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Economic Sinkhole posted:Check your local codes for specifics but generally you can just trim any tree back to the property line as long as your trimming would not cause harm to the tree itself. If you trimmed off enough that the tree died, you could be liable for the replacement cost of the tree. You don't need permission from your neighbor to do this. At minimum, cut back anything that is touching the house right away. While this is completely true, it's also an rear end in a top hat move. There's no reason not to discuss it with the neighbor first: especially since they might be willing to pay for it, perhaps get the tree trimmed all the way around so it looks even, and be on good terms with your brand new next door neighbor. Resorting to just hacking off everything above your property line is for later, when you and your neighbor are feuding, hate each other, and are willing and ready to do anything and everything barely within the law to show your naked contempt for them. Google "spite fence" for fun ideas! Leperflesh fucked around with this message at 19:36 on Sep 21, 2015 |
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Sep 21, 2015 19:33
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Radbot posted:They just shot down our offer entirely and stuck to $240k. I really want this home but I'm tempted to just kill the deal over them being unwilling to work with us and waving "as is" in our faces when 99% of the problems were undisclosed. Apparently the seller received a cash offer at the exact same time our contract came in, and chose ours because of the heartfelt letter my wife wanted to write. This smells like bullshit to me. They didn't get a cash offer. Or any offer. But look, now the house is a hot commoddity! You're not the only one interested so you better pull the trigger and hurry hurry hurry. Realtor told you they got an offer, right? That's normal realtor bullshit. Walk away, they probably have a mortgage of $235k or something and can't/won't take a loss on the house.
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Sep 21, 2015 19:35
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That's what I figured, sounded like total bullshit when they said they got this cash offer (which they can't substantiate with any documentation) at the literal exact second I handed in mine. 45 days on the market might not be a long time in other markets, but it's pretty much an eternity here in Denver, IMO. Probably going to submit a final walkaway of $235k.
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Sep 21, 2015 19:49
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So it was $260k, which you think it will be worth at 30k worth of repairs. At $235k, you're paying $265k for a house that you then have to coordinate very expensive repairs on and don't get to utilize fully right away. Think about if it's worth it or if you just don't want to do the whole song and dance of looking around again.
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Sep 21, 2015 20:08
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No Butt Stuff posted:So it was $260k, which you think it will be worth at 30k worth of repairs. Very true, but I think the property is worth that - we will have to pay for a new septic, but at least we'd have a new septic system and at least the sellers were upfront with it. We recently checked out another house whose septic had been installed prior to 1969 and who swore up and down that it was working properly and had never been maintained beyond pumping - bullshit, no way that 60 year old septic is working properly.
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Sep 21, 2015 20:20
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I'd walk and see what they do. They have a ton of poo poo they have to disclose now, and it's getting later in the season, so they should know selling it will get progressively harder. That being said, if all these issues were addressed, how much would the house probably sell for? The difference between that and your all-in to buy and repair is what you're being "paid" for the hassle.
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Sep 21, 2015 20:48
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Leperflesh posted:While this is completely true, it's also an rear end in a top hat move. There's no reason not to discuss it with the neighbor first: especially since they might be willing to pay for it, perhaps get the tree trimmed all the way around so it looks even, and be on good terms with your brand new next door neighbor. I don't see what is assholeish about trimming a tree. How does this conversation go, exactly? You: "I'm going to trim that tree, it is touching my house" Them: "OK" You: "Just wanted to let you know." Them: "OK" You: "I'm not an rear end in a top hat" Them: "OK" Edit: Just to clarify, I'm saying you have the right to trim branches that overhang your property and you don't need your neighbor's permission. If you think talking to them first will somehow be better, go for it.
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Sep 21, 2015 20:59
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My wife talked me into going for their new counter at $237.5k. She's seriously in love with this place, so I relented. I would honestly have paid the $260k they were asking, now I've got a big discount (very hard to come by in CO for under $300k properties) and even though putting in a new septic will be a pain, at least it will be a brand new system instead of something to cost us twenty grand a few years down the road. The rationalization begins. Thanks guys. Economic Sinkhole posted:I don't see what is assholeish about trimming a tree. How does this conversation go, exactly? It's technically their tree even though you have the legal right to trim it, why not short circuit any bullshit with someone who knows where you live if possible?
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Sep 21, 2015 21:03
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Economic Sinkhole posted:I don't see what is assholeish about trimming a tree. How does this conversation go, exactly? It's their tree. You're not an rear end in a top hat if you shave your dog, but you're an rear end in a top hat if you shave your neighbor's dog without asking, even if it runs on to your property. This is doubly-true because this is someone who, like it or not, you're going to have a long-term relationship with and should be highly invested in keeping them happy.
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Sep 21, 2015 21:03
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Captain Cool posted:How much of a run-away red flag is visible water damage? We're considering a house that has small spots on the ceiling in two rooms, a couple of damaged soffits, a couple of window frames with repaired rot, a damaged wood wall in one room, and damaged siding in one place. One of the spots was from a disclosed sink overflow, and the rest appear to be related to ice dams on the roof. The roof is at least 10 years old, likely 15 or more, and may have had no maintenance done in the last decade. It's not clear if you understand this or not, so: Ice dams are not a roof problem. They may cause damage that requires replacing the roof, but an old roof will not cause them and a new roof will not prevent them. They primary causes of ice dams are conditioned air leaking into the attic, and inadequate attic insulation. You should plan on spending at least a couple thousand dollars addressing those as well (although sometimes utility rebates can make it quite a bit cheaper). However, with so many places with visible damage, it's pretty likely there's more where you can't see it. It is certainly possible you'll be dealing with the effects for years to come. (And a moisture meter is no guarantee against this - being dry right now is no proof that it wasn't damaged by moisture in the past)
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Sep 21, 2015 21:08
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Radbot posted:My wife talked me into going for their new counter at $237.5k. She's seriously in love with this place, so I relented. I would honestly have paid the $260k they were asking, now I've got a big discount (very hard to come by in CO for under $300k properties) Step 1: Don't fall in love with anything. Step 2: Be willing to walk away. Step 3: Let your realtor know you're in love with the place via a handwritten letter with the offer so he can tell the seller to counter your offer and you'll take it. Step 4: Rationalize it all away.
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Sep 21, 2015 21:08
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Spermy Smurf posted:Step 1: Don't fall in love with anything. Step 5: apply alcohol to brain as needed QD.
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Sep 21, 2015 21:49
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Wife has already achieved gold-tier Good With Money status (e.g., seeing popcorn ceilings and getting excited about removing them, then recommending a used Craiglist sprayer we should buy to apply the water to the ceiling) and has been granted a mulligan on this one.
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Sep 21, 2015 22:08
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Zhentar posted:It's not clear if you understand this or not, so: Ice dams are not a roof problem. They may cause damage that requires replacing the roof, but an old roof will not cause them and a new roof will not prevent them. They primary causes of ice dams are conditioned air leaking into the attic, and inadequate attic insulation. You should plan on spending at least a couple thousand dollars addressing those as well (although sometimes utility rebates can make it quite a bit cheaper). Also, there was a leaky vent duct up there. Just another one of the dozen small problems that added up to early roof replacement. We didn't get to see the other attic, but since there were ice dam issues there too, it likely had similar problems. quote:However, with so many places with visible damage, it's pretty likely there's more where you can't see it. It is certainly possible you'll be dealing with the effects for years to come.
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Sep 21, 2015 22:28
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Radbot posted:My wife talked me into going for their new counter at $237.5k. She's seriously in love with this place, so I relented. I would honestly have paid the $260k they were asking, now I've got a big discount (very hard to come by in CO for under $300k properties) and even though putting in a new septic will be a pain, at least it will be a brand new system instead of something to cost us twenty grand a few years down the road. My gut reading your post was that you were lowballing the sellers even if you didn't realize it. I don't know the house, or your market, but the seller is going to react poorly to a laundry list and a price significantly lower than asking, whether it's justified or not. If they won't budge far enough to make the house a rational purchase you have to walk, but if you're paying a $5k tax to get it over with and get a few years of deferred maintenance out of the way maybe it's worth it. It would be for me. Radbot posted:Wife has already achieved gold-tier Good With Money status (e.g., seeing popcorn ceilings and getting excited about removing them, then recommending a used Craiglist sprayer we should buy to apply the water to the ceiling) and has been granted a mulligan on this one. Those sprayers cost $13 on amazon, fyi.
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Sep 21, 2015 23:08
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Captain Cool posted:The insulation in the attic tapered off toward the eaves. There were vent channels attached to the roof but there was empty space below. I figured the insulation would need to be redistributed and checked as part of replacing the roof, and it was something I would check in the roof replacement plan. Is that what you're talking about? That's part of it (and often adding more, they were really stingy with the insulation back then), but also sealing any gaps/cracks/openings letting conditioned air into the attic. Vents are one place, but there can be a lot of other spots as well, such as recessed lights, the attic hatch, holes for wires or plumbing. A popular 70's construction feature was a basement to attic utility chase, which also served as an open chimney pulling air out of the basement into the attic.
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Sep 22, 2015 00:22
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Re: Tree Trimming I have a fenced in back yard and my neighbor has a smaller fence a few inches on the other side. In between was growing a nasty weed/briar patch that was starting to destroy our fences. He rents, and I own, so he didn't give a poo poo. I knocked on his door one morning and politely asked if it was OK to come onto his side and kill that infestation. He didn't care one bit, and I was done in a couple of hours. Just knock, explain what you want to do, and ask nicely for permission. You have a legal right to trim those tree branches that are over your property, but it's so much easier to make nice with your neighbors and ask first.
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Sep 22, 2015 19:02
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Ya, a little courtesy goes a long way. This Economic Sinkhole posted:You: "I'm going to trim that tree, it is touching my house" may sound like a waste of time, but you're giving them the opportunity to voice any concern or give input. Sure, 99% chance they won't have any, but it still lets them feel in charge of their little kingdom. "I'm not an rear end in a top hat, you're the boss of your domain" is totally worth saying.
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Sep 22, 2015 20:38
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Yeah also in my experience the conversation could actually go like this: You: "Say, hi, how's it going? I'm your friendly neighbor next door!" Them: "Ah hey yeah what's up man, so you're the new owner eh? Nice to meet you" etc. etc. You: "Listen, about that tree..." Them: "Oh, yeah, we've been meaning to have it trimmed" You: "Oh, cool! Yeah it's actually touching our house, I was hoping maybe it could get done soon?" Them: "I see, yeah no problem. We'll get someone out this week to get it trimmed." They then go on to pay for the entire tree being trimmed, evenly and all the way around. The other way it could go: <total silence, the next door neighbor has the tree sliced off at the property line while my sister, the renter of a house, is gone for the weekend. She comes back and is baffled that the neighbor didn't simply ask her to do it, since her landlord would have done the whole tree at once, and now instead has to pay basically the same cost just to have the remaining 3/4ths of the tree trimmed so it'll match. Neighbor carefully avoids eye contact, sister assumes he's probably got corpses stacked up like cordwood in the basement.> You can be courteous and friendly and have a good neighbor who watches out for your place while you're out of town, tosses your kid's soccer ball back over the fence when it goes over occasionally, and is happy to pay to have his own trees trimmed whenever it's needed. Or you can just refuse to engage with people who live next to you and do whatever you have the right to do without consulting them at all, giving them the impression that you're kind of a jerk and they certainly shouldn't go out of their way to help you with anything because really: how rude! You have the legal right to trim the overhanging tree. But if you have a lick of sense, you'll be friendly with your neighbors, because gently caress man, you just bought land right next to them, why wouldn't you be? Leperflesh fucked around with this message at 00:51 on Sep 23, 2015 |
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Sep 23, 2015 00:49
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Jesus, I regret ever posting about the trimming of trees.
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Sep 23, 2015 01:18
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It took over a month to get that drat zoning cert on a 2-flat we're purchasing. We put it in as a contingency with the purchase contract back in mid-August, and they didn't order it until a week ago. At least it's finally in.
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Sep 23, 2015 01:39
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Everyone, let's post our favorite tree trimming fanfics in this thread
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Sep 23, 2015 02:10
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Economic Sinkhole posted:Jesus, I regret ever posting about the trimming of trees. Hey I started it... I'm gonna swing by the neighbors in a few days and chat with them, just wanted some advice. This neighborhood is very into its trees and looks ("A tree-lined oasis in the middle of Memphis!") so I wasn't sure what the best way to approach it would be.
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Sep 23, 2015 15:51
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If you get your neighbors to pay for anything let me know because that has never happened ever. Also new furnaces are expensive. Why did I buy a house?
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Sep 23, 2015 16:07
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I have a tree that overhangs into my neighbour's yard. I want the whole thing gone but he has plants underneath some of the branches on his property that need the shade from my tree. halp?
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Sep 23, 2015 17:16
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Antifreeze Head posted:I have a tree that overhangs into my neighbour's yard. I want the whole thing gone but he has plants underneath some of the branches on his property that need the shade from my tree. Give him plenty of notice, tell him "Hey I was going to get rid of this tree, my plan is to do it in a month or so, let me know if there's any other information you need.
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Sep 23, 2015 17:31
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silvergoose posted:Give him plenty of notice, tell him "Hey I was going to get rid of this tree, my plan is to do it in a month or so, let me know if there's any other information you need. I give this fanfic 5/10. Needs more character development and drama.
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Sep 23, 2015 17:49
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Hashtag Banterzone posted:I give this fanfic 5/10. Needs more character development and drama. Specifically, while I didn't have any plants underneath the branches, my neighbor did exactly that to their tree whose branches were on our side. My response was "gently caress that tree, the low branches make it hard to mow the lawn, cut that thing down".
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Sep 23, 2015 18:09
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This is BFC, you're supposed to rent him the square meter of land the trunk is on at a premium.
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Sep 23, 2015 18:11
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The shaded area is an unrecorded tree easement (or "treesment") and is a major liability issue.
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Sep 23, 2015 19:19
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My appraisal was ordered two weeks ago, appraiser visited property last Tuesday. Apparently this morning the 3rd party intermediary the lender uses to contract out and collect appraisals rejected the appraisal and sent it back to the appraiser for 'revisions'. What should I make of this? My lender swears no one at the bank ever saw it or knows, or could find out, why it was sent back, and that it for sure has nothing to do with boosting the value to meet the sale price. What are my options here? Can I demand to be given all related materials, including the rejected appraisal? (and do they have a legal obligation to provide it?)
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Sep 23, 2015 19:35
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God my realtor sucks. No competitive market analysis, didn't show us any other homes besides the ones we requested to go to, sent us unaccompanied on multiple showings with just a lockbox code in hand, hosed up our close date in an amended contract and put us out of our lock period, told us the home we're buying now was under contract when it wasn't, didn't even suggest an inspector or help us with the process, etc. Realtors are a scam. I'm guessing this is because the home is "cheap"?
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Sep 23, 2015 19:59
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No, your realtor just really sucks and you should have fired him/her. Our realtor's average home sale price is over double what we ended up purchasing one for and he was still totally helpful.
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Sep 23, 2015 20:56
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Jealous Cow posted:My appraisal was ordered two weeks ago, appraiser visited property last Tuesday. Apparently this morning the 3rd party intermediary the lender uses to contract out and collect appraisals rejected the appraisal and sent it back to the appraiser for 'revisions'. What should I make of this? Update: I just got the appraisal. $200 over sales price lol The requested revisions are in a comments section in the doc. They relate to someone asking questions about the condition of basement walls (not obvious in photos) and asking for an explanation of why the house is selling for 3.6x more than it did 2 years ago (rehab of 101 year old home that the estate wanted to get rid of). So, the mighty machine of real estate lending lurches forward with reckless abandon.
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Sep 23, 2015 21:18
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I'm looking at a house in a great area that's under priced by like 25% for 3 reasons. It needs cosmetic updates and a new kitchen, but most importantly the upstairs is only 3/4 height and is an awful layout. Going from the top of the below floor plan on the left, it goes 2nd floor bath, awkward tiny 2nd bedroom, staircase and then master bedroom. I'm thinking a double dormer in the middle of the house to turn the 2nd bedroom into a master bedroom and suite would make it liveable and not break the bank. The right floor plan is what I mocked up. Red lines are the roof lines, red arrows show the slope of the room. Am I crazy? 
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Sep 24, 2015 18:08
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I throw myself at the altar of BFC. Here's the situation: After two years of procrastinating, boyfriend and I are finally ready to buy a house. We've done all the background work of diligently checking our credit reports, removing any disputes, and paying off credit cards/loans. Despite having done a ton of research, I'm all tripped up about how to get this whole process started. Every online guide says that step 1 is "go to the bank and get preapproved" like that's so simple. Here are my mental roadblocks: - Our current bank (US Bank) is apparently notorious for being a lovely, unresponsive mortgage lender. The nearest branch is also 45 minutes away. - Similarly, I've heard nothing but horror stories about the other big banks that do have branches in our small town (BoA, Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo). - The only other banks around are credit unions. We are eligible for one local credit union, but we only have a ~15% down payment and they require 20+%. - Online lenders seem to be an option, but this is very much Babby's First Homebuying Experience and a lot of handholding might be necessary. Literal handholding is a distinct possibility. I have no idea where/how to start. Embarrassment.  I just need to get this kicked off so that I can begin worry about my second angst, finding a realtor when we don't know a single person who has bought a house recently and have no references to work off of.
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Sep 24, 2015 18:57
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I highly recommend trying Zillow's prequal tool. I was able to find 2-3 local lenders that gave me far better rates than big banks, with the added benefit of a loan officer that actually gives a poo poo. I've never met the dude, but the instant response to phone calls and emails works for me.
Radbot fucked around with this message at 19:03 on Sep 24, 2015 |
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Sep 24, 2015 19:01
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TheNinjaScotsman posted:I throw myself at the altar of BFC. Here's the situation: After two years of procrastinating, boyfriend and I are finally ready to buy a house. We've done all the background work of diligently checking our credit reports, removing any disputes, and paying off credit cards/loans. Despite having done a ton of research, I'm all tripped up about how to get this whole process started. Every online guide says that step 1 is "go to the bank and get preapproved" like that's so simple. Here are my mental roadblocks: Go basically anywhere for preapproval, all you get is a letter saying you're likely to be approved to spend up to <1.5x what you can afford>. Who you go with will have absolutely no bearing on who you wind up borrowing from. You're simply exchanging some basic income and liability information for a letter that makes you and sellers feel good. Now's a good time to start that throwaway real-estate gmail address. For instance, our prequal or whatever was from Bank of America, who I would never open a mortgage with. They were simply where I was when I was driving home the day I decided to get a prequal letter. uwaeve fucked around with this message at 19:05 on Sep 24, 2015 |
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Sep 24, 2015 19:02
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I have a colleague who is looking to me for housebuying advice, which I give at great length whenever he'll listen. He has an accepted offer with no inspection contingency, and therefore has to decide by the P&S date whether to go forward. I offered to post some screencaps of his inspection report online for anyone to tell me whether or not the things that gave me (a complete non-expert) pause were things that were trivial, fixable for short money, or red flags to run like hell from. Highlights include: - temporary roof cement with evidence of prior leakage - residing over existing siding (is this ever OK) - sewer gas odor from laundry drain (private septic) - overnotched joists (is this floor being held up by what are essentially 2x3s?) http://imgur.com/a/ZRrXl         
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Sep 24, 2015 19:20
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TheNinjaScotsman posted:I throw myself at the altar of BFC. Here's the situation: After two years of procrastinating, boyfriend and I are finally ready to buy a house. We've done all the background work of diligently checking our credit reports, removing any disputes, and paying off credit cards/loans. Despite having done a ton of research, I'm all tripped up about how to get this whole process started. Every online guide says that step 1 is "go to the bank and get preapproved" like that's so simple. Here are my mental roadblocks: Wells Fargo wasn't bad when we were dealing with them. They will totally sell your loan to someone else and force you to deal with it, but almost everyone does that. I've heard good things about online lending, so you could try shopping around. Are either of you eligible for Navy Federal Credit Union? The requirements are pretty loose; if you have a close relative who was in the military or if you have any association with the DOD then you're pretty much in. Supposedly their online lending is amazing Have you done any budgeting yet to figure out how much you're comfortable with borrowing? That's the real first step. A bank will usually preapprove you for some bullshit amount that you wouldn't really feel comfortable paying each month. Figuring this out can be tough, as there are a lot of little expenses associated with homeownership that people often forget to include in this calculation.
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Sep 24, 2015 19:29
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