If a neighbor’s tree falls over your property line, file an insurance claim for repairs and cleanup. No house damage? Check if chopping and hauling debris is covered.

When a tree falls

Your neighbor is responsible when a tree falls over your shared property line only if you can prove he was aware that his tree was a hazard and refused to remedy the problem. Regardless, your insurance company restores your property first, and later decides whether or not to pursue reimbursement from the neighbor or his insurer if the neighbor was negligent in maintaining the tree.

Before a tree falls

Write a letter to your neighbor before his dead, diseased or listing tree falls through your roof or over your property line.

The letter should include:

• Description of the problem

• Photographs

• Request for action

• Attorney letterhead–not necessary but indicates you mean business.

Trim their trees

If the limbs of a tree hang over your property line, you may trim the branches up to the property line, but not cut down the entire tree. If a tree dies after your little pruning, the neighbor can pursue a claim against you in civil or small claims court. Depending on the laws of your state, your neighbor may have to prove the damage was deliberate or caused by negligence, but may also be able to recover up to three times the value of the tree.

Before you cut, tell your neighbors what you intend to do to protect your property. They may offer to trim the whole tree instead of risking your half-oaked job.

Your tree falls

It’s always a good idea to take care of your big and beautiful trees, and keep receipts for trimmings and other care.

But if your tree falls over a neighbor’s property line, do nothing until their insurance company contacts you. You may not be liable unless you knew or should have known the tree was in a dangerous condition.  If you pruned a tree or shored up trunks to prevent problems, gather your receipts to prove your diligence.

“Visit HouseLogic.com for more articles like this. Reprinted from HouseLogic.com with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.”  Read more: http://members.houselogic.com/articles/tree-fall-property-line/preview/

Some interesting facts:

• Most burglaries occur between 10AM and 3PM.
• The typical house burglar is a male teenager who lives within a couple of miles of your home.
• Burglars spend on an average between 8 and 12 minutes inside your home.

Not only did the graphic detail the most common entry points for a burglar, but it also offered these helpful tips for protecting your home:

• A home with a security system is 3 times less likely to be broken into than a home without a security system. (Even if you don’t have one, buying the stickers for them can deter an amateur.)
• Consider alternatives to the master bedroom for hiding valuables. It’s the first place most burglars go.
• Burglars want to spend fewer than 60 seconds breaking in. Anything you can do to lengthen that time will increase the likelihood they’ll pass on your house.
• The appearance of an unoccupied home is what typically attracts burglars. Not bringing the garbage cans back up a few days after trash day can be a big sign you’re not around.

For a detailed look at the infographic, visit the Washington Post site here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/artsandliving/homeandgarden/features/2007/burglary-070507/graphic.html

Protect your home and your valuables! Common sense is often enough to keep you from becoming a victim.  And remember: Keep an inventory of your possessions for insurance purposes.

Quality of your neighborhood got you nervous? Looking to move to a nicer zip code? I’d be glad to help you find a safer home. Contact me!

call 888-681-2026, text 925-368-7738, or email Lewis@LewisBishop.com

Too often renters find themselves facing uncomfortable… sometimes even “life changing” situations.  Suddenly be served with an eviction notice when they discover the property they are renting is being foreclosed upon, and only having days to vacate.

The good news is that you have a new resource, CheckYourLandlord.com, allows renters to check rental properties in the U.S. to see if there are any notices of default filed against the property.

Renters, or real estate professionals who represent them, can also stop at the county recorder’s office to check the status of a property.  If you are in the process of finding your next rental… give me at call at (925) 368-7738 and I can verify if the property you are interested in renting is in foreclosure.

Not only is eliminating junk mail a personal convenience, but it’s also good for the planet. Who hasn’t lugged 60 pounds of junk mail down to the curb on recycling night and thought, “I can’t believe all of this paper and ink is wasted.”?

Well, if you’re looking for a free and easy way to cut down on the unwanted catalogs, coupons, credit card offers, circulars (and more!), then be sure to check out CatalogChoice.org (http://www.catalogchoice.org).

Catalog Choice lets you opt out of direct marketers’ databases, ensuring that you receive less junk (and your privacy is protected). Register for a free account and you can immediately begin cutting down on all of that unwanted mail.

How does it work? Catalog Choice gets your opt-outs processed by the senders. You can track your opt-outs, and if you receive the mail again, Catalog Choice will follow up. They work with over 4000 companies to honor your choices and have processed over 20 million opt-outs by over 1.4 million account holders.

Take control of your home’s mailbox today!

Like this tip? Sign up for my neighborly newsletter which includes even more helpful information: Lewis@LewisBishop.com

While I understand the desire for privacy, I think it’s important we realize that regular, helpful communication with our neighbors makes us both safer and paves a smooth road for difficult conversations we might face with our neighbors in the future.

Small gestures such as a nice note about landscaping, an invitation to a potluck, or an “all hands on deck” community improvement project allow us to get to know our neighbors.  This is vital when you consider the people around you are the most likely to spot smoke in a fire, clue you in to suspicious activity, and have the opportunity to share vital local information.

What’s more, if you build a positive base with your neighbors, when the time comes to have a difficult conversation (such as a nuisance dog, kids running amok, or intrusive lighting issues), you’ll have a buffer of mutual respect and goodwill to draw on.

If your opening conversation with a neighbor is a complaint, you’re setting yourself up for a long, antagonistic relationship.  Who wants to live next to that?

It doesn’t take much to start off the right way.  Consider leaving a nice note in their mailbox, a small “thank you” gift for looking out for the neighborhood, or some other “olive branch” act that will build rapport.

I think a civil community depends upon our connection to our neighbors.  We all benefit when we depend on and trust one another.

If you like this blog post, sign up for my neighborly newsletter which includes even more helpful information: Lewis@LewisBishop.com

Can You Retrofit Older Homes to Increase Resale Value?.

About 130 million homes were built prior to energy codes and are in need of an energy retrofit, panelists said Saturday at the session New Tricks for Old Homes during the REALTOR Conference & Expo in Anaheim.

“There’s an opportunity to revitalize the older housing stock and refresh them as green homes,” Bob Sahadi with the Institute for Market Transformation told attendees.

“Green” retrofits could add up to a potential 30 percent savings, on average, on utility bills—not to mention, increased home owner comfort (in fixing drafty homes) and achieving better air quality circulating throughout the home, panelists said.

“Green” upgrades aimed at energy efficiency continues to get more recognition in the real estate business as more home owners look for ways to curb rising utility costs as well as potentially increase the resale value of their home. Newer homes are increasingly being built “greener” and as “green” increasingly becomes important to home buyers, older homes not built to current standards may struggle to compete, panelists said.

Many home owners may be confused about how to go about retrofitting their older houses and making them more competitive.

That’s where real estate professionals can step in — educating clients about federal, state, and local rebates and incentives programs available as well as financing options like Energy Efficient Mortgages, to help cover the costs of the retrofits. Real estate professionals can build a “green team” of contractors to point clients in the right direction too.

For older homes that need an energy retrofit, the first step often is getting an energy assessment or audit of a home, which can serve as a blueprint of what home owners need to address to make their home more comfortable, healthy, and energy efficient. Energy auditors may use such tools as infrared cameras that can reveal energy or heat loss problems in a home, or blower doors that depressurize the house to identify air leaks.

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR Magazine

Many home owners also may be unfamiliar with the financing options available, such as Energy Efficient Mortgages (like the FHA 203(b) Energy Efficient Mortgage and EEMS available through Freddie Mac and the Veterans Administration), the HUD/FHA PowerSaver loan, or state, local, and utility programs. Several states also offer incentive and rebate programs, such as solar water heating rebates or energy conservation loans.

Learn about the programs available in your area, form “green teams” to be able to point your customers to qualified contractors (such as through the Building Performance Institute, www.bpi.org, in which you can find qualified contractors by region), and learn about green home labels (like LEED, Build Green, and Energy Star), said John Shipman, an NAR GREEN designation trainer.NAR’s GREEN designation can help real estate professionals ramp up their knowledge base, learn how to form “green teams,” and build a niche business of green in helping home owners retrofit their older homes.

CA – Foreclosure Filings

 
Foreclosure Starts in California were little changed this month, after a dramatic increase in August and subsequent fall in September. Other California foreclosure activity was also little changed in October. California foreclosure investors gained traction with 9.9 percent more properties sold to third parties in October, representing a record 28.8 percent of all foreclosure sales. A year ago just 16.9 percent of foreclosures were purchased by third parties.
 
Nevada Foreclosure Starts plummeted in reaction to the passing of AB 284, which imposed stricter requirements on filing new Notices of Default, and seems to have specifically targeted ReconTrust – the trustee that handles all Bank of America and Countrywide foreclosures – by prohibiting a trustee from being owned by the foreclosing lender, as ReconTrust is. Washington Foreclosure Starts continued their decline after being impacted by a lawsuit filed by the State Attorney General against ReconTrust in August alleging the trustee was illegally foreclosing on properties in that state.
 
Elsewhere, Arizona foreclosure starts are at the lowest levels since spring of 2009, with just 6,133 Notice of Sale filings in October. This is seen throughout the state, as cancellations, properties sold to the bank and those sold to third parties are all down. Oregon Foreclosure Starts continue their drop from the April spike, down 20.6 percent in October.

They’re surprised when I tell them that in some markets, the recovery is already under way.  Consumer attitude often lags behind local market data.

You see, there were lots of market indicators as far back as 2005 that the bust was on its way.  Despite the fact that inventory on the market was increasing, prices floated up well into 2007.  But there came a point when the “market data came home to roost.”

And when it did, well… no need to rehash bad news.

In some markets (especially those where buyers have recognized the incredible values and low interest rates) we see several indicators which suggest rebounding market health:  Shrinking inventory, multiple offers, and fewer days on market.  This is especially true if you look at non-distressed properties.

If those indicators are in play, you’re not in a buyer’s market any more.  It’s becoming a seller’s market.

Obviously, tight-fisted lenders and buyers facing shaky job prospects exert their influence on the market.  People are wary, and that psychological uncertainty is a part of the pervading sense that “things are bad.”  But if you have access to capital and stable income, now is no time to be holding back.  We’re unlikely to see these buying conditions again for a long time.

Oh, and by the way: Don’t forget the relatively low amount of new construction during this time paired with the pending population boom in the U.S. over the next 40 years.

Now is definitely the time to buy before the market moves up.

Is the recovery already underway in your neighborhood or neighborhoods you’re considering?  Contact me to find out! Lewis@LewisBishop.com

By: John Riha