Ask the Neighbors

07/09/2017

"What You Need to Know About Asbestos in the Home"

"The most important part in owning, buying or renting a home is making sure that is safe for you and your family. Always keep asbestos in mind, along with other toxins like radon and lead, when considering your home.

A simple call to have a professional double check is a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things. Your health comes first, so always do you due diligence of keeping your home healthy as well."

03/14/2017

Meeting today, Tuesday, 3/14 2pm Boulder County Courthouse, 1325 Pearl Street, Third Floor.

Deb Gardner, chairwoman of the Board of County Commissioners said "... the commissioners have been advised by their attorneys advisers that under current state statutes and court decisions, a county ban on oil and gas drilling and production — or even a moratorium that's kept in place longer than needed to craft and adopt regulations that will apply when drilling resumes — aren't legally possible."

As of mid-afternoon Friday, nearly 40 people had already signed up in advance to speak at the hearing on the proposed provisions that would revise and update oil and gas development regulations the commissioners adopted in December 2012.

03/14/2017

"All Colorado drone users — including hobbyists — must follow federal regulations, which don’t allow drones within 5 miles of an airport nor flying over crowds of people or moving vehicles. Some exemptions are allowed. ... 'That is a public safety issue for us in the community. They’re not allowed to shoot it down, regardless. … But we want people to know that they can call the police.'"

Commercial drone pilots Wednesday called on one another to help draft legislation regulating their craft in order to prevent overly restrictive laws.

01/14/2017

'"The HUD program is supposed to work to keep houses in the hands of homeowners," Cartwright said. "In this situation, the investors led by Ms. Lester presented themselves as owner occupants when their real intent was to redevelop the property and generate a large profit."

HUD requires that winning bidders make the property their primary residence for at least 12 months following the sale. Cartwright contends that requirement was not met, prompting him to file a complaint with the agency."

The rare sale of a federally owned home in Boulder has offered a snapshot into the feeding frenzy that has become the city's real estate market in recent years.

12/28/2016

"Online criminals have been impersonating real estate agents online and tricking buyers into sending money into offshore accounts. To pull it off, scammers hack into real estate agents emails and then quietly monitor communications, waiting until they are about to close in on a deal. The scammer then sends buyers money wiring instructions under the identity of the agent, which routes the payment to offshore accounts.
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Above all, she said, the most important component is communication — when in doubt, pick up the phone and call your real estate agent. Make sure to use the phone number on their business card as opposed to an email signature, in case the scammer has changed that as well."

Be very careful where you wire the deposit on your new home.

12/27/2016

"Throughout the country, tens of thousands of rundown homes have been scooped up by investment companies that have offered high-interest financing or rent-to-own deals largely to poor people. Many of these homes were foreclosed on during the housing crisis.

These investors, however, often put no money toward renovation, or for fixing lead paint problems. The low-income buyers and renters are forced to make all repairs. When there are serious problems with the homes, victims can be required to sign confidentiality agreements to keep them quiet in a settlement after they have been compensated, as happened in Ms. Bennett’s case."

The contracts relieve the true owner of the home of the responsibility for fixing it, and the result is more children with dangerous lead poisoning.

09/27/2016

"... residents of Fountain, Security and Colorado Springs filed two lawsuits in U.S. District Court this week against 3M Corporation and various manufacturers that produced and sold firefighting foams they claim has leached the cancer-causing chemicals into the Fountain Creek Watershed area."

Reeling from the toxic chemicals that have tainted groundwater south of Colorado Springs, the iconic Venetucci Farm operation was forced to shut down sales before the harvest, which farm co-manager…

09/11/2016

There are plenty of presale home inspections you can complete before listing your property. Consider these 10 uncommon home inspections.

07/11/2016

"Usually, buyers know ahead of time that they’ll be getting more than they bargained for or paid for. “If there are items that are required to be removed before the closing, the contract should provide for that in detail,” said Eva Talel, the head of the co-op and condominium practice at the law firm Stroock & Stroock & Lavan."

Buyers are often faced with items the sellers forgot to take with them or quite deliberately left behind.

07/03/2016

"... when evaluating risk for underwriting purposes the carrier considers an overall picture in determining how risky a person or property is to insure. That determination includes the address and neighborhood where the property is located.

That evaluation also includes claims that are associated with the address. You are not being charged for someone else’s claims; your policy is being underwritten using criteria based on the totality of the circumstances."

Question: I rented a townhouse for nearly five years before deciding to purchase it. When I originally entered into the lease, I obtained auto insurance at the rental address. The auto insurer explained my rates would be higher because this was the address for an insured person who filed an accident...

06/30/2016

The Colorado Court of Appeals this morning upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit brought by a group of homeowners seeking to force Boulder County to fund the repaving of roads in unincorporated residential subdivisions.