All Forum Posts by: Edward Burns

Unless things have changed. While flood insurance is bought through your normal insurance broker, all the policies are unwritten by the Federal Government and the price will not vary from agency to agency. If the cost is a deal breaker, then your to walk away or offer a price that is lower where you can afford it. Note: anyone else buying the property will have the same problem so do not be concern that your offer is too low. Also just because it did not flood last year, does not it will not this or next year.

Most of that can be obtained online from the county assessors office online now days. While knowing the purchase price from several years ago might be useful, I do not believe it to really be beneficial. What is important and the sole consideration IS WHAT IS THE PROPERTY WORTH TODAY. I could care less if someone paid $10K or $40K for a property that is worth $25K today.

How much did the taxes and insurance increase, $100/month, $200/month. I would simply increase by slightly more than that Maybe an extra 10% ($110 or $220 on my previous examples) and explain that the increase is due to the increase in taxes and insurance. People understand that these costs go up. Don't get greedy, and if they are good tenants work with them. However do not expect to be able to raise rent to try to recoup the $200/month lower rent your have accepted of the past 2 years in addition to the increases due to taxes, insurance etc.

I would say "whatever is normal and customery in your area" would be sufficient. However, print advertising for commercial property for rent for a week or a couple of Sundays should not be very expensive, so I would probably do both just to make sure the judge is satisfied.

I am assuming the upcoming hearing is about lost (previous and future) rent since the customer vacated the premises.

I believe such signs should be illegal. They block your view through the rear window needlessly which can result in dangerous situations. If you wish to advertise on your car place signs on the doors.

Eliminating the cause of the humidity will help prevent reoccurance of the problem. But mold spores can go into hibernation for years, waiting for conditions to right and then bloom. If the condensation was heavy, the existing drywall can be saturated with moisture and that takes time to dry out. If the drywall is soft, definitely replace.

@Nicholas Spohn

What your contractor is recommending is the preferred remediation for drywall and plaster surfaces. But it depends on the size of the contamination, for small areas treating to kill the mold, priming with killz and repainting will usually work. But be careful, bleach does not always kill mold.

While I agree it might be from termite treatment, every termite treatment I have seen, the holes are not random as they appear here, but rather universally space around the outside border of the home, and not the interior of the home. As such, I would tend to believe that they are old utility lines.

I'm sorry but I would not assume the pipe broke due to water pressure. I am assuming the house is in Indiana and as such the temperatures dropped substantially below freezing. Saturday and Sunday we have gotten a thaw in Illinois and I assume Indiana. What happen is the pipe probably froze, cracked but did not leak because it was frozen. Then everything thawed and lo and behold you got water running everywhere.

Either way, contact your insurance company and see if the damage might be covered.

Did you turn off the valves on both sides of the meter, or the valve out near the street. If just the water meter valves, call the water company and have them shut off the street valve. In the north this valve is usually underground and requires a handle to reach it. If turning off the street valve shuts the water off, replace both valves on the water met