Since there are a lot of bank owned properties around here, I thought I would try and look around to see if I could steal something in the 80 thousand range that sold for 225 a few years back. After looking at 9 homes in the past few days I have one thing to say. People live like pigs. Of course I understand that folks are moving out and not cleaning because of foreclosure, but when I see how some folks lived, I can not believe that they actually lived like that. I did find a few homes worth looking at but one is a short sale (Still not in foreclosure) so the bank and former owner are still involved.
I also found a nice 3 bedroom 2 bath 2 story house with a two car garage but zero lot line so there was no outside living nice home and only 77 grand. All it needed is new carpets. Well we would not have carpeting in our home so laminate and tile floors would be what we would install.
Anyways after looking around at the neighborhoods that do not have CC&R's (Association Rules) I don't want to move from where we live. We did want to get out of this retirement community but after seeing all the junk cars, kids on the streets playing.
And fucking dogs, barking dogs, loud barking big dogs that are left outside, I am staying right here. The wife is still hoping to get into a bigger home but I am not going to compromise, and live in a shitty neighborhood. Even though I live in an RV/Mobile home park, and my home is only 400 sq ft. It is in a community of upscale folks who are respectful of their neighbors, plus we have a stringent set of CC&R's, No dogs on the loose or left outside, no car repairs on your lot. Lots of rules that piss folks off but not me, because people are pigs, and I like the rules myself.
I miss that van.
I'm mixed about the CC&R's. We have them but it's led to some stupid shit that pisses me off. For example, if I want to put in a fence I can't take it all the way out to my property line. There are these huge easements that make putting a fence up damn near pointless. If I and a neighbor put up fences we'd basically have these 10 foot wide alleys in between our fences which is just fucking stupid.
Other than THAT one item I love it. Some of the guys can attest to the absolute quietness of my neighborhood. Granted most of the families in our neighborhood have one foot in the grave. I only know of 3 families thus far that have kids in my neighborhood. Until recently I was the only guy in the cul-de-sac with kids. One house left to sell hopefully they will have young kids.
At any rate.....everything that can be built in our area has to be up to a certain standard. No shitty aluminum buildings. The only annoying thing here is that any building I put on the property has to be 50% covered in brick and that brick MUST match my house. Which of course drives up the cost of the building.....but also drives up the value of the house.
If I'd had known about the fence thing it might have stopped me from buying the house. I want what's mine marked as such ya know?
If you DO move, make sure you check the CC&R's to see if smelly bitches are allowed in the neighborhood! :D
Fucking barking dogs. I now hate the fuckers. Because of stupid irresponsible neighbors. Must have rules. Must!!!!!
Fenderbender — Nov 25, 2009I'm mixed about the CC&R's. We have them but it's led to some stupid shit that pisses me off.
Yeah same here. But having 24 hour security and rules that prohibit stupid neighbors from bothering you because they think it is OK to leave their dogs out. I just complained to the security about some stupid shit that left his two big dogs out and while we were walking by they came out threatening us. I asked security to warn them I will sign a complaint against them and then out the dogs go if another complaint is placed. Plus I can file a complaint in the town as well that carries a big fine, and I will. Some folks think their dumb animals are as important as other humans, some even think them more important. I have no trouble enlightening them through legal channels.
DBM,
The people don't really live like that. It's pretty common knowledge in the bank and in the investor circles that many people trash their houses some or a lot when they get the boot. There is one house we were watching and 12 months after the foreclosure, the former owners still lived in the house. The guy who bought it told my wife that he could not get them out because of the law, and they were letting the house get worse and worse, including not mowing the grass 1 time last summer. They did this out of spite of course... and here's a guy who bought it to rent, has been making payments for a year, and it's worth less than when I bought it, he can't rent it, and the former owners are living there free.
We looked at one house that was 18 months old and had been foreclosed on. The former owner put at least one baseball or larger sized hole in every interior wall in every room in the house. Another one we looked at, the people had 2 kids, and when they moved out they gave their kids both crayons and paint, and they drew on or painted on almost every wall on the first floor. Flowers, their names, tic-tac-toe. etc.... Then they brought an outside dog in the house and let him stay in a room so he relieved himself all over the carpet for about a week.
Any time you let someone live in something that they no longer own, and are no longer paying for, you are asking for trouble. It won't be long before banks start taking a nice big repair bill on their credit or taxes for willful damage. Or maybe they'll finally get something done where they can have them removed as soon as the foreclosure happens.
DreamTheaterRules — Nov 25, 2009DBM, It won't be long before banks start taking a nice big repair bill on their credit or taxes for willful damage. Or maybe they'll finally get something done where they can have them removed as soon as the foreclosure happens.
Right now in Arizona trashing a foreclosure before you move out is a criminal offense. Unfortunately this law is newer than the foreclosures we looked at. Many of the homes we saw were not trashed like the ones you outlined above. just grimy to the core.
