Surprise, city code violations

[jimj]

Paund, I feel for you as well bought a REO as well and the yards were a mess. Back yard was all dirt (sand or whatever the heck it is) and the weed thing happened to us as well (boy those things grow FAST). Since it was all dirt I got out my trusty weed burner and turned 'em to charcoal. Since I knew where I wanted grass I then sprayed ground clear (lasts for around a year) in the areas I didn't want anything to grow.

When I was ready to plant a lawn I went to Home Depot and rented a roto-tiller and bought some bags of cow manure and tilled it in. I then ordered 1 1/2 pallets of sod and rolled it out. Total cost was about $400.
If you need to put in sprinklers that's a whole separate project that's not really too hard, one suggestion though is rent an electric jack hammer to dig the lines.

I would give and expect to be given a decent amount of time to bring a REO back from sitting empty. There are most times many projects inside the house that need attention and those in my mind come BEFORE what my neighbors can see in the back yard, heck they should be pleased someone is actually living there now.

[S. Chris Webb]

I would give and expect to be given a decent amount of time to bring a REO back from sitting empty.

I doubt the city of Surprise Code Enforcement officers have the time or desire to research how long an REO has been sitting empty. In fact, they don't care if it's owned by the bank or a real person if there is a violation. They give the banks violation notices as well, and if not paid, they can and will slap a lien on the property.This gives the foreclosing banks motivation to take care of the property so the neighborhood does not get run down.

[oldtrader]

Expecting to eradicate a bad weed problem, by pulling them is an unreasonable expectation. You will never solve it this way. You have to start spraying to get rid of them. You should not be mad at your neighbors for turning you in. What they are trying to do, is to protect their own yards from your weeds spreading to their yard. A weed problem like you have, is the start of a weed problem for the whole neighborhood as they spread way from just your yard. .

[jimj]

Originally Posted by S. Chris Webb

I would give and expect to be given a decent amount of time to bring a REO back from sitting empty.

I doubt the city of Surprise Code Enforcement officers have the time or desire to research how long an REO has been sitting empty. In fact, they don't care if it's owned by the bank or a real person if there is a violation. They give the banks violation notices as well, and if not paid, they can and will slap a lien on the property.This gives the foreclosing banks motivation to take care of the property so the neighborhood does not get run down.

In the front yard this may well be true (but I bet "Gladys Kravitz" called) but for a back yard someone has to call unless the code people are using helicopters now.

[tripper76]

Originally Posted by jimj

When I was ready to plant a lawn I went to Home Depot and rented a roto-tiller and bought some bags of cow manure and tilled it in. I then ordered 1 1/2 pallets of sod and rolled it out. Total cost was about $400.
If you need to put in sprinklers that's a whole separate project that's not really too hard, one suggestion though is rent an electric jack hammer to dig the lines.

Did this work well for you? My backyard is all sand and clay I guess. I tried to seed it but it didn't take. I've been thinking of using either manure or topsoil first and doing it again.

[jimj]

Originally Posted by tripper76

Did this work well for you? My backyard is all sand and clay I guess. I tried to seed it but it didn't take. I've been thinking of using either manure or topsoil first and doing it again.

To answer your question, my lawn looks better than most any of my neighbors and hasn't gone dormant much as of yet unlike many of theirs.

Read the instructions that come along with the sod, be prepared to put it in the morning it arrives (it will be delivered late the night before btw) and fertilize when they say to. It took all of 3 days for it to take root and about 2 weeks for the ground below to really firm up and not be mushy.
I've done over 1 1/2 acres in seed before (1/2 acre hydroseeding) and the rest hand seeding as the cost of sod was way too much. Hydro is easy BUT not cheap, hand seed is way cheap but prep and getting it to take off is definitely work especially with all the birds that want to use your yard as a buffet.

[greendesert]

Thank God I don't live there then. I wouldn't own a house in a neighborhood with an HOA if they paid me. I have kids that constantly turn my backyard into a mess. I work from morning till night, when I come home, it's dark and I'm not in a mood to deal with the backyard mess. On top of that I have chickens and pets, and I enjoy it that way. I've had periods recently when my health took a turn for the worse (I have a life threatening liver condition) and I was physically not able to keep up with it all. I also work for a charity, so I can't pay others to do it. Thankfully, my neighbors have been kind enough to mind their own backyards and to leave me alone. In return they get a knowledgeable neighbor that is willing to help them with everything from trimming trees, gardening, pets, to addressing electrical and computer problems. An old fashioned american that they can trust to never perpetrate a crime upon them or their properties, and who won't harbor questionable people either.
I do try to clean up as much as possible when I'm home during the week-ends and before holidays.

Hopefully in the near future property values will rebound enough to allow me to sell and move to someplace a bit more rural. Thanks for reminding me that I need to be thankful for my neighbors and to make sure to let them know how I feel in a tangible way.

[jimj]

Originally Posted by greendesert

Thank God I don't live there then. I wouldn't own a house in a neighborhood with an HOA if they paid me. I have kids that constantly turn my backyard into a mess. I work from morning till night, when I come home, it's dark and I'm not in a mood to deal with the backyard mess. On top of that I have chickens and pets, and I enjoy it that way. I've had periods recently when my health took a turn for the worse (I have a life threatening liver condition) and I was physically not able to keep up with it all. I also work for a charity, so I can't pay others to do it. Thankfully, my neighbors have been kind enough to mind their own backyards and to leave me alone. In return they get a knowledgeable neighbor that is willing to help them with everything from trimming trees, gardening, pets, to addressing electrical and computer problems. An old fashioned american that they can trust to never perpetrate a crime upon them or their properties, and who won't harbor questionable people either.
I do try to clean up as much as possible when I'm home during the week-ends and before holidays.

Hopefully in the near future property values will rebound enough to allow me to sell and move to someplace a bit more rural. Thanks for reminding me that I need to be thankful for my neighbors and to make sure to let them know how I feel in a tangible way.

That's what we're doing.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by greendesert

Thank God I don't live there then. I wouldn't own a house in a neighborhood with an HOA if they paid me. I have kids that constantly turn my backyard into a mess. I work from morning till night, when I come home, it's dark and I'm not in a mood to deal with the backyard mess. On top of that I have chickens and pets, and I enjoy it that way. I've had periods recently when my health took a turn for the worse (I have a life threatening liver condition) and I was physically not able to keep up with it all. I also work for a charity, so I can't pay others to do it. Thankfully, my neighbors have been kind enough to mind their own backyards and to leave me alone. In return they get a knowledgeable neighbor that is willing to help them with everything from trimming trees, gardening, pets, to addressing electrical and computer problems. An old fashioned american that they can trust to never perpetrate a crime upon them or their properties, and who won't harbor questionable people either.
I do try to clean up as much as possible when I'm home during the week-ends and before holidays.

Hopefully in the near future property values will rebound enough to allow me to sell and move to someplace a bit more rural. Thanks for reminding me that I need to be thankful for my neighbors and to make sure to let them know how I feel in a tangible way.

After reading your post, now I know why I like living in a neighborhood with a strict HOA (I live in Surprise). I don't want to live by people that own chickens in a suburban setting and leave their yard a mess. If I was your neighbor, I would expect you to teach your Kid's to pick up after themselves and not leave a mess that others have to look at.

It sounds like you are a friendly neighbor and a great person. But HOA's were invented because neighbors like yourself place different values on the look and feel of your home. HOA's sort out people who want to do as they please because "it is their property". When you leave your property a mess, your business becomes their business as you harpoon their resale value and they have to put up with an eyesore.

Potentially your neighbors have not had the courage to tell you what they really think because they like you as a person. I could never tell that to your face even if I lived there but I would be shaking my head as I passed by your chickens. If their homes are well maintained while yours is rough at the edges, I can strongly predict what they are thinking.

HOA's have trade-offs. But I LOVE this look Surprise AZ Homes for Sale ~ Marley Park and our HOA has done a spectacular job keeping the place up.

[jimj]

MN, I'm with ya about farm animals in a "city" setting and I also agree that the front yard should be kept up and the back yard not a jungle of weeds. I do draw the line at anyone looking in my back yard to see if it's a mess or if I've not mowed the lawn in a week or two etc.
My issue with HOA's is when they choose to not enforce the CC&R's because they don't want to stir up trouble or don't know the rules themselves. Our CC&R's allow the HOA to hire someone to bring a properties front yard into compliance (foreclosed homes) and then lien the property. What did ours do? Suggested that the neighbors sneak over and do it themselves. Hmm, free landscapers for the bank? I think not.