The Land Is HERS!

[Pagan]

This land is her land,
it is not our land,

Never heard that song, but the song that popped into my head is:

(sung to the tune of "This Land Is Your Land" by Woodie Guthrie)

Um, yeah, CrazedClerk is using the same song, I believe. (CC, correct me if I'm wrong!)

[XCashier]

Um, yeah, CrazedClerk is using the same song, I believe. (CC, correct me if I'm wrong!)

Hmm, if it is, I don't think the last two lines scan right.

Besides, I'm sure that song has inspired more than a few parodies.

[earl colby pottinger]

Crazy

When my ex-girlfriend and I bought our first cottage property we found a perfect spot for her to build a cabin/studio. However before building we did our own survey of the land. We found the property markers left by the original survey then traced the property lines with string.

Good thing, turns out the location we picked was illegal as it was too close to one property line.

Later when she sold out and bought the property directly across the lake from me we did the same thing again. Again the lines were not quite where we thought they were and if we had build based on our guesses rather than our survey both the outhouse and studio would had needed to be take down if she got inspected.

It is easy to do your own survey once you get the registered survey from town-hall, and you can save thousands by not building and then having to tear it all down again.

[Tigress]

Gods, title searches. When I worked in title insurance, I did not envy the attorneys and paralegals their jobs. Every few weeks or so, we'd get a call or walk-in asking to have a title search or survey done because people saw the "title" part of the company name and not "insurance." (Selective reading, FTL.)

Occasionally, we'd get a sob story about how someone bought some land, sight unseen and surveyless. No bank was involved. And now their Big Mean Neighbors or the Big Mean Building Inspector was not letting them build on their property. Or someone was suing them and they needed insurance after the fact.

Our response was always the same: Get a lawyer. Get one now.

You mean, you can't do the search and survey for me? Why? Why do I need a lawyer to do it?
Because it's the law?
I know how to do these things. What if I do it myself? Will you give me insurance then?
No. You'll screw it up. And it's the law.
But I really need insurance! I'm going to lose a lot of money because I didn't do my research beforehand!
Not my problem. Go away.

Really, people. You're spending thousands of dollars on something that could seriously ruin your credit if it isn't done properly. What's a little more to hire a lawyer to make sure the title is free and clear and get a survey done on the property? Is risking losing $50 - 500,000 later on in a lawsuit really worth saving $500 right now?

[mariamousie1]

I think she should be in jail already. Can't wait to hear more!

[Andara Bledin]

Now, confused as I was, the guy is caught. All he did, you see, was take the name of the company and put Mr. in front of it. Why? Because every damn idiot who calls in thinks they NEED THE OWNER OMFG.

My company gets that all the time. The second part of our name sounds like it might be someone's name, but only if you add a letter to the middle. We get people calling in asking for that name all the time. We just reiterate the company name in a "weren't you listening when we answered the phone?" sort of voice. Some of them have the grace to sound embarrassed.

She'll probably have to pay for the lumber that was cut, fines for housenapping, maybe even replant the trees and pay for irrigation.
We don't do surveying for no reason.

*points and laughs like a hyena at the stupid woman*
Who the heck is so braindead that they don't understand the idea of having a survey done to actually know what land you own?
Oh... those would be the same people who still respond to the Nigerian scam and click on phishing emails...

I may add that the crazy woman and her son are still quite insistent that it is their land. No, really. No, they got no survey, but it's their land. No, you don't get it. Their. Land. This has to be an honest mistake on your part.

Ooh... more charges against the It-Must-Be-Mine family, I guess...

...The house in question was "mysteriously" burnt down.

Mysteriously? The only mystery is why the people living in it couldn't get it through their sub-pea little brains that it wasn't theirs in the first place.

They probably knocked over a lantern or some such and that's what started the fire. Good thing the idiot mother illegally cut all the trees down, already.

^-.-^

[Cia]

My parent's neighbor had trees growing along the back of his property. Had is the operative word. Mr. N also stored his earth moving machinery in his back yard. The people behind him decided to cut down the trees in their backyard. They didn't bother to find out were the property lines were and cut down most of Mr. N's trees.

Then they complained about his machinery - stating to the City that the machines were eyesores. Mr. N told the City and his backyard neighbors to stuff it and then sued the BYNs for cutting down his trees. He wasn't going to sue them but they put up such a stink he changed his mind. The BYN shut their pieholes.

[Seshat]

He wasn't going to sue them but they put up such a stink he changed his mind. The BYN shut their pieholes.

Isn't that always the way? The one who doesn't check raises the fuss.

We hired a buyer's advocate when we bought our house, and gladly paid for their advice. Paid for the architectural and legal services they recommended, too. SO worth it.

[Tigress]

My parent's neighbor had trees growing along the back of his property. Had is the operative word. Mr. N also stored his earth moving machinery in his back yard. The people behind him decided to cut down the trees in their backyard. They didn't bother to find out were the property lines were and cut down most of Mr. N's trees.

Then they complained about his machinery - stating to the City that the machines were eyesores. Mr. N told the City and his backyard neighbors to stuff it and then sued the BYNs for cutting down his trees. He wasn't going to sue them but they put up such a stink he changed his mind. The BYN shut their pieholes.

Well, if you hadn't cut down my trees, you wouldn't have to look at my machinery that I keep on my property!

I never understood why people feel like they get to tell other people what to do with their own property. I can understand junked up cars or trash in the front lawn because it's a potential environmental and safety hazard in addition to an eyesore. But when you have stuff on your property that's a little tacky, but doesn't hurt anyone (like plastic flamingos), who are these busibodies to tell you to remove it?

[Emrld]

Also depends on where you live . . .there are city codes/ rules that have to be followed which should be researched before buying a property.
Then you have some areas that have HOA's that you have to get approval if you want to plant a tree, or change an exterior light fixture etc.
From the a seller's point of view - neighbors can effect when and if your property will sell. If a yard is maintained and doesn't have kids toys all over the place the house for sale next door or across the street will sell a lot faster than if you haven't mowed in the last 2 months.
Then you add in the things that like to live in tall grass. You get a neighbor that doesn't mow - you end up with snakes, rats, mice, etc that will try and creep into your home.

I have no problem if you maintain your pink flamingos . . .as in they are painted and not rusting . . .but if they are falling apart that is another story.

[protege]

I never understood why people feel like they get to tell other people what to do with their own property. I can understand junked up cars or trash in the front lawn because it's a potential environmental and safety hazard in addition to an eyesore. But when you have stuff on your property that's a little tacky, but doesn't hurt anyone (like plastic flamingos), who are these busibodies to tell you to remove it?

They do it because they can usually get away with it...and because it will cause trouble for someone. I know I've mentioned the idiots next door to my parents--the same twits with security cameras and spotlights, who use the police and the borough officials as their personal "goon squad."

These idiots just *loved* to use the local ordinances to cause trouble. For example, on the other side of my parents, there was a guy who had a lawn care business. He had a pickup and a small trailer he used to haul equipment around. All of that was kept in the driveway. Technically, it *was* illegal, but since nobody complained, nothing was ever done. As long as the vehicles were in good shape, and off the street, nobody cared. I'm not sure why, but the goofballs couldn't stand that--they got him written up for it.

Then there was the "unsightly" object in the yard of the house down the street. Anyone want to guess what it was? It was a freaking kiddie pool, that was leaning up against the fence to drain. Again, there was nothing illegal (at all!) about that, but they just wanted to stir up trouble.

As if that wasn't enough, I heard rumors that they were going to complain about the MG I was working on in the driveway. However, I quashed those pretty damn quick. The car was never left outside except when I was working on it--when done, it got pushed back into the garage...and all parts on the patio were covered. Even if they did see the pile of stuff, to do so would have meant they were trespassing, and we could have pressed charges

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Check out one man's scathing indifference to his busybody neighbors:

http://www.thewvsr.com/gargoyle.htm

[Andara Bledin]

My aunt had a boyfriend that lived in a condo. He wanted satellite TV, but the HOA decided that his mini-dish was "unsightly" and so he couldn't have it on his patio. So he got the brightest, ugliest, most obnoxious pink flamingo he could find (because it was allowed) and put that on his balcony instead. He had his satellite back within a month.

Most rules about what you can and can't do on your own property are ok and make sense, but some are all about some "keeping up with the Joneses" committee somewhere. My uncle used to have an old step van and some neighborhood punk would keep stealing the battery, so he kept it in the garage. The neighborhood snoops didn't like the van, but it was ok to have it, so they ruled that the battery in the garage meant that the vehicle was "non-operational" and they hit him with a huge fine. Assholes.

^-.-^

[Tigress]

Most rules about what you can and can't do on your own property are ok and make sense, but some are all about some "keeping up with the Joneses" committee somewhere. My uncle used to have an old step van and some neighborhood punk would keep stealing the battery, so he kept it in the garage. The neighborhood snoops didn't like the van, but it was ok to have it, so they ruled that the battery in the garage meant that the vehicle was "non-operational" and they hit him with a huge fine. Assholes.

I wonder what would happen if I decided to invite some friends over for a huge cosplay gathering. A bunch of freaks in costume... yeah, HOA assholes would love that!

[Andara Bledin]

Well, you'd probably have to check the HOA rules about parties.

'Cause you just know they're in there...

^-.-^