wwyd: home improvements needed long

**Joan.of.the.Arch** · 11-26-2007, 09:18 AM

Have you tried contacting the developers involved? They might be pretty upfront about what their hopes/plans are for the area, especially as one of them has contacted you to inquire about buying your property.

If you have zoning in your town, has the area been re-zoned so that there is no hindrance to having commercial parking lots, driveways, and businesses on your dead end road? If your side of the road in your township is zoned for residential only, you should have some protection from the invasion of business facilities. (Zoning could get changed or an exception made.) If not, I can see why you might want to sell and get out of there.

If you were in my area, you might worry that regardless of current zoning, there could be a zoning change to accommodate a business that could potentially bring in more tax dollars. Then, your home could be taken by eminent domain with the justification that the increased tax dollars are for the public good as a whole.

I think you should probably hold off on the new windows till you can get a better idea whether you might need to sell for your own peace of mind and safety of your children, or whether you might even be forced to sell against your wishes.

I was in a somewhat similar position recently. Only one person approached would sell property to the developer, but her house had been on the market anyway. The rest of us each independently said "no thanks." Now the developer is stuck with an empty house in the middle of the area he'd hoped to tear down and re-build. Besides, he tells me the sewer division told him his plans were impossible to accommodate (inner city with old, limited, deteriorating sewer capacity)....The developer had not planned well, so it all fell apart for him. I'm so glad I did not let myself feel pressured to bail out of my beloved home.

Similarly, over on the other side of the closest corner to me, about 9 years ago, a neighbor was pretty much strong-armed into selling his little house that was used as a business office. There was local politics and the prospect of supporting the bigger tax-paying business---the much larger business next door to him wanted his property in order to expand their factory. With the potential for increased employment, increased production, and therefor increased taxes, our city councilman told my neighbor to give it up, that if he did not sell willingly there would just be an eminent domain action to take his property. Since we had been seeing that happen in our state during those years, the neighbor took the threat seriously, and with much resentment and resignation, sold his property to the bigger business....But once again, the business did not carry through with their plans. In fact that bigger business was resold and it looks from the outside as though the plans for expansion have been scrapped. Oh, they tore down the little house and now there is a grassy lot just sitting there. The neighbor who felt backed into a corner and forced to sell actually lives on the opposing corner, so every day he has to look at the property he "lost" and he continues to feel angry about it.

Anyway, I just tell those stories to show how tough it is to make an informed decision based on even the clearest plans that the businesses and public boards can let you in on. Sometimes their own plans change.

**jIM_Ohio** · 11-26-2007, 10:21 AM

Originally posted by shelbylovesmelby View Post

We live in a tiny 24 home 1940's subdivision surrounded by commercial/industrial property & a busy hwy. A developer is buying an old car dealership on the corner of the hwy butting up to the homes across the streets from us. They bought the first 3 houses on that side & sent us letters on our side to call if we'd consider selling ect. Well the developer changed his mind & just stuck to those 3 home + the neighbors down the road were approached by 2 other developers (not the same as the 1 w/ the property butting against the home across the road from us).
Now we've all called the township & city (commercial is city & we are town) as to WTH is going on. The town claims they haven't heard anything

, but feels in the next 5-10yrs we will all be bought out for commercial development.
So now if those 3 houses sell (exclusive right to buy contracts for 1yrs time) we may have an eyesore out our living room + because the DOT will not allow any further enterances to the commercial property so they are buying the houses so the traffic can exit on our dead end road

Mid you I have 3 lil ones & a neighbor w/ lil ones too & I don't like the idea of this excess traffic exiting in front of my house period. So we've gone to city hall meetings & town meetings & have gotten no where as to finding out things. Shoot the city wouldn't let any of us even speak to the council... nothing.

Anyways thats the situation in a nutshell. However, we have a fixerupper & we would like to start replacing windows ect but if we are going to all get bought out in time + w/ the housing market falling I don't wan't to go into debt & not recoup the costs when we sell KWIM? So I think other than replace what needs immediate replacing just hang tight??

WWYD?

time=money

The longer you wait, the more money you make.

Because the builder might need to wait until you sell prior to making mass business plans.

If traffic increases in the mean time you need to consider two or three factors

1) money gained from waiting
2) safety of family
3) fighting the government (municipality) could be costly

My thought when reading was to sell and move- as this is a buyers market. Maybe find a good neighborhood and see if you get a referral bonus after you tell your neighbor.

wwyd: home improvements needed long