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Going back a couple posts about contacting an alderman/Town Council member, etc. If you contacted me with this complaint I would first ask what had changed since you bought except you bought. When you got a rock bottom price price the empty houses were ok. Now that you live there they aren't and you are calling them blight..
and who are you representing then, empty houses? empty houses elected you to represent their interests, the banks that own the property have elected you? funny. I would not even comment any further. hope the OP is not take this seriously either.
and who are you representing then, empty houses? empty houses elected you to represent their interests, the banks that own the property have elected you? funny. I would not even comment any further. hope the OP is not take this seriously either.
Your response shows a lack of reality or understanding about how local government works or what it does.
Here's why that's the answer:
I'm representing the other homeowners in the town who will have to pay to "upgrade" where he just bought and which he now wants to be changed.
The guy bought the house with empty houses near it, He saw them. The price may have been lower because of them (maybe not). Now, once he's in he wants the other taxpayers in the town to pay for "upgrading" his street. Which hasn't changed since he bought with the exception of his moving in. Immediately if not sooner.
You're going to see more and more neighborhoods with empty houses due to foreclosures and so-called strategic defaults over the next several years. Most of those areas will never come close to being blighted. If they do then there are mechanisms in place to deal with that. And none of them include catering to someone who bought and now has buyer's remorse over what he did.
This happens constantly:
People buy in a flood plain and then are surprised when they flood, and they knew about it ahead of time because they have to have flood insurance.
They buy beside the neighborhood hoarder and then complain about him.
They buy on a public beach and complain that they can't claim part of it.
They buy beside a public hunting or fishing area and want those actvities shut down.
They buy on a main road and want speed bumps.
And on and on and on.
Your response shows a lack of reality or understanding about how local government works or what it does.
Here's why that's the answer:
I'm representing the other homeowners in the town who will have to pay to "upgrade" where he just bought and which he now wants to be changed.
The guy bought the house with empty houses near it, He saw them. The price may have been lower because of them (maybe not). Now, once he's in he wants the other taxpayers in the town to pay for "upgrading" his street. Which hasn't changed since he bought with the exception of his moving in. Immediately if not sooner.
You're going to see more and more neighborhoods with empty houses due to foreclosures and so-called strategic defaults over the next several years. Most of those areas will never come close to being blighted. If they do then there are mechanisms in place to deal with that. And none of them include catering to someone who bought and now has buyer's remorse over what he did.
This happens constantly:
People buy in a flood plain and then are surprised when they flood, and they knew about it ahead of time because they have to have flood insurance.
They buy beside the neighborhood hoarder and then complain about him.
They buy on a public beach and complain that they can't claim part of it.
They buy beside a public hunting or fishing area and want those actvities shut down.
They buy on a main road and want speed bumps.
And on and on and on.
That's why my response is what it is.
Yeah, I thought your earlier response was right on... even better with this one. Seems the OP gets it, too.
Your response shows a lack of reality or understanding about how local government works or what it does.
Here's why that's the answer:
I'm representing the other homeowners in the town who will have to pay to "upgrade" where he just bought and which he now wants to be changed.
The guy bought the house with empty houses near it, He saw them. The price may have been lower because of them (maybe not). Now, once he's in he wants the other taxpayers in the town to pay for "upgrading" his street. Which hasn't changed since he bought with the exception of his moving in. Immediately if not sooner.
You're going to see more and more neighborhoods with empty houses due to foreclosures and so-called strategic defaults over the next several years. Most of those areas will never come close to being blighted. If they do then there are mechanisms in place to deal with that. And none of them include catering to someone who bought and now has buyer's remorse over what he did.
This happens constantly:
People buy in a flood plain and then are surprised when they flood, and they knew about it ahead of time because they have to have flood insurance.
They buy beside the neighborhood hoarder and then complain about him.
They buy on a public beach and complain that they can't claim part of it.
They buy beside a public hunting or fishing area and want those actvities shut down.
They buy on a main road and want speed bumps.
And on and on and on.
That's why my response is what it is.
yes, yes, yes, you forgot to add:
People buy in the area where there is a lot of crime and then call the police when robbed. What the hell did they expected? to be given a prize instead?
You seem to be being totally out of topic. the question was about how to bring back to life the community - which is in the mutual interest of everyone, since health community means good economy = revenue in money and taxes. Declining community, abandoned houses = > crime, => public expense => things only getting worse if left like that.
And also you seem to outright ignore that I actually suggested to contact the representative not to complain but to promote the interests of the community and to come up with personal initiatives. I DID NOT MENTION ANY COMPLAINTS, do you understand at least that?
Last edited by Dressy; 03-13-2011 at 07:53 PM..
Reason: ___
I recently bought my first home in a close in neighborhood in Knoxville, TN. It has a reputation for being blighted, but gentrification is absolutely creeping across from one side to the other. My home was a foreclosure purchase. On my half block comprising 10 parcels, 4 of them are abandoned. 3 empty houses, and one empty lot where the city bulldozed one before I moved in. My neighbor told me the 3 houses as well as mine were strategic defaults where the owners just jumped ship over a year ago. Anyways, I'm sure this is bad for my property value and I'd really like to have a vibrant street with more people. Is this just totally out of my hands and at the mercy of vast bureaucratic organizations, or is there something I can do to make a positive impact on the situation?
Thanks,
Calvin
It makes me wonder how much the land is worth in relation to the improvements -- separate values: pick apart the neighborhood to answer some of those why, what, and who questions.
May I ask, without sounding too nosey or maybe being too forward; what is your sense of gentrification? Did you buy a home in a neighborhood where middle class families and upper income persons are purchasing, and then renovating, as well as property being rehabilitated? Via Foreclosures, mixed in with short sales?
The definition of blight, from an economic point of view:
Bight - Decay caused by failure to maintain the quality of real estate and public services in an area.
There may or may not be some funds flowing into your state or region, which is purposely printed to maintain the quality of, and pride of, real estate and the ownership. There are government programs you may be able to tap into. It doesn't take much to contact your congressperson or Senator, and ask for sources (then go from there). Some of the monies are grants and some of the monies are favorable loans.
I think it is a good idea to keep a look out for trends in demographics, in and out migration, Inflation and deflation, rates (local and national), and the path of progress tied to the gentrification/the behavior. Look for up and down trends and see how they react with each other. As for as value is concerned, you are looking for a positive path of progress. Monies react to national and local trends.
Overall, I think pride in ownership is something you can do to help the situation. And, of course, look for opportunities to enahnce it.
The following is a short summary of a life of a neighborhood:
neighborhood and District Life Cycle - The typical, but not necessarily universal, four-stage cycle that describes the life pattern of a neighborhoods and Districts; the stages include growth, stability, decline, and revitalization. Note: Focuses include four sets of considerations that influence value: social, economic, governmental, and environmental factors. Change is important to capture when 'timing' specific decisions.
I hope everything works out the way you have it planned. I wish you luck. I am just giving a very short opinion along with what I believe may be some helpful information and possibly, help with your thought process -- Please don't misinterpret it as something else If it doesn't relate to any questions you may have or isn't helpful at all, just ignore it.
Just because a house is empty doesn't necessarily mean that it's abandoned or even meets the definition of blighted. As far as the city is concerned for tax revenues/fees/assessments an empty bank-owned property is ok because those payments are now actually coming in, unlike what was probably happening with the previous owner. If repairs are ordered the bank owned tend to get fixed rather quickly compared to owner occupied properties where the owners are having "issues".
Gosh, and why do you think they are empty?? Any other misterious reason, than the one as simple as:
neighborhood is declining = no work
people are leaving
people cannot get any decent price for their home so do not sell it as they leave, but just shut it down
banks own some of the other properties , properties gets vandalized =>property value declines even more => nobody wants to buy there
and here is the one thing you seem to ignore completely: some houses may be not even bank owned but GOVERNMENT owned and taken by the government because the previous owner did not pay taxes. How can that be fine with the government, which is likely to just tear those houses down at some point if they do not do anything about the community?
How can any of it be ok with a person who represent this community???
What the hell has that got to do with some kinda public beaches or hunting examples?
Go to a title company and ask for labels of the neighborhood, then send the owners letters . . . start some communication.
If the owners are individuals who just left without being able to sell their homes, they may be interested in renting it out. Still better than risking your house to be vandalized. Can the OP and other neighbors find people to rent to?
Some communities have small companies who manage renting and have small interest from that and solve minor issues like small repairs and such. may be some kind of that non-for profit thing could be arranged. I understand, that may sound unrealistic, but .. it won't hurt to try.
I think I will research who owns the properties and attempt to start a dialog with them about what can be done to improve the situation.
When I say gentrification I am referring to younger, well educated, mostly white working professionals moving into and fixing up older houses in a predominantly black and working class neighborhood near downtown. I don't say that with any prejudice at all, it is just what I view as gentrification in the traditional sense.
Northbeachperson, I don't know where your cynicism is coming from. I have said nothing about wanting public upgrades to the street, or buyers remorse. I knew what I was buying into, and enjoy the sense of being a part of something that is improving with my help. I would consider one of the properties blighted with broken windows and a collapsing roof, but I never mentioned the street being blighted in my OP. I know there are avenues for fixing this through the city, but personally I would rather see private redevelopment rather than public demolition. We in Parkridge are already included in all of Knoxville's redevelopment districts and enjoy many benefits of public support for redevelopment. Please respond with respect rather than a paternalistic nihilism at my wanting to improve the neighborhood I live in.
I will probably try to maintain the yards and beds of the properties, pick up any trash that blows in, and try to contact the owners about getting them occupied. I will go to the city about the collapsing house and ask for it to be considered blighted. I will continue to participate in the neighborhood organization, and try to develop an action plan for dealing with long term vacancies that aren't listed for sale or rent in the neighborhood.
Someone may have suggested this already......I haven't read every post. However, here's what I would do. I would make sure my home looks very nice outside so potential buyers scouting the 'hood would see signs of gentrification. I would be sure to secure my property and have motion detector lights and a security system and a dog. I would start a crime watch group or join the one that is there already. I would make sure there are crime watch signs posted on the streets. I would band together with the other neighbors and get a website going for the area calling it something charming like "Jennings Historical District" and I would post local interest items weekly including crime information. I would join with my neighbors in having semi-annual street parties so we could all develop a community feel. I would get a local home store/nursery to sell us bulk spring planting beds that we could order as a group and post that on the website. I would have 4x annual voluntary neighborhood cleanup days where we'd pick up trash, do small repairs, etc. I would regularly report code violations of vacant properties to the city as well as any squatters to the police. I would carry a small camera and take photos of violations or other issues that are reportable to banks or authorities. I would walk my block daily and carry a trash bag and pick up stray trash. I pick up trash on my own street where I live sometimes. I'm out there anyway with a bag to pick up my dog's "product" so if I see litter, I pick it up!
For what it's worth, OP, I took your post to mean just what you meant by it -- I don't know how some people jumped so quickly to where they got.
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If it doesn't relate to any questions you may have or isn't helpful at all, just ignore it.
