Author |
Message |
Mameblanche
Member
08-24-2002
| Friday, June 06, 2008 - 7:47 am
rofl re: Snipe hunt! Yay for Escapee's all clear!
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Naja
Member
06-28-2003
| Friday, June 06, 2008 - 8:31 am
This may be a dumb question, but here goes... The neighbors that live behind me had a foreclosure sign in front of their house for about a week before they moved out in the middle of the night one night. I never even saw it. They were just suddenly gone and now the house has been vacant for a couple weeks. Anyway, the property is starting to look like a jungle, because I think maybe the guy knew he was losing the house so he didn't mow for a couple weeks, and now an additional couple weeks have gone by and it looks like a jungle over there. My question: Is it going to look like a jungle until someone new moves in? Isn't someone supposed to come and at least mow? This is just out of curiosity (and maybe just a little bit because it's the view out my kitchen bay window and I see it every time I walk into the kitchen, so I'm reminded several times a day about it)
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Texannie
Member
07-16-2001
| Friday, June 06, 2008 - 8:35 am
You can call the city or see if their is a bank listed on the foreclosure notice and contact them.
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Costacat
Member
07-15-2000
| Friday, June 06, 2008 - 8:37 am
If the house was foreclosed on, then the bank or mortgage company now "owns" the house. And they won't do anything for a while. If it's a fire hazard, you can have the city investigate and they will cite the owners. The bank or mortgage company may hire someone to do some cleanup before they put the place up on the market (I'd guess that the inside may need work, too, or at the least a good cleaning up). You likely won't get a whole lot of action after only a couple of weeks though. Maybe hang some sheers over your bay window temporarily? Or hang some plants inside or out so you don't notice? Or, look the other way when you walk into the kitchen? Or pay a neighbor kid to go in and mow? 
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Brenda1966
Member
07-03-2002
| Friday, June 06, 2008 - 8:39 am
Yeah, call your city or county and ask them what steps you can take. But, honestly, in a lot of these cases what ends up happening is the neighbors mow the lawn just to keep it from looking like a dump. 
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Escapee
Member
06-15-2004
| Friday, June 06, 2008 - 8:40 am
We have the same issue in our neighborhood, where everyone keeps their lawn and yards in pristine shape. One house foreclosed, and while no on lived there for about 6 months, there are new owners who have YET to do something with the yard that's about 3 feet tall. It makes the whole neighborhood look crappy.
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Pamy
Member
01-02-2002
| Friday, June 06, 2008 - 8:45 am
ok ya all realize you have ruined snipe hunting! With this kind of publicity no one will ever be able to pull a snipe hunt on anyone. I am outraged! I want others to feel what I felt; standing alone in the dark, out in the middle of a farm, no houses for miles, crouching on my kness, holding a bag open, waiting for a snipe to run into it, then after 5 min realizing your friends were gone and there prolly wasnt a snipe LOL!!!
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Friday, June 06, 2008 - 8:45 am
That's a big deal out here Naja, all these foreclosed houses that are starting to look (and be neglected.) I'd try to find the article in our local paper I read, but they only have archives that go back a week online and I know it was longer ago than that. I don't remember who's responsibility it was for the upkeep up foreclosed houses but I do remember a suggestion in the article that neighbors take turns mowing these lawns until someone shows up to take care of the house. I guess in some parts of the country, according to the article, when houses are vacant and look vacant its an invitation for people to break in and steal anything they can from light fixtures to the copper wiring stuff inside walls, causing the vacant house to become even more of an eyesore for the neighborhood. And that if the lawns being taken care of it looks like someones there or something. LOL, I know not much help. Really the only reason I even remember that much is that the house next door to us just became vacant (its a rental and the tennants moved out) and the front yard is starting to look really bad and I was wondering if I could offer Caleb an extra $5 to mow that one when he does ours. I quickly shot down that thought, I've seen the owner there recently so he knows what the lawn looks like and should be taking care of it himself. I'm really not wanting him to get the idea that he doesn't have to take care of his property cuz someone else would ya know? Our city code enforcement is pretty tough out here and probably sooner rather than later he'll be getting warning letters from them about it. If you're really curious, that's an idea, call whoever takes care of code enforcement and ask them about it. They may be able to put pressure on whoever the heck is supposed to be responsible for the property now.
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Naja
Member
06-28-2003
| Friday, June 06, 2008 - 9:24 am
Wow, thanks everyone I'll let you know how it turns out. I have mentally made a mark on the fence, and if it reaches that point, I will call the bank number. If the bank doesn't take action, I'll call the city. I won't mow it myself because that would entail me loading up the mower and driving it around the block to mow because of the fence. The people who live next door to them have a riding mower, maybe he will give it a once over, but I doubt it.
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Costacat
Member
07-15-2000
| Friday, June 06, 2008 - 9:35 am
Code enforcement, and fire enforcement, won't act if it's only been a few weeks. Months, yes. But weeks? Nope. If it is a major fire hazard, the city can cite the current owner to clean up or be fined. Like I said, if you don't wanna do it, pay a neighborhood kid to mow it. If it bothers you that much, I'd think a $10 or $20 bill would do wonders! 
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Naja
Member
06-28-2003
| Friday, June 06, 2008 - 9:53 am
There is no kid on our block that would mow anything for 10 bucks...LOL..We have HUGE lawns! 10 years ago the rate was 20. Like I said, I was mostly curious, not bothered. Certainly not bothered enough (yet) to put my own money or effort into it. If they lived right next door, instead of in back, it may be a different story.
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Escapee
Member
06-15-2004
| Friday, June 06, 2008 - 11:19 am
I think I am going to move to Naja's neighborhood and mow lawns for a living.
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Mocha
Member
08-12-2001
| Friday, June 06, 2008 - 11:31 am
Naja, don't know if this was already said, but no one will probably do anything until they get the place ready for new tenants/owners. Unless a friendly neighbor goes over there and mows it for them 
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Naja
Member
06-28-2003
| Friday, June 06, 2008 - 11:44 am
Escapee, we mow our own lawn now, but back when we did hire someone to do it when we both worked, we got rid of the neighbor kid and gave the job to the public HS teacher who did it as his side job. I think he made more money mowing on weekends than teaching history. It's a shame. Yeah, Mocha We think that might happen.
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Hukdonreality
Member
09-29-2003
| Friday, June 06, 2008 - 11:51 am
Around here, tall grass is against code not for fire hazards, but for varmints! Rats, raccoons, and skunks love the coolness in the tall grass. Tell the city code enforcement people that you've seen rats. That should do it. Just don't tell them that you've seen pictures of rats in a book, then you won't be lying. 
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Friday, June 06, 2008 - 12:16 pm
Ok, I might change my mind about living in San Diego, Costa, lol. Around here, if you go two - three weeks without mowing your lawn, you're going to have code enforcement out front with their little digital cameras taking pictures and writing a report to send you a warning letter. They border on harrassing folks. Code enforcement here is a pain in the butt. They'll get you for stupid things (like having trashcans sitting on the side of the house where they've been for 10 years,) those basketball hoops with the bases on wheels sitting on the curb, the lawn. Heck, I got a warning a few years ago and it said, "Remove trash from porch." I thought, huh? What trash?!? flipped it over and looked and had to laugh. It was a bag of clothes for donation, I'd set it out one morning and the place picked it up a couple hours later. In that short time, code enforcement had come by, taken pictures, and written a warning. I'm waiting to see if we get one next week (no idea what for but there is always something) because when I took Caleb to school yesterday they were in the neighborhood, and still here four hours later!
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Costacat
Member
07-15-2000
| Friday, June 06, 2008 - 12:27 pm
Is that CITY code enforcement? Or HOA code enforcement? Many neighborhoods around San Diego have that absurdly strict code enforcement. And lol... I just realized you think you may WANT to live in San Diego cause we have more lax enforcement. Took me a minute or two there. 
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Dipo
Member
04-23-2002
| Friday, June 06, 2008 - 12:33 pm
Most lenders pay companies to secure the foreclosed home and some do have basic matinence services. You might want to call the lender an complain about the "High" grass, it might take a couple of weeks before someone comes out, but they may not have maintenance service. It is really in the best interest of the neighbors to try and keep it looking ok, and not trashy.
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Friday, June 06, 2008 - 12:59 pm
That's city Costa, we don't have a HOA, at least not our neighborhood. City code enforcement around here is ridiculous, I don't have much good to say about them.
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Costacat
Member
07-15-2000
| Friday, June 06, 2008 - 3:28 pm
Good gawd, Wargod. I think I'll stay in San Diego then! 
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Rissa
Member
03-20-2006
| Monday, June 09, 2008 - 8:42 am
Anyone here have the Wii fit? I cannot figure out the hula hoop . I am going to disconnect a hip I am whipping my pelvis so fast but the dang thing still falls off so I could really use a primer on how to do it. I see that my dd has done 140 but she is at school and I don't think pulling her out of class for this would go over real well. RFLOL PS If you have the WII, go buy this (the WiiFit)NOW. I spent 43 years without spending more then 5 minutes on a video game console but btn the Wii and my DS lite I am completely hooked.
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Landileigh
Member
07-29-2002
| Monday, June 09, 2008 - 10:05 am
i want a Wii Fit so bad! i play tennis on the Wii all the time. i'm the same way. HATE video games. LOVE the Wii!
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Mocha
Member
08-12-2001
| Monday, June 09, 2008 - 10:08 am
I want one too but the cost is what's keeping me from getting it.
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Hermione69
Member
07-24-2002
| Monday, June 09, 2008 - 10:19 am
So if you already have the Wii console, you can just get the Wii Fit package, such as shown HERE? You don't have to get another console or anything?
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Escapee
Member
06-15-2004
| Monday, June 09, 2008 - 10:25 am
I said to my DH last night "Honey, I wanna Wii" and he looked at me funny and said "Well, you know where the bathroom is."
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