do we have any rights--rental property next door

[cabanafrau]

Used the OP's numbers for expected selling price minus fees.

But they can't. Their health insurance would go up.

Foregoing vacations for a year won't affect health insurance costs. Only OP and husband can decide their priorities. It's definitely not an optimal or "fair" spot to be in, that's life. If they cannot magically change their neighborhood to provide the safe and serene environment they want it to be, they have to accept it or move on.

 

[luvsJack]

Used the OP's numbers for expected selling price minus fees.

But they can't. Their health insurance would go up.

Yeah, I was questioning her numbers too since she said the house didn’t even get a viewing. She can’t use money she doesn’t have and she was using that too.

I would have to weigh the increase of income vs paying for the insurance and see if I come out ahead by working and can afford rent or payment.

Honestly, at my age now or her age, I would seriously think about renting. I just don’t know if I could stomach another mortgage. But of course you don’t pay off rent either so probably not the right answer either.

Someone upthread suggested a lot and a trailer. That may be a better solution and something she could pay off (if she can go back to work) in a shorter amount of time.

 

[GreatLakes]

say we sell for 159000 take off fees our agent says that would come down to about 10000 so we clear 149000

new house is say 230000

which leaves an 81000 mortgage

so my question is if all the money that's coming in is from both our SS (DH pension) mine is invested so I don't get a monthly pension

and the very limited part time we work that doesn't leave much to live on vacations aside

I don't want to be cash poor and house rich--or in otherwords just working for the house--and if we work too many hours then our medical insurance will go up so then we have to make sure to work enough to cover that and the mortgage

hope this clears up things better then the last time I tried

What I would do is sell, take the $149,000, and get a condo for that. If it were just my wife and I and we were retired (or semi-retired) we could live in a condo instead of house. I would not stay between two suspected drug houses just because I didn't want to lose the equity in my home. It might be best to go back to work full time as a PP suggested, just make sure it is a job with benefits including healthcare.

It sounds like a terrible situation but I value my safety over money and would act accordingly.

 

[piccolopat]

Used the OP's numbers for expected selling price minus fees. But they can't. Their health insurance would go up.

So if they increase their work hours (not even to full time) for a couple of years and make even just $20,000 together, it wouldn't make sense because their health insurance would go up at all? Unless the health insurance would increase more than their earnings, going back to work to make it possible to move from the hell hole OP describes is a reasonable option.

 

[mnrose]

If the house didn't even get a nibble last time, it was priced too high for it's condition. Period. Does that suck that she put more into it than it's worth? YES. I know the feeling. I've sold houses at a loss in a bad market. It happens. But, a house is only worth what a willing buyer is willing to pay for it when you want to sell. Not one penny more.

It is also possible that the house was staged poorly, or photographed poorly. Take a look at both of those issues. Houses sell quickly in the current market if they are priced well and in peak selling condition (spotlessly clean, freshly painted, excess furniture and personal possessions gone). And, that's not what you think it's worth or what you put into it. It's a hard-nosed HONEST assessment of the house's current condition, and the current market. I just sold a second home we owned. It was a slight loss ($3K) of the money we had into it, after factoring real estate commissions and cost of sale. Would I have preferred to make money? Heck, yes. Breaking even would have been nice. But, we honestly assessed the market, and priced it accordingly (with the help of our agent). It was sold and closed in 38 days from listing. That was NICE.

ETA: Our agent said that if we had NO showings in 7 days, the price was too high and would have to be reduced (significantly). If we had 10-14 showings in two weeks, and no offers, the price was also too high. I can't imagine getting ZERO interest and leaving the price relatively the same for that long. It's wrong. It should have immediately been reduced (i.e., in 7 days) at least 10%, and another 10% if it remained unshown for another week or two. Messing with the price in tiny amounts is the kiss of death in a home sale.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Yes, the adjustment that the OP needs to make, is to accept the fact that her house is no longer what it was, and that, yes, it seems that now her home is in a non-desirable neighborhood. I would think that this was a bigger issue in the neighborhood/area... Not just a bad neighbor.

Wishful thinking won't change either of these things. Sometimes, yes, it is "There goes the neighborhood."

Personally, I might be more proactive about pushing with all involved authorities to address what is going on in this house.
Or, maybe, where the OP lives, this would also be wishful thinking and an effort in futility - if no authorities in her jurisdiction is going to do anything but look the other way and refuse to take action. If the authorities are ever going to take any action, it is only going to happen with constant pushing and cooperation with neighbors, to describe the property as a 'nuisance', or whatever the labels and ordinances are.

It might benefit the OP to do some real research into what any laws or ordinances might be, and if they are EVER enforced.

OP, homeowners are, naturally, invested financially and emotionally in their homes.
I would guess that many times a realtor might have to talk a prospective home-seller down in regards to the value and desireability of their home.
I think that is just almost expected.

I also think that the OP should take another good hard soul-searching look their expectations when it comes to moving.
If they think that selling an older home in an undesirable neighborhood to move into a nice new home in a desireable neghborhood is going to be affordable, or easy. that just doesn't seem to be the reality.

There seem to be some not-so-realistic expectations going on, regarding the current neighborhood and the prospects of moving.
Unrealistic expectations will always result in disapppointment.

 

[Wishing on a star]

We moved into this brand new tiny cul-de-sac neighborhood, many many years ago.
Today - While our house is very nice and well maintained... not every house here is.
I don't think that renting is allowed here, but one neighbor became a young woman, who I think got into the house thru her parents... Split up from her husand/boyfriend... and a few more after that... then moved off. Now, she is avoiding 'renting' by letting a friend have/buy the house with a 'rent to own' agreement. Yes, her friend is another young person, same situaiton... half a dozen other 'friends' using the house as a free place to crash... There are sometimes 3-4-5 beater vehicles and old red-neck trucks parked everywhere, on the front lawn, etc. Coming and going at all hours. Not necessarily an attractive feature to our neighborhood, at all.

And, DH is getting ready to retire, and we could consider selling and moving.
Lovely... But, it is what it is.

Heck, if we had been in the know and moved fast enough, my husband would have offered to buy the darn house.
But, instead of selling, this girl didn't think anyone would offer her what she wanted, and thinks it is a better idea to let these losers trash her property.
So it goes!!!!

 

[robinb]

She hasn’t sold her house. She didn’t even get a nibble on the house before. You are assuming she can sell a house with drug houses on either side of it. Or at least one side of it. So what profit?

People (not just you) keep on mentioning the neighbors and their affect on the property value. Exactly how does one find out that the house next door is a drug house? Or that they are loud at night? Or that the police have been called? Is there a service that tells you these things? I still live in the only house I bought 27 years ago.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Someone upthread suggested a lot and a trailer. That may be a better solution and something she could pay off (if she can go back to work) in a shorter amount of time.

Yeah, i found some lots during my simp!e search, for well under $100,k. But (again ) not having even the slightest bit of knowledge of Milwaukee real estae no idea what zoning would allow.

Does that suck that she put more into it than it's worth?

Do we know that? What she paid 15-30 years ago?

Take a look at both of those issues. Houses sell quickly in the current market if they are priced well and in peak selling condition (spotlessly clean, freshly painted, excess furniture and personal possessions gone).

If another poster is correct about this being the same person with different issues in the past, itbs possible the selling condition may not be what she perceives.

I would think that this was a bigger issue in the neighborhood/area... Not just a bad neighbor.

Based on the OPs subsequent clarifications, it sounds like it IS just one bad neigbor. And only periodically.

Exactly how does one find out that the house next door is a drug house? Or that they are loud at night?

Visit the neighborhood at 4 AM?

 

[starry_solo]

People (not just you) keep on mentioning the neighbors and their affect on the property value. Exactly how does one find out that the house next door is a drug house? Or that they are loud at night? Or that the police have been called? Is there a service that tells you these things? I still live in the only house I bought 27 years ago.

Research. I've lived in my city for 35+ years. I know which areas are good to live in and which areas are not. These areas have changed over time.

 

[gillep]

People (not just you) keep on mentioning the neighbors and their affect on the property value. Exactly how does one find out that the house next door is a drug house? Or that they are loud at night? Or that the police have been called? Is there a service that tells you these things? I still live in the only house I bought 27 years ago.

Where I live you can go to the police website and they will give you crime statistics by zip code and a map where you can zoom in to street level. The map shows all the times that the police have been called to a specific address, what the call was for, and I believe a case number if available. When our problem neighbors were at the height of their nonsense our little cul-de-sac literally lit up with balloons showing these calls and it looked very disproportionate to the surrounding area both in number and degree of call/offense.

 

[Hrhpd]

Yeah, i found some lots during my simp!e search, for well under $100,k. But (again ) not having even the slightest bit of knowledge of Milwaukee real estae no idea what zoning would allow.

Do we know that? What she paid 15-30 years ago?

If another poster is correct about this being the same person with different issues in the past, itbs possible the selling condition may not be what she perceives.

Based on the OPs subsequent clarifications, it sounds like it IS just one bad neigbor. And only periodically.

Visit the neighborhood at 4 AM?

Yup, all this..(especially agree with #3)

And remember, the OP has a very low threshold of what makes a bad neighbor. Just seeing two 24 packs of beer sitting outside the garage made her absolutely believe an upcoming "drunkfest." So, one has to question, what is the OP's threshold of cars coming in and out (she said they have teens,) that makes her think this is a drug house? What would a potential buyer really see? Looking at police reports, it would only be less than 2 calls per month. If they are by the same person, a potential buyer might write it off as a "Gladys" type neighbor.

OP, vent away. But if this is really as bad as you say and you cannot have your grandchildren there because of the house next door, you have plenty of options to make this better.

The best option is to move, even if you lose money on your house. There is no price on safety. And if the neighborhood is deteriorating, the longer you wait the more money you will lose.

Right now, assuming average credit and financial history, just by what you have posted, it seems very doable. Of course, you would need to talk to your accountant. You say you would have a $80,000 mortgage, but you did not factor in using the $15,000 in travel funds you have set aside for this year's travel if you suspend travel for one year. That brings it down to $65,000. A $65,000 mortgage at a current rate of 3.95% for 30 years is a payment of $300 a month. Over a 12 month period, that is $3,600. You could easily afford that by changing your travel habits to moving to RCI/Carnival instead of Disney for your cruises or just dropping one trip to WDW. Out of the $15,000 of travel money a year, you would still have $11,400, a very sizable travel budget. Doesn't seem like too much of a sacrifice to give up just one out of 3 trips a year to be able to have my grandchildren in a safe house.

Also, if you used that $15,000 travel money to fix up the house, there is the possibility of netting more than the $15,000 investment, making your mortgage even lower.

Good luck!

 

[cabanafrau]

In my experience not many retired people allocate 15k annually to vacation in the first place. For that matter, that is a generous annual travel budget for the majority of working people I know.

I'd be curious to see the responses to a similar scenario posted by a millennial saying there was no possibility of better paying/extra work in their area to help them find an apartment they could afford/a means of absorbing the loss on the sale of their home to make it possible find more affordable living in a safe area they found desirable. There would need to be a blizzard warning 'round these parts.

 

[Dznypal]

I don't know where some of these posts get there info from. Such as 15000 for up coming trips. Or that the houses on both sides of us are drug houses. It's only the one. That there teens in the house. No teens but several kids. Some one said my replies being negative. I just replied so people knew we already thought of it and why it's not going to work. As far as condos go even if you have a small mortgage you still have HOA fees which tack on several hundred every month. We also know that areas to avoid posters have been sending me a few listings. One was for 110000 and one was a condo for 35000 you can only imagine what part of town there in. While I know these people don't know our city I'm sure anywhere if it's a super low price. There's a very good reason. Also 15000 is not our vacation money for the yr. just turned out this way this year. And again I don't know where this figure even came from. We'll have to see

 

[NHdisneylover]

I don't know where some of these posts get there info from. Such as 15000 for up coming trips. Or that the houses on both sides of us are drug houses. It's only the one. That there teens in the house. No teens but several kids. Some one said my replies being negative. I just replied so people knew we already thought of it and why it's not going to work. As far as condos go even if you have a small mortgage you still have HOA fees which tack on several hundred every month. We also know that areas to avoid posters have been sending me a few listings. One was for 110000 and one was a condo for 35000 you can only imagine what part of town there in. While I know these people don't know our city I'm sure anywhere if it's a super low price. There's a very good reason. Also 15000 is not our vacation money for the yr. just turned out this way this year. And again I don't know where this figure even came from. We'll have to see

I am the one who thought the houses on both sides of you are drug houses. I'll explain exactly where I got that idea:

Last fall you posted that you suspected the house next door to you was selling drugs.
Then in this thread you said this house that has had the brick thrown, etc only started being an issue this year (February I think, but haven't read back) . I directly asked if this thread refers to the same house as the one you talked about last year and you said no, it dies not. You've also said several times on this thread that you are next door to this house.
Do that is TWO different houses, next door to you, that you suspect are selling drugs. How is that not a house on either side?


ETA: adding link to prior thread about possible drug house next door:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/possible-drug-house-next-door.3626082/

 

[Hrhpd]

I don't know where some of these posts get there info from. Such as 15000 for up coming trips. Or that the houses on both sides of us are drug houses. It's only the one. That there teens in the house. No teens but several kids. Some one said my replies being negative. I just replied so people knew we already thought of it and why it's not going to work. As far as condos go even if you have a small mortgage you still have HOA fees which tack on several hundred every month. We also know that areas to avoid posters have been sending me a few listings. One was for 110000 and one was a condo for 35000 you can only imagine what part of town there in. While I know these people don't know our city I'm sure anywhere if it's a super low price. There's a very good reason. Also 15000 is not our vacation money for the yr. just turned out this way this year. And again I don't know where this figure even came from. We'll have to see

I just got done pricing out Mediterranean cruises with all the cruise lines. Disney was the most expensive by far. The cheapest cabin you could get was a guarantee inside stateroom for 2 people at just around $5,000. Add airfare to Europe, excursions, spending money, tips and gratuities and you almost double the $5,000. RCI was less than half that for a similar cabin.

You have another Disney cruise line cruise scheduled for September and 2 trips to WDW starting in January.

I would say $15,000 is a low estimate of what you are spending on vacations.

 

[Wishing on a star]

We are looking at a 10 day Med. Cruise.
Balcony cabin, total, $5,000.00
Airfare, with our miles, could be maybe $1,500.

And, this would be a MAJOR retirement-cruise splurge.
I can't imagine choosing to spend over $5,000. on a vacation(s) if I were so unhappy with my current home situation.
Our nicer trips are usually between 1,500 - 3,000.
Our next trip falls within that price range.
But, that is just me... and everyone has their own situation and makes their own decision.

Look, i am not going to pile-on and judge... We really don't know.
But, again, I do think that the OP might benefit from a long hard look at reality and priorities.
What she would like to see is her neighborhood as it once was...
No need to make changes or incur addiitonal expenses.
But, that might not be the reality.

Her question was, what rights does she have?
And, clearly, her options or rights will depend on the laws and zoning, etc. in her jurisdiction.
I really think that there would have to be a worse, much worse, record of citations, arrests, etc.. to expect anything could be done.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Foregoing vacations for a year won't affect health insurance costs.

No, but earning over a certain amount annually could. I can't see any way at all that an increase in insurance pricing would eat up anywhere near the increased earnings.

You say you would have a $80,000 mortgage, but you did not factor in using the $15,000 in travel funds you have set aside for this year's travel if you suspend travel for one year.

Plus selling DVC, or renting out the points they wouldn't use by not visiting WDW would get them upwards of $1,500 renting or $10,000 by selling.

I don't know where some of these posts get there info from. Such as 15000 for up coming trips.

Disney Mediterranean cruise last year, WDW trip in what, March?, Disney Alaskan cruise coming up in September, two (at least) WDW trips in 2019.

even if you have a small mortgage you still have HOA fees which tack on several hundred every month

Actual HOA fees would be much more likely in freestanding house areas. Condo fees which pay for things like lawn maintenance, shoveling, etc. (so, reducing individual expenses), sure.

We also know that areas to avoid posters have been sending me a few listings. One was for 110000

Yes. Again - we. do. not. know. Milwaukee. real. estate. or. neighborhoods. You do. But you seem to be refusing to be any kind of flexible: "we want to live only in this one single area [of this 96 square mile city] where where the houses cost 50% more than our current home might sell for and we don't want a mortgage. "

Also 15000 is not our vacation money for the yr. just turned out this way this year.

Calculate your expected costs for next year based on your current plans. Tickets, transportation, food, incidentals...

 

[SteveH]

People (not just you) keep on mentioning the neighbors and their affect on the property value. Exactly how does one find out that the house next door is a drug house? Or that they are loud at night? Or that the police have been called? Is there a service that tells you these things? I still live in the only house I bought 27 years ago.

https://communitycrimemap.com/ is one you can use for free, but it's limited to a 1 year scope. You can check with your local police to see who they recommend, they may even have one on their website.

 

[robinb]

Look, i am not going to pile-on and judge... We really don't know.
But, again, I do think that the OP might benefit from a long hard look at reality and priorities.
What she would like to see is her neighborhood as it once was...
No need to make changes or incur addiitonal expenses.
But, that might not be the reality.

I don't understand what piling onto the OP about her cruises really does. The med cruise was last year and it's past the 100% refund cancellation date for the Alaskan cruise. At this point she's paid in full, so she would lose her deposit and whatever else she paid for like airfare and hotels. I consider that "water under the bridge" and nothing can be done about it without losing thousands of dollars. It's best to go and have a great time. BUT ... also, as you say, take a hard look at reality and priorities from this point on. Assess luxury travel against other needs at home.