do - I am not spending time just taking care of the house.


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Homeowners talk about the last thing they fixed or whats next, renters talk about their last or next vacation.:D
 
ClimbnSink said:
Homeowners talk about the last thing they fixed or whats next, renters talk about their last or next vacation.:D
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All the renters I know talk about things that are broken that they can't get fixed and the annual rent increases and the landlords coming in their apartments when they are not there and how they have to lie about their pets and the neighbors banging on the walls (and each other) in the middle of the night.

I don't miss renting at all, and I will never go back voluntarily as long as I have an option.
 
You can all keep your land locked abodes, I'll stick to boats. At least when my neighbors are *******s, I can just move away.
 
If I was stuck living in a suburb I'd probably rent. With all the rules HOAs have and all the ordinances and permits and things you have to deal with in those kinds of areas you'd just as well.

I really don't know how some of you do it without loosing your minds. Maybe growing up there you're just used to it? Anyway I own my house so it's mine- so that I can decorate it as I please, park what I want in front of it, plant what I want around it, etc without having to call anyone for permission. That's pretty much the only point...
 
cowman said:
If I was stuck living in a suburb I'd probably rent. With all the rules HOAs have and all the ordinances and permits and things you have to deal with in those kinds of areas you'd just as well.

I really don't know how some of you do it without loosing your minds. Maybe growing up there you're just used to it? Anyway I own my house so it's mine- so that I can decorate it as I please, park what I want in front of it, plant what I want around it, etc without having to call anyone for permission. That's pretty much the only point...
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I refuse to buy a house with a HOA. I also bought my house in a very blue collar neighborhood. No drama and I can do whatever I please. My next house will definitely be outside city limits.
 
My wife wants me to buy her a house with the pool, the rot-iron fence, $12K annual prop taxes and an HOA.

I told her divorce would be cheaper. :D
 
jesse said:
I refuse to buy a house with a HOA. I also bought my house in a very blue collar neighborhood. No drama and I can do whatever I please. My next house will definitely be outside city limits.
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I've run the gamut. From a HOA with a lot of rules to a neighborhood with no rules to our current home where we have an HOA and very few rules.

There are pro's and con's of each setup. I'd suggest that the smaller the lots, the more important having some structure to the neighborhood rules. If you're living on a 1/4 acre, you're awfully close to your neighbors. One family with a perpetually barking dog or a backyard full of chickens could really ruin your experience or your resale value.
 
kyleb said:
I've run the gamut. From a HOA with a lot of rules to a neighborhood with no rules to our current home where we have an HOA and very few rules.

There are pro's and con's of each setup. I'd suggest that the smaller the lots, the more important having some structure to the neighborhood rules. If you're living on a 1/4 acre, you're awfully close to your neighbors. One family with a perpetually barking dog or a backyard full of chickens could really ruin your experience or your resale value.
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Barking dogs are annoying. My neighbor has chickens, they're no issue.

The city rule is no more than six hens, no roosters. It works well.
 
JOhnH said:
All the renters I know talk about things that are broken that they can't get fixed and the annual rent increases and the landlords coming in their apartments when they are not there and how they have to lie about their pets and the neighbors banging on the walls (and each other) in the middle of the night.

I don't miss renting at all, and I will never go back voluntarily as long as I have an option.
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Not me! I love our landlord, he is very responsive, the place is kept up extremely well, it's quiet and rent increases are infrequent. No pets are allowed and there are no playground or swimming pools which tends to keep out the families with kids. It's a townhouse so I have nobody above me, and the wall in common with my neighbor is pretty thick plus he's pretty quiet.
 
Speaking of bad neighbors and noise, I won't live in anything with shared walls anymore. In all the years I had to live in apartments, in every one of them, there was some screwball who was noisy. Stereos too loud, playing a guitar at 2 in the morning, etc.

Never again.

I rent currently, but a single-family home in a subdivision with a lot of families. There are also several multi-generational families in the neighborhood, so things tend to be very quiet.
 
I own and live on 12 acres, surrounded by protected land, no chance of anyone moving within a mile or so of me. Currently about 4 permanent residents within an 8 mile radius of my house. As remote as you can get on the east coast. My landlord is great. I'll go homeless before I EVER rent again. And I'll be in a casket before I ever live in an apartment again.
 
LoneAspen said:
Speaking of bad neighbors and noise, I won't live in anything with shared walls anymore. In all the years I had to live in apartments, in every one of them, there was some screwball who was noisy. Stereos too loud, playing a guitar at 2 in the morning, etc.

Never again.

I rent currently, but a single-family home in a subdivision with a lot of families. There are also several multi-generational families in the neighborhood, so things tend to be very quiet.
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Yeah, apartments tend to be noisy. I lived in townhouses for years. most of them were quite good. There was one that I owned that had a concrete block wall between the units. I had an end unit, on the one common wall was a neighbor who was a postal worker and worked some odd hours. One evening I was in the kitchen making dinner when the doorbell rang. It was my neighbor, dressed in pajamas and a bathrobe. She asked if anything had "come into your unit". I said, no, not that I could tell, and what did she mean "come into my unit"? She then 'fessed up, that her gun had gone off and was pointed in the general direction of my unit. I told her that nothing had happened, and not to worry about it. I went back to making dinner, kind of marveling at the soundproofing, when it dawned on me: OMG, I live next to an armed postal worker! :yikes:
 
bartmc said:
I own and live on 12 acres, surrounded by protected land, no chance of anyone moving within a mile or so of me. Currently about 4 permanent residents within an 8 mile radius of my house. As remote as you can get on the east coast. My landlord is great. I'll go homeless before I EVER rent again. And I'll be in a casket before I ever live in an apartment again.
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That is awesome. I rent a single family home in a nice suburb for far less then the cost of ownership. Thing is here you need a permit to redo interior rooms or put in a garden shed. Having a landlord is just one more master, less intrusive then the town. Long term plan is half the year overseas, half in an RV or on a boat.
 
Henning said:
Meh, the average homeowner is best served by buying a decent electric in the 12"-16" range. They really do work very well and have no long term storage issues like a gas powered ones. This is a typical homeowner use, clean up some fallen debris every few years, not felling mighty oaks or 100+' conifers all day for a living. To buy a good Stihl for a project like this is bordering on the ridiculous.
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Problem with electric is you need power and a cord long enough.

And the hurricane that knocked down the tree might have put your power out for weeks.

It really depends on where you live. Here we have big pines and oak trees. Plus occasional hurricanes and tornadoes.


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dell30rb said:
Problem with electric is you need power and a cord long enough.

And the hurricane that knocked down the tree might have put your power out for weeks.

It really depends on where you live. Here we have big pines and oak trees. Plus occasional hurricanes and tornadoes.


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That is not 'homeowner' clean up work, the insurance company would really rather pay pros to come in (although they will pay you about $10hr if you do do it) and clear it up. They don't want you getting hurt doing it because they encounter liability if you injure yourself, and lots of people injure themselves.

Plus, most people who live in hurricane country have a generator stashed somewhere.
 
RalphInCA said:
This is one reason why I am so very happy to no longer be a home owner. Been there, done that, for more than 30 years.

now I am happy in my rental townhouse. I know I am missing out on investment opportunities and tax breaks, but it sure is less stress.

And I have lots more time to do what I want to do - I am not spending time just taking care of the house.
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One fallacy here.

There aren't any tax breaks for actually owning. There are tax breaks for letting someone else own and you paying them interest on a loan.

I just like it better when people are honest about that one.

Unless you have the title, you don't own squat. But lots of people think they do, and pay the upkeep on the bank's house. ;)
 
So is the "tree" cleaned up yet? That puppy would have already been long gone around here. LOL
 
denverpilot said:
One fallacy here.

There aren't any tax breaks for actually owning. There are tax breaks for letting someone else own and you paying them interest on a loan.

I just like it better when people are honest about that one.

Unless you have the title, you don't own squat. But lots of people think they do, and pay the upkeep on the bank's house. ;)
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One fallacy here.

When you have the title you still don't own squat, you're renting from the government. Don't believe that? Don't pay your property tax a couple of years and see if you still have it. But lots of people think they do, and pay the upkeep on the government's house.

I just like it better when people are honest about that one.:D;)
 
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denverpilot said:
One fallacy here.

There aren't any tax breaks for actually owning. There are tax breaks for letting someone else own and you paying them interest on a loan.

I just like it better when people are honest about that one.

Unless you have the title, you don't own squat. But lots of people think they do, and pay the upkeep on the bank's house. ;)
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Tax reasons are poor reasons to buy a house (or a plane).....

But......

You can also deduct property taxes, which, likely you miss the benefit if renting.
 
Owning is preferable to renting because the government subsidizes part of your costs. Even if you own the property outright, you get to deduct property taxes. And if you have a loan, the government subsidizes your interest cost too.

And, before the Democrats brought subprime and crashed housing, people use to build equity value in the investment too.
 
CTLSi said:
Owning is preferable to renting because the government subsidizes part of your costs. Even if you own the property outright, you get to deduct property taxes. And if you have a loan, the government subsidizes your interest cost too.

And, before the Democrats brought subprime and crashed housing, people use to build equity value in the investment too.
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Damn homeowners leaching off the gov't. Buy a house get welfare yippee. If you need gov incentives for something to be a good deal, it just might not be that great. The homeless are of a higher moral caliber then homeowners raking in the free gov cheese.
 
ClimbnSink said:
Damn homeowners leaching off the gov't. Buy a house get welfare yippee. If you need gov incentives for something to be a good deal, it just might not be that great. The homeless are of a higher moral caliber then homeowners raking in the free gov cheese.
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So, as a home owner, you feel that I should not deduct my property taxes and insurance?
 
jesse said:
So, as a home owner, you feel that I should not deduct my property taxes and insurance?
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You should maximize personal gain within the law. I need to get me one of them ebt cards. If the gov offers might as well take it.
 
Henning said:
One fallacy here.



When you have the title you still don't own squat, you're renting from the government. Don't believe that? Don't pay your property tax a couple of years and see if you still have it. But lots of people think they do, and pay the upkeep on the government's house.



I just like it better when people are honest about that one.:D;)
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Very true. Hundreds of times difference in price in most places. And most jurisdictions take a very long time to act on back property taxes. But yes, eventually they'll auction off the property to pay the tax bill.
 
denverpilot said:
Very true. Hundreds of times difference in price in most places. And most jurisdictions take a very long time to act on back property taxes. But yes, eventually they'll auction off the property to pay the tax bill.
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Have a neighbor to a piece of property that is always 2 years behind on his taxes.

Plays the third year back to keep the tax sale from happening, but won't catch them up. He knows the game.
 
JoseCuervo said:
Have a neighbor to a piece of property that is always 2 years behind on his taxes.

Plays the third year back to keep the tax sale from happening, but won't catch them up. He knows the game.
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Lol, so he'll die owing 2 years back tax.:rofl:
 
Henning said:
Lol, so he'll die owing 2 years back tax.:rofl:
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People like that think they are being clever, but I see it as stealing. They are getting services they are not willing to pay for. We each have a shared responsibility to support the society and if you don't like what you get,put in an order for something else!
 
Jaybird180 said:
People like that think they are being clever, but I see it as stealing. They are getting services they are not willing to pay for. We each have a shared responsibility to support the society and if you don't like what you get,put in an order for something else!
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It's plain stupidity is what it is. I don't disagree with you.
 
JoseCuervo said:
Have a neighbor to a piece of property that is always 2 years behind on his taxes.

Plays the third year back to keep the tax sale from happening, but won't catch them up. He knows the game.
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The interest on back taxes (called tax liens) is way too high to call this guy smart. Actually, he is a financial idiot. Here the interest on tax liens is 12%, other states range from 5-36%. A very lucrative investment when CD rates are 1.5%. Many investors from all over the country buy the taxe liens for the interest. Once the property owner pays the taxes you are paid the principle and interest owed.
 
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Geico266 said:
The interest on back taxes (called tax liens) is way too high to call this guy smart. Actually, he is a financial idiot. Here the interest on tax liens is 12%, other states range from 5-36%. A very lucrative investment. Many investors from all over the country buy the taxe liens for the interest. Once the property owner pays the taxes you are paid the principle and interest owed.
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Yeah, so the guy is paying a year's worth of taxes every year (ie. he catches up from 3 years delinquent to 2 years) + the interest on the back taxes. Not my definition of "smart"
 
Henning said:
Lol, so he'll die owing 2 years back tax.:rofl:
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Guy is ornery old bastard.... He likely will outlive everyone, just for spite.



Jaybird180 said:
People like that think they are being clever, but I see it as stealing. They are getting services they are not willing to pay for. We each have a shared responsibility to support the society and if you don't like what you get,put in an order for something else!
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Oh yeah, he is "stealing", or whatever you want to call it. And, the County spends $$$ trying to collect, and trying to enforce many of the Codes he violates. He has a bunch of "junk" on his 160 acres that he thinks is "collectible" or is still "operating" despite never being moved in 20+ years.

Funny thing is, right now, in order to try and escape the County going after him on the latest Code violation, he is convincing a neighboring City to annex his land in an attempt to get out from under the County jurisdiction.

And, the neighboring City is proceeding to annex the land of someone who doesn't pay taxes for 2 years. Why the city wants a delinquent parcel in their books is an interesting question.


Henning said:
It's plain stupidity is what it is. I don't disagree with you.
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The guy is a Viet Nam vet, has an interesting perspective on government, regulations, etc... A bit of paranoia like most anti-gov't types.

Funny thing is, he has been elected to the local County Highway District for 12 years, and draws a $18k salary from them for the part-time Commission meetings he attends. For fighting the govt, he does like cashing the checks of taxpayers. (And, if you are interested, he gets elected based upon a sheep/flock voting block of a major religious institution.)



Geico266 said:
The interest on back taxes (called tax liens) is way too high to call this guy smart. Actually, he is a financial idiot. Here the interest on tax liens is 12%, other states range from 5-36%. A very lucrative investment when CD rates are 1.5%. Many investors from all over the country buy the taxe liens for the interest. Once the property owner pays the taxes you are paid the principle and interest owed.
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I am too lazy too look up / and/or make a call to the County, but I think they made a big deal of lowering the tax rates as "interest rates are low, we should not be penalizing our citizens" type of nonsense. Plus, since his land is Ag, the tax rates are ridiculously low, and, since his land is not farmed (due to all the junk stored on it), I think he can also argue that much of it is "non-farmable".



JeffDG said:
Yeah, so the guy is paying a year's worth of taxes every year (ie. he catches up from 3 years delinquent to 2 years) + the interest on the back taxes. Not my definition of "smart"
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It helped him out on cash flow for 2 years, sometime back.

The guy is definitely not "smart", but, he is smart enough that if you go thru the court records to see all the charges and complaints brought against him, he somehow has them all dismissed while acting as his own attorney.

He has a criminal case coming up in October on the Code violations, and, the Prosecutor already said he wouldn't want a jail sentence, as the guy would quickly have local TV cameras following him as a "martyr".
 
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