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06-07-2005, 03:05 PM
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#21
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Mesa
Posts: 3,588
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Re: Retirement Land
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06-07-2005, 03:29 PM
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#22
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Re: Retirement Land
Quote:
Originally Posted by - SG
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Right! - If United Airlines can't pay their Pensions and turns it over to the government insurance agency, it's capitalism. If an Individual declares bankruptcy it's Welfare!
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06-07-2005, 07:39 PM
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#23
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Losing my whump
Posts: 22,708
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Re: Retirement Land
Quote:
Originally Posted by KB
Ouch th.... I live right across from Empire Ranch and as you probably know, that is where the largest houses in this town are now. The ones that have gone up almost 50% in value in the past year or two.
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Yeah, I figured you were in that area...so you're down in briggs ranch? Nice area. At least theres some decent shopping and restaurants in the area now. When I moved there it was that dinky french restaurant (that a couple of my friends bought with their stock money) and a jack in the box.
But yep, empire ranch would be right at my back fence had I gone for that...:P
__________________
Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful. Just another form of "buy low, sell high" for those who have trouble with things. This rule is not universal. Do not buy a 1973 Pinto because everyone else is afraid of it.
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06-07-2005, 08:09 PM
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#24
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: No. California
Posts: 1,858
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Re: Retirement Land
No I'm actually in a new part of Parkway. They extended East Natoma which may or may not have been extended when you lived in this area. I'm in a little niche neighborhood across from the golf course with a small greenbelt and creek behind my house. There has been a lot of growth in the past 2 years. I had a beautiful view of the hills where you probably lived until a bunch of huge houses popped up in early spring.
All day long I hear hammering and saws. I can't wait until they are built out. But then I need to plant more trees to keep everyone from looking into my yard. I have the wrought iron fences with no privacy which was fine until they built across the creek. The property value has gone up so much this past year I might just sell when my 24 months are up and move somewhere cheaper.
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06-07-2005, 09:06 PM
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#25
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Losing my whump
Posts: 22,708
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Re: Retirement Land
Not a bad idea. If there were only someplace cheaper within striking distance of sacramento.
__________________
Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful. Just another form of "buy low, sell high" for those who have trouble with things. This rule is not universal. Do not buy a 1973 Pinto because everyone else is afraid of it.
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06-07-2005, 11:27 PM
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#26
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: the City of Subdued Excitement
Posts: 5,588
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Re: Retirement Land
Why not just rent something rustic?
You can probably find most of what you want without getting trapped. Of course, you should use the same care choosing your place, but you are much safer. My sister and her family owned a "gentleman's farm" for many years. When they eventually wanted to go somewhere else (it can happen), it took them years to sell and they never got what they wanted for it.
My opinion.
Gypsy
__________________
I have outlived most of the people I don't like and I am working on the rest.
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06-08-2005, 05:53 AM
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#27
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Texas
Posts: 1,038
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Re: Retirement Land
There is risk in the country of what can be next to you, in the city as well. I guess unless you have a homeowners association. Which might be worse than the pig farm. Imagine being told how to cut your lawn or what color you house should be, no pickups in the drive way ect. Don’t think I would like someone having that much control.
__________________
In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not.
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06-08-2005, 08:52 AM
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#28
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Lawn chair in Texas
Posts: 14,183
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Re: Retirement Land
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lazarus
There is risk in the country of what can be next to you, in the city as well. I guess unless you have a homeowners association. Which might be worse than the pig farm. Imagine being told how to cut your lawn or what color you house should be, no pickups in the drive way ect. Don’t think I would like someone having that much control.
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Them's figthin' words!!
Pickups are the state vehicle of Texas...
At one time, at least, I believe Silverados were the most stolen vehicle in TX. Keep mine in the garage!!
__________________
Have Funds, Will Retire
...not doing anything of true substance...
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06-08-2005, 11:43 AM
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#29
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Losing my whump
Posts: 22,708
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Re: Retirement Land
Renting makes a lot of sense around here.
Only bad thing that could happen is you rent, prop values dont drop like they should but go sideways for 10 years while rents rise.
__________________
Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful. Just another form of "buy low, sell high" for those who have trouble with things. This rule is not universal. Do not buy a 1973 Pinto because everyone else is afraid of it.
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06-08-2005, 05:19 PM
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#30
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Texas
Posts: 1,038
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Re: Retirement Land
mean I wouldn't want them telling me I couldn't have a pickup in my drive. Pretty much always had one there. Heard of a homeowners association that wouldn’t allow pickups in the subdivision so this guy they made remove his pickup decided to fight back. He got an old station wagon and made a plywood gun turret on top like a tank, painted it camouflage then parked it in front of his house. Not a truck and not against the rules. If they changed the rules he would be grandfathered. Don’t know if they relented and allowed him to have a pickup.
I live in Texas also and I think every house in my neighborhood has a pickup or two. Plenty of guns and fishing boats and dogs also.
Still if I was in the country I wouldn’t want a pig farm or a trailer park next door. I don’t know what you can do other than buy a lot of land.
__________________
In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not.
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06-08-2005, 05:56 PM
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#31
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Kansas City
Posts: 7,968
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Re: Retirement Land
Hmmm
I have three(two of which actually run) - my neighbor doesn't count his pickups - only his 18 wheeler and a couple 'slightly smaller 'real' trucks. Five boats on one side and seven waveriders(kids and grandkids) on the other. We're the whole in the doughnut - no boat.
Not a kayak in sight.
Heh, heh, heh.
Oh yes - add in one 30 foot or so RV. The big Gulf size shrimp boats are further down the inlet.
Our homeowners association is more concerned with the Volunteer Fire Department and what the Army Corp of Engineers is up to for flood/hurricane protection.
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06-09-2005, 10:32 AM
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#32
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oahu
Posts: 26,860
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Re: Retirement Land
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lazarus
Imagine being told how to cut your lawn or what color you house should be, no pickups in the drive way ect. Don’t think I would like someone having that much control.
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Our HOA controls over 14,000 homes. You can only use the approved exterior colors & finishes and roofing materials. You can't have stuff in your carport (other than your car), you can't have junk on your lawn, and your trash cans must be hidden from street view. (Except after sundown the night before trash day until sunset of trash day.)
It goes on like that for pages & pages in the CC&Rs but you get the idea. Because the house is titled in my spouse's name but not mine, the HOA won't even talk to me. She can't even have me talk to them for her unless she sends them a notarized copy of a power of attorney.
Annually they fly a helicopter down the gulch (our backyard) looking for fire hazards and then send us letters telling us that if we have a fire hazard then we're responsible for fixing it. (But do they invite me along on the helicopter ride? Why not, I'm paying for it!) For all this we pay $26/month and it's darn cheap compared to other neighborhoods.
But after you visit a few of the island's HOA-free neighborhoods, you decide that it's a small price to pay for such intrusive management. It's apparently the price we pay for those who will not keep up their property (or your property values).
__________________
*
Co-author (with my daughter) of “Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence.”
Author of the book written on E-R.org: "The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement."
I don't spend much time here— please send a PM.
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06-09-2005, 11:48 AM
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#33
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Losing my whump
Posts: 22,708
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Re: Retirement Land
I've been a party to several of these. One was composed of the typical "ounce of power turns us into nazi's" crew. You may have heard of them. A homeowner put up a very nice vinyl material picket fence and painted their house a very creamy shade of yellow. The HOA told them that they hadnt gotten around to putting vinyl fences on the 'approved materials' list, so even though it looked like wood and would always look good with minimal maintenance, they'd have to remove it. They also decided that the creamy yellow didnt fit the 'earth colors' described in the cc&r's, so the homeowner would have to repaint a different color. This "yellow house massacre" made the national news about 3-4 years ago.
By the way, in my opinion the house looked beautiful.
$15,000 dollars later, the HOA lost the endless series of appeals and had to pay the homeowner for their legal costs. The cost of this pigheadedness was spread around to the residents.
My last one was more insidious. They took the money and wouldnt enforce any of the rules. Turns out if you dont pay them they can take your house after fining the crap out of you, but the other half of the agreement doesnt have to be carried out. Eventually a lawyer/resident took up a collection to target the specific homeowners who were nuisances and started suing them directly, in bypass of the lifeless HOA. Last I heard the guys running the HOA were trying to organize a cityhood campaign to convert the town to a city. They'll make fine politicians.
The middle class neighborhoods I've lived in that didnt have enforced cc&r's honestly never had any big problems. The working class ones like my wifes old one, on the other hand, had plenty of blight homes.
__________________
Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful. Just another form of "buy low, sell high" for those who have trouble with things. This rule is not universal. Do not buy a 1973 Pinto because everyone else is afraid of it.
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06-09-2005, 12:47 PM
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#34
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oahu
Posts: 26,860
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Re: Retirement Land
Quote:
Originally Posted by th
They also decided that the creamy yellow didnt fit the 'earth colors' described in the cc&r's, so the homeowner would have to repaint a different color.
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That explains why our HOA only lets us pick from the color chips at the dictatorship office.
__________________
*
Co-author (with my daughter) of “Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence.”
Author of the book written on E-R.org: "The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement."
I don't spend much time here— please send a PM.
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06-09-2005, 12:54 PM
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#35
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: San Diego
Posts: 5,267
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Re: Retirement Land
I'm so glad I don't have an HOA. Every once in a while a neighbor doesn't mow the lawn for a while, but otherwise everyone takes good pride of ownership. I guess if you pay half a mil for a house, you don't want it to go down the crapper!
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06-09-2005, 12:58 PM
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#36
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oahu
Posts: 26,860
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Re: Retirement Land
Quote:
Originally Posted by Laurence
I guess if you pay half a mil for a house, you don't want it to go down the crapper!
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That was so last year.
Today the Oahu crap is selling for $600K.
Quality costs more. 15 months ago we saw a listing for $885K that had some scary erosion/subsidence problems at the back of the lot (at the lip of the gulch). It was "overpriced" for the market (at the time) and it never sold so the owners rented it back out. It went back on the market last week for $929K and it's sold!
__________________
*
Co-author (with my daughter) of “Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence.”
Author of the book written on E-R.org: "The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement."
I don't spend much time here— please send a PM.
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06-09-2005, 01:03 PM
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#37
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: San Diego
Posts: 5,267
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Re: Retirement Land
Well, you gotta remember I'm in the armpit of America compared to you!
We're pushing 600k now, but things have definitely slowed down. DW and I were looking at dream homes in North Carolina (Chapel Hill area) and Colorado Springs, CO. on line last night. Lots of land, views, ideal homes with all the trimmings - we could pay cash with the proceeds of our house. She could get a job in NC no prob, and I could get a job in Colorado Springs no prob. and the other could be the stay at home spouse. Very tempting....but she won't leave mom behind.
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06-09-2005, 01:56 PM
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#38
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Losing my whump
Posts: 22,708
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Re: Retirement Land
I had a good solution for people who stop taking care of their property. Drop by the hardware store and pick up a $1.50 "Home For Sale" sign, nail it to a piece of wood and go jam it into their lawn.
Works every time.
If that didnt work, my next step would be to go to a direct marketing campaign. If the neighbor, as in Laurences example, didnt mow their lawn for a little too long? Print up 100 fliers advertising a new lawn cutting service, first month free evaluation service. Put one on every windshield at the mall. After the 45th call asking about the free month of lawn mowing, I figure that would get the message through.
__________________
Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful. Just another form of "buy low, sell high" for those who have trouble with things. This rule is not universal. Do not buy a 1973 Pinto because everyone else is afraid of it.
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06-09-2005, 02:03 PM
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#39
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3,875
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Re: Retirement Land
We deal with both situations. Here in Illinois, although it is a subdivision, there is no HOA or rules other than county laws.
So, you can do about what you want with an existing house, let animals
run loose, not mow your lawn, etc. I like it, but can see it comes with
the risk of getting a nasty neighbor and not having any options.
The Texas condo rules and regs are as thick as the phone book.
I have a visceral dislike of this but it does help preserve my
equity.
JG
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06-09-2005, 02:05 PM
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#40
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3,875
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Re: Retirement Land
Quote:
Originally Posted by th
I had a good solution for people who stop taking care of their property.* Drop by the hardware store and pick up a $1.50 "Home For Sale" sign, nail it to a piece of wood and go jam it into their lawn.
Works every time.
If that didnt work, my next step would be to go to a direct marketing campaign.* If the neighbor, as in Laurences example, didnt mow their lawn for a little too long?* Print up 100 fliers advertising a new lawn cutting service, first month free evaluation service.* Put one on every windshield at the mall.* After the 45th call asking about the free month of lawn mowing, I figure that would get the message through.
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Too subtle!
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