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hobbez posted:Right on. I think I’m gonna let it rip with the poly, thanks. Yup, sorry to be late in an answer, but my wife used poly for both the backyard patio and for the front yard one she is building currently. Both turned out fine. You just need to make sure you blow all of it off the surface once you fill in the cracks (wear a mask when using this stuff) and it will be fine.
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Jun 1, 2021 08:32
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Do real estate attorneys handle mortgage issues or just home buying/selling? Having multiple issues with our mortgage owner and almost past the point of trying to resolve on my own and not sure if real estate vs 'any' attorney is the right type to go with.
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Jun 1, 2021 19:00
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PageMaster posted:Do real estate attorneys handle mortgage issues or just home buying/selling? Having multiple issues with our mortgage owner and almost past the point of trying to resolve on my own and not sure if real estate vs 'any' attorney is the right type to go with. Start there. They should tell you if you're at the wrong person. Did you sign an arbitration agreement?
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Jun 1, 2021 19:09
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PageMaster posted:Do real estate attorneys handle mortgage issues or just home buying/selling? Having multiple issues with our mortgage owner and almost past the point of trying to resolve on my own and not sure if real estate vs 'any' attorney is the right type to go with. Mine handled issues with mortgage company.
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Jun 1, 2021 19:33
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PageMaster posted:Do real estate attorneys handle mortgage issues or just home buying/selling? Having multiple issues with our mortgage owner and almost past the point of trying to resolve on my own and not sure if real estate vs 'any' attorney is the right type to go with. If you used a real estate attorney for closing, definitely start with them since they'd be most familiar with your transaction. If you get, "nope, we don't handle that" then ask for a recommendation. Lawyers know lawyers and are aware of the reputations of other local lawyers, they will point you towards a not terrible attorney who should be able to handle your situation. If you didn't use an attorney for closing, then real estate attorneys would certainly be the first place I'd start looking. If you call one up and they say no, then again ask for a recommendation. Worst case, look up your state's bar association. They typically have referral services and often have a phone number you can call up if you're not sure what kind of lawyer you need.
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Jun 1, 2021 20:18
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Thanks all. We did not use an attorney for closing, and I don't believe there are any arbitration clauses but I'll look. We're 3 months post closing and no issue with that, literally just with the mortgage company and our payments.
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Jun 1, 2021 20:28
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PageMaster posted:Do real estate attorneys handle mortgage issues or just home buying/selling? Having multiple issues with our mortgage owner and almost past the point of trying to resolve on my own and not sure if real estate vs 'any' attorney is the right type to go with. I had an issue with my mortgage company paying my property tax several months after closing. Emailed my attorney I had used for closing with the delinquency notices I was receiving from my township, and she lit a fire under the mortgage company's rear end to get the check mailed out. I thought I'd have to pay extra (since the house buying/closing was months prior) but I guess she was just being nice and helping me out.
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Jun 1, 2021 20:28
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I might have to pay one but this might be all it takes to get the company moving to fix everything and woul be worth it if it's just a couple hundred dollars. I'll start asking.
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Jun 1, 2021 20:54
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Got my HOA newsletter today and learned that while external cameras are permitted, they must be aimed away from other townhouses' doors and windows. Makes sense. But doorbell cameras specifically are prohibited, and I can't quite figure out why. Is it because they are hackable? It's not the end of the world, I can put the doorbell on my fenced in patio (although it seems like overkill), just kind of a bummer I can't use the Ring doorbell I shelled out for. I'm glad I mounted it with Command strips instead of drilling into the stucco. I may stick it on the door proper behind the screen door frame, so it only records people who open the screen door. Kind of a silly workaround, but otherwise it's just going to sit in a drawer somewhere.
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Jun 3, 2021 18:48
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Maggie Fletcher posted:Got my HOA newsletter today and learned that while external cameras are permitted, they must be aimed away from other townhouses' doors and windows. Makes sense. But doorbell cameras specifically are prohibited, and I can't quite figure out why. Is it because they are hackable? My guess is most front doors face other front doors, hence the concern on doorbell cameras.
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Jun 3, 2021 18:52
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Pilfered Pallbearers posted:My guess is most front doors face other front doors, hence the concern on doorbell cameras. That would make sense if they didn't allow other "recording devices" as long as they're aimed away from other people's doors and windows. Maybe because the doorbell cameras specifically aren't aimable? And they do have a wide lens. I put my neighbor's door on privacy block so now there's only a large black box over her door when I view the camera. Our community is not exactly easy to infiltrate, you'd have to specifically be looking for a person's house to break into and there aren't many opportunities to do stuff. The patios face the street so they're more vulnerable anyway. Either way, I thought it was weird but it's really not a big deal; I'll take it down today. Our garages, which we do not own but have an easement on, permit cameras, so I'm going to stick a traditional camera in there and see if the wifi holds up. None of these cameras are really necessary, but I bought them when we lived in our old creepy house, and it's more of an issue of "eh--we might as well use them." We currently use them as pet cams when we're away and it's cute to see our cats when we're traveling, even though they're all old and don't do much.
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Jun 3, 2021 19:01
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Maggie Fletcher posted:Maybe because the doorbell cameras specifically aren't aimable? And they do have a wide lens. I would guess that this is it, seems like the rules are focused on privacy concerns, which is valid IMO. But it could also some nit-picky architectural thing... a lot of the outdoor security cameras I've seen are usually white, so if they're mounted in a soffit they blend in and since they're high up they're just less visible, whereas most of the doorbell cameras are big black/steel deals with a bright blue/green LED, so they're fairly obvious. There are plenty of exceptions, but that's never stopped an HOA from being stupid.
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Jun 3, 2021 19:24
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That is definitely a possibility as well. My HOA is pretty chill about aesthetics along a certain style, but it would make sense. The cameras aren't exactly pretty and they are quite noticeable. Either way, no big deal.
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Jun 3, 2021 19:35
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My neighborhood is a crazy collage of poo poo and I love it. No Gods or Kings or HOAs, only Man. SpartanIvy fucked around with this message at 21:26 on Jun 3, 2021 |
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Jun 3, 2021 19:44
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Yeah, I always said I'd never live in a place with an HOA, but I'll admit it's pretty nice to not have to worry about felling trees, mowing lawns, or fixing roofs. It's a starter home but I've made my peace with it. I've decided it's homeownership lite to graduate from in a few years.
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Jun 3, 2021 19:47
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With Ring you can set up privacy zones within the doorbell camera's field of vision to disallow alerts or recording of your neighbors. It creates a dead zone. I guess the HoA has no reason to trust that you actually set that up though.
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Jun 3, 2021 19:50
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SpartanIvy posted:My neighborhood is a crazy collage of poo poo and I love it.  Same and it's great. Also Ring and the like are all nearly freely available to law enforcement and the government so I'm wary of it on that basis alone beyond the hackability and whatnot.
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Jun 3, 2021 19:55
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Maggie Fletcher posted:Yeah, I always said I'd never live in a place with an HOA, but I'll admit it's pretty nice to not have to worry about felling trees, mowing lawns, or fixing roofs. That's not necessarily an HOA feature. I get that yours does that, but you could just as easily have an HOA that dictates when, how, and whom needs to do all of those things and making it your problem to do/arrange to be done.
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Jun 3, 2021 19:58
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My HOA loves to immediately deny my request to replace a dilapidated shed because a box wasn’t ticked on the form, but ignores the multiple requests we’ve sent for them to fix the HOA-owned fence separating neighborhoods that’s starting to dangerously lean over.
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Jun 3, 2021 20:01
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Motronic posted:That's not necessarily an HOA feature. I get that yours does that, but you could just as easily have an HOA that dictates when, how, and whom needs to do all of those things and making it your problem to do/arrange to be done. Oh, yeah, I guess the caveat is that I live in a townhome. I maintain my "NO HOA" stance for SFHs, presuming I have a choice in the future.
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Jun 3, 2021 21:51
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For any CA (or high termite region) owners; do you tent every so many years, or is that common practice? We had a pest inspection/clearance letter for our home sale in the beginning of the year but after moving in and seeing first hand a lot of shortcuts/cheap decisions decided to get our own termite inspection (VA loan prohibited us as buyers from paying for one in the sale). The seller's company is licensed, but also an hour outside of the city and based in a church by the address which also wasn't reassuring. Our inspection found a couple of the same things, but also a couple others (walls are open for repiping which helps) and recommended just tenting. I've never been in a high termite threat region, but I always thought that was a last resort dangerous nuclear option. Talked with a bunch of neighbors and friends in the area and a lot of them just tent every five years or so (depending on their company and inspections) and keep the company inspecting annually until the warranty expires. Is this as much overkill and potentially hazardous to my family as I feel like it is? We don't have any of our stuff moved in yet so it would be as good a time as any of we did do it just to be done and sure if it.
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Jun 3, 2021 23:17
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My most recent interaction with my HOA: Me: Here's my Architectural Review Board application for landscaping in the backyard. HOA: You failed to include the site survey, materials list, contractor info, etc. Me: My bad, here's a sketch my wife did with a ballpoint pen in two seconds HOA: Thanks, approved!
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Jun 3, 2021 23:55
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Omne posted:My most recent interaction with my HOA: That's all they want, pretty straight forward 99% of the time and hardly any work. A brief description showing it falls within guidelines of color and material, a contractor name so it isn't some hobo doing the work for a dollar, and a plat with a drawn in element.
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Jun 3, 2021 23:58
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Our hoa with all single family homes is $50/mo to upkeep some common grass areas plus a pointless rock wall sign welcoming you to the neighborhood, and to pay someone to drive around to be nosy and send rude letters to people. The fun part is that they don't pester you over legit violations, just imagined made up poo poo. "You have to remove your sunflowers." Why? "They're forbidden in front yards." No they're not, here's the part of the CC&Rs that covers that sort of poo poo and it actually lists sunflowers as an example of something that's allowed. *crickets*
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Jun 4, 2021 00:10
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lmao Contractor is supposed to start work tomorrow on our porch/deck. Lot of demo/prep needs to be done first, but not my job so whatever. Truck pulls up this afternoon and unloads 2 big pallets of lumber for the framing. In the pouring rain. On my driveway. Called the contractor and 1) he wasn't expecting delivery (on account of the rain) and 2) the driveway makes his life more difficult (in addition to blocking our cars in!) because the work is in the back yard. Truck hadn't left yet so I was able to get them to move it to where it was supposed to be, but jfc guys. And for extra lol, the project manager texted me an hour ago saying start of work is delayed until Tuesday. I feel like with current lumber prices I should post an armed guard. Oh and for just a little bit more lol:  Forgot about this. Got the property marked for digging, and this ginkgo is planted right on top of the goddamn electrical line. loving PO. Maggie Fletcher posted:Oh, yeah, I guess the caveat is that I live in a townhome. I maintain my "NO HOA" stance for SFHs, presuming I have a choice in the future. Our HOA is pretty chill, and it's a SFH neighborhood. Worst thing so far is they took 3 weeks to approve our roof replacement. Only did that because we were about to submit for approval of the above mentioned porch/deck, so we wanted to stay on their good side (since it's TECHNICALLY required because it's not identical). Figured they were going to tear the porch/deck to pieces, so we didn't want to give them a reason to nit-pick it. Took them 2 days to approve the porch/deck. Other than that, they collect payment, mow the common areas, and generally don't bug anyone. Biggest gripe is they want $20 to pay dues on the online portal, which just means they have to manually process a check we mail them because I ain't paying them $20 to make their lives easier.
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Jun 4, 2021 00:52
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So I need some advice. On May 13th I signed a contract with a contractor (Dyllan Michael Construction) to remodel two of my bathrooms. My neighbor was using them and recommended them at the time. The owner came over, looked at my two bathrooms (my master bathroom is very small but my other upstairs bathroom is very large). We talked for awhile and he had a lot of good ideas. Wanted to push my shower wall a foot into my closet to enlarge my stand-up shower, talked about ways to make the smaller one feel bigger, etc... The small master bathroom is getting a tile floor, file stand-up shower, new vanity and toilet, paint, pushing the wall out a foot, redoing the drain system, a new light above the shower and GFCI outlets. The larger one is getting all of that but a jetted bathtub and something done to the closet door so I can put a litterbox in there. Total for both, parts and labor, is a little over $16k. I liked the price obviously. One company quoted me $28k for one bathroom. Another quoted me $20k. Both were known for being overpriced. The guy that I had do my downstairs bathroom (who did an alright job but he sucks at communication) ended up quoting me about $12k for the total labor, I'd have to supply the materials. He sent me the quote three weeks after he came out, which is par for the course for him. So anyway, on May 13th, I signed a contract and put a third down (about $5700). The contract lists everything they'll do, and I went over it and made sure it was right (he'd missed a toilet and I had him add it). I was real excited until two days ago, when my neighbor told me they fired him. So my neighbors have known this guy for awhile and are apparently old friends. But towards the end of the job he pulled the two dudes he had working over there and sent them to other jobs, and I guess some of the tiles are crooked and there was a miscommunication about a shelf size. I haven't gone over there yet to see the work that was done, but I'm planning on doing that maybe this weekend. They got mad and fired him and are having somebody else finish the job. That doesn't make me feel very good. Apparently he threatened my neighbor with slander if they told me (they did anyway, and let me know that slander doesn't apply to facts). I'm assuming they're not on good terms anymore, and I haven't said anything to the contractor. I don't plan to. Combine that with the fact that this company doesn't have much of a web presence or facebook presence, and I'm getting nervous. There are a total of two reviews, both one star - but one of them involved a hit and run (so nothing construction related) which leaves a single one star review. And apparently they've been in business since 1999. So anyway, the contract states that I'm to pay $2k when they start work on my bathrooms (scheduled for 7/17), then $4k when they finish the master, then the last of the $4k when they finish the other. So until they finish my master bathroom they only have half, and that has to be completed to my approval before I pay them obviously. So... should I be nervous? Should I give them a chance, since I don't really have a lot to go on and the contract is on my side? Should I contact a lawyer pre-emptively? I kind of want to just tread carefully and make sure I get everything in writing but give them a chance, since I would really like my bathrooms remodeled especially for that price. Thoughts? I don't know if it matters but I'm in Indiana.
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Jun 4, 2021 01:43
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Seems like you have most of the facts you need to know that it's time to find another contractor and potentially pay more for a good job with someone competent enough to follow directions, pay attention to details and communicate promptly.
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Jun 4, 2021 01:52
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I'm trying not to deal with firing my concrete guy. We had a poo poo spring with cold and rain which delayed him but every time I ask where I am on the list it's about a week or less.. I'd like my patio.
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Jun 4, 2021 02:00
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DaveSauce posted:
Ugh, that reminds me, our mortgage lender gave us payment coupons for the first two months and then said we could set up auto debit. I have not yet figured out how to do that, but I do vaguely remember getting a packet of payment coupons (though that might be the HOA payment, can't remember). Maybe the instructions are there. But I'm not about to send a check every month if there's a reasonable way to avoid it. E: LOL never mind, that was for the HOA, which I've already set up for autopay. Guess I'll be calling them! Maggie Fletcher fucked around with this message at 02:12 on Jun 4, 2021 |
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Jun 4, 2021 02:05
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During the purchase process we paid for a survey and they determined a patch of land between 4 houses was not listed in our deed but was clearly ours per the original property lines. If you looked at the houses and had to guess who it belonged to, it was us. nobody else was making any claim to it, it was just brush, so this wasnt a shocker. The current deed tells you to start measurement from the SW corner of a mill building that hasn’t existed for 80 years, and gives measurements in rods + degrees & minutes on a compass... so it hadn’t been updated in quite a while. We filed a corrected deed and it was accepted no problem. Legally, I went from .5 acre to .6 in a pretty dense area for the cost of a few hundred bucks, and I’ll absolutely take that. I guess this is the inverse of the “it turns out 3’ of my kitchen is on the neighbors land” survey horror story. On the other hand, that patch of no mans land is currently heavily overgrown with an invasive weed and removing it is on me now. Based on my chats with multiple local landscapers, reclaiming it will be a 2 year process at minimum...
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Jun 4, 2021 05:43
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Either the lightning bolt that knocked out my power for a spell reconfigured my irrigation system settings or the guy helping with my sprinkler system inspection was incompetent (or malicious), but I found the source of why my water usage was skyrocketing. The “run times” for my sprinkler zones, which I haven’t touched in years (outside of adjusting days to run for winter/drought conditions) were all over the place. One sprinkler zone, luckily the small one for the side yard, was set to run for 4 hours instead of 15 minutes 
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Jun 4, 2021 06:06
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CornHolio posted:So I need some advice. I mean only you can really know all the information that you have available, and all we can respond to is the information you've given us. What you've chosen to share with us should really tell you that you are not going to be happy with this guy's work as you've already convinced yourself it's a bad deal. If you don't trust your GC before the work has even started, you are going to be in for a ride when he starts going off course like most GCs do from time to time. That being said, a guy offering to do all of that for a price less than what other people were asking for smaller jobs seems like a huge red flag to me. The recommendations of people you know is a really powerful tool for picking out a good contractor, but it needs to be supported by internet research. Here is a link to the Indiana Contractor Licence Search (https://mylicense.in.gov/everification/. This is one of the first things I check here in California, and while it won't tell you if someone is good, it will tell you if someone is bad. Here in CA I've seen contractors try to dodge our site by moving the license to their spouse/brother/best friend, so also search their name and company names to see if there is old dirt. Review sites are also useful, but not as useful as the recommendation of people you know (which this guy lost). Being able to see previous work is key, and should be something they are readily sharing. But really, it sounds like you already want to drop the guy, so just do it. I know what it feels like to put money down and then realize you made a mistake. It sucks. But it might suck worse if you give even more money and hate the job.
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Jun 4, 2021 08:29
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Anonymous Zebra posted:I mean only you can really know all the information that you have available, and all we can respond to is the information you've given us. What you've chosen to share with us should really tell you that you are not going to be happy with this guy's work as you've already convinced yourself it's a bad deal. If you don't trust your GC before the work has even started, you are going to be in for a ride when he starts going off course like most GCs do from time to time. Actually I kind of want to keep him, since I've already put so much money down. I don't really have a reason to bail yet, other than the things that are making me a little apprehensive. It could be nothing. I can't find anything on that license search though, so that isn't making me feel any better...
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Jun 4, 2021 13:11
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Your neighbor fired their friend because they did a poor job and told you about it and you still want them to do the work?
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Jun 4, 2021 14:17
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Struensee posted:Your neighbor fired their friend because they did a poor job and told you about it and you still want them to do the work? I paid them $5700 so far so yeah I want them to do something. Do I have any recourse to get my money back if they haven't done anything yet?
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Jun 4, 2021 14:30
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Democratic Pirate posted:Either the lightning bolt that knocked out my power for a spell reconfigured my irrigation system settings or the guy helping with my sprinkler system inspection was incompetent (or malicious), but I found the source of why my water usage was skyrocketing. How, how did you not notice the small lake that forms every time your sprinklers come on???
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Jun 4, 2021 14:44
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CornHolio posted:I paid them $5700 so far so yeah I want them to do something. Do I have any recourse to get my money back if they haven't done anything yet? What does your contract say?
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Jun 4, 2021 15:10
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tater_salad posted:What does your contract say? The contract said I had three days to cancel, so that ended on 5/16 I believe. I owe another two grand the day they start and then nothing until they finish the first bathroom to my liking - so I don't think I want to cancel anything at this point, unless I have good reason to. Unless there's some kind of legal recourse that would overrule the contract - I just don't know. Like I said, I have no real reason to cancel at this point, since they haven't done anything wrong by me. I don't know the specifics of what they went through with my neighbor. I just want to be cautious and have an idea what what I need to do to protect myself just in case.
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Jun 4, 2021 15:14
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It must be an Indiana thing, but here in CA the deposit maxes out at $1000 for just this reason.
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Jun 4, 2021 15:20
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In my state anyone doing GC work has to have a license for projects over $30k. This will vary a lot state by state, though. Ask them who is doing the plumbing and electrical work. Typically those have to be done by licensed trades. Ask when they'll get permits pulled. Ask for a copy of their certificate of insurance. I'm pretty sure you won't like the answers. CornHolio posted:I paid them $5700 so far so yeah I want them to do something. Do you? Because your neighbor probably paid a lot of money to get someone to un-gently caress this dude's poo poo work. As much as it costs to do once, consider how much it costs to do it all over again. Plus if you piss the guy off, he can probably just file a mechanic's lien against the house for the money you owe him.
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Jun 4, 2021 15:24
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