Re-Rent Challenge

[Sean]

So re-renting some of the college units has been slow this year.. So slow that i took a drive today to come up with some upgrade / curb appeal ideas.. Few new mail boxes, paint some front porches, some new porch railing.. Easy stuff that only costs a few hundred bucks...

Then I get to 7th Street.. How do I fix this one?




Mine is the one on the left with the banner on it.




This house has been like this for going on 15 years.. Owner is in some kind of dispute with the city and decided to board up all of his rentals "so they wouldn't get any more taxes out of him"... This is one of the last ones standing..

[Julie]

Honestly, this kind of crap just ratchets up my irritation level in spades.  You just want to corner the guy or send him a letter and say "Hey, you really want to make a statement to the City??  Knock the stupid thing down and pay tax on an empty lot!!!"  But wait, he probably doesn't have the money to knock it down either.  The alternative is low, low, low ball offer to him and then you control it and turn it into parking or some such.  But he's probably one of those fools that thinks he's got the Taj Mahal.

At least in our little backwoods 'burg nothing gets the City's attention like knocking down a house that they didn't necessarily want knocked down.  But sometimes you just gotta make a point and do something dramatic to be heard.

I've got a similar situation with one of my properties.  It's alley access only and one end of the alley is a nightmare.  I'm debating whether it's time to start complaining to the City about the trash, feral cat population, abandoned vehicles, falling in garages, etc. on the 2 lots next to mine.  But at the same time I don't want people to start complaining about me.  It's a tight rope to walk.

[Steve-FL]

That house would've had a new owner 13-14 years ago through fines/liens had it been here.  I watched a guy "think" he boxed in a builder several months ago by dumping crap in his own front yard to discourage buyers from the next door builder's new spec home.  About 2 months into the fray, trash guy complies with city orders and cleans up everything spic and span clean!

[OrEGone]

I owned the property next to one of those. He would even rent them out sometimes, by letting someone squat. made it even worse.
Doing some digging I found my BROTHER had the mortgage on the place and talked him in to foreclosing. The guy found a new sugar daddy on the courthouse steps and kept the property. They are now empty lots.

I finally sold about 6 years ago.

Have you considered planting arbor vida around their property. I'd bet you the owner wouldn't notice for years.

[jdenito]

I know that place, didn't realize you had one next door.
I think every investor in town has tried to buy that place over the years. Its literally  falling apart. Couldn't the City make the owner do something with it? It really seems like a firetrap.

[Clara]

Too bad lightening hasn't struck it!

[Lori (NV)]

Here is an idea that may or may not fly.  One of things that have been done with old rat traps here is the fire department burns them down as training exercises for their men. (and women for all you politically correct people).  It costs the home/land owner nothing except cleaning up the burned up crap and is way cheaper than having it demolished. This weekend they are burning down the old Vogue Laundry and the owner is then going to make it into a parking lot.  It's a win, win.  Possibly approach the moron who thinks he is winning some fight with the city.  If not, I  honestly don't know what you can do.  Kids are most likely scared to live next to that thinking it's a crack house. 

[TomL]

Want me to send Large Louis over to fix the problem?

[tyler]

have one of your painter's do a quick $199.00 Earl Schieb (like the car paint job) over it with a spray gun and trim cut in..... 

nothing real fancy just a quick spray down with clean lines along the trim......

just the front & maybe your side....     

[Minnesota John]

Match?

Cash offer?

Guido?

Seriously, I like Tyler's idea.  I'd make the contract as anonymous as possible so not even the painter knew who was paying.  Don't tell anyone it was you, and drive by and smile every time.  At first I thought get all the neighbors together to pay for it, but I like the deniability of nobody knowing who did it.

[OrEGone]

Hire the guy that did your inside job. Good coverage on everything.

[Mike (SWMO)]

I have one like that.  NO, its worse.  Got it at a tax sale and was going to do rehab but with mom getting sick and me not being able to do anything, there it sits.

City has threatened to tear it down, put charges against my taxes.  OK city, go ahead and tear it down I say.  Put the charges against my taxes.  I would have 10 years to pay it off.  But wait – there’s more. City hasn’t followed their ordinances.  They are supposed to contact and notify the owner of record before doing any thing.  I guess they didn’t notice I sold it 8 months ago.  They just keep sending me threating letters and I just keep ignoring them.  Did find a guy today that would like to buy it, demo the house, and do something with the lot.  I told him I would sell it to him for $500 just to get it gone.  He called me about an hour later and said “considered it sold” -  When can I give you the money?  As soon as I can get the guy I sold it to give me a deed back.   I won’t make much but it will be gone. 

[Shawn]

I like Tyler's idea.  Have them paint the house white/tan and the boarded-up windows black. 
Probably make your money back in a matter of months with increased rent on your house. 

Of course it needs to be quick and anonymous so no one gets charged with trespassing. 

Otherwise I would call the city and complain until someone does something about it. 

[Nodak]

Some crack heads broke in and stated it on fire 

[Sandy in SC]

Tyler or Nodak.