Does more REO mean lower prices?

From HousingWire:

Home price declines resilient against REO saturation: Clear Capital

National home prices fell by the smallest margin in 10 months in light of REO saturation increases, a trend that Clear Capital calls “unusual and encouraging.”

Prices declined 1.9% year-over-year, according to the firm’s Home Data Index market report. Short-term prices remained stable, falling only 0.6% quarter-over-quarter, highlighting short-term stability over the last few months.

All regions showed improvements in yearly and quarterly price drops, while three out of four saw upticks in real estate-owned properties for sale.

Clear Capital found that the nation’s top 15 peforming metropolitan statistical areas were resilient against higher REO saturation, with six of them showing quartely price appreciation greater than 2%. Quarterly losses among the lowest MSAs eased in February, averaging 4.1% against an average loss of 4.7% in January.

“With this uptick in REO activity, we’ll be keeping a very close eye on the effects of the attorneys general settlement with servicers, as it could dramatically change the flow of REO properties moving through the foreclosure process and significantly impact values in the near future,” Alex Villacorta, Clear Capital’s director of research and analytics, said.

Villacorta cited improvements in the job market, stronger consumer confidence and the heightened activity of investors with cash as putting upward pressure on prices and adding to the resiliency in prices against the nation’s REO bulk.

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91 Responses to Does more REO mean lower prices?

  1. Mike says:

    Good Morning New Jersey

  2. grim says:

    Two thoughts around why increased REO saturation wouldn’t result in significantly lower prices.

    1. Location/Geography – Stronger saturation in lower-priced areas, not evenly distributed. This would have a disproportionate impact on the lower-end housing, and not higher, based on REO proximity. Look aroud locally, you’ll see the same trend.

    2. Quality/Comparables – REO generally much lower quality than free & clear resales. Generally makes these homes not-comparable with similarly sized stock. Anecdotally, around here much of the REO is in terrible condition, deferred maintainance, significant repairs required, even more corrections of half-ass repairs required. Yes, prices are lower, but they generally require significantly more work to bring up to comparable standards. Therefore, impact to pricing of other properties due to proximity is reduced.

    3. Gutting of the middle – Related to 2 – Low end buyers gone, mid-tier buyers move from the middle to the bottom in search of bargains, top tier buyers stay where they are. Impact to descriptive statistics (median and average) are largely muted as this kind of mix-shift doesn’t move those measures dramatically.

    4. Who wants it? Low-end REO in poor condition simply not moving. Nobody wants them, even at very low prices. If it doesn’t sell, it doesn’t count against sales. You know, you can get a house a mile or two from Glen Ridge for under $30,000. Incredible bargain, no? Why aren’t you all clamoring over these? Why buy 1 house in Glen Ridge for $500k, when you can get a dozen here for the same price?

  3. grim says:

    Tearing down some homes? Does this count?

    From NorthJersey.com:

    More homes are closer to acquisition in Pompton Lakes

    The borough has been awarded more funds for the buyout of flood-prone homes.

    On Feb. 28, U.S. Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) announced that Pompton was among seven flood-prone communities to get a portion of $21 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program for flood mitigation projects in New Jersey.

    Pompton Lakes will receive $2,247,187 to purchase and demolish eight flood-prone properties. These funds will cover 75 percent of the project’s total cost of $2,996,250.

    Borough Administrator Kevin Boyle explained that the municipality is still waiting for another grant to come through from the state Green Acres program to cover the balance of this project.

    Once all the funds are available, Green Acres will be in charge of the buyout project.

    This project is among three in the borough that received FEMA funds for the buyout or elevation of 47 homes in flood-prone areas.

    Although the borough is waiting for matching funds for two of these projects, it has received all of the necessary funds for a third project, which is now underway. This project is being handled by a borough-hired consultant and will include acquiring 14 homes and elevating 12 at a total cost of $4.8 million.

  4. grim says:

    From the NJ Voices blog:

    Tax dollars should not go to buy out flooded homes

    You have to feel bad for the many New Jersey homeowners whose houses have been damaged or destroyed by flooding in recent years. Yes, we should feel compassion for these folks. But we should not give them any state or federal tax dollars.

    As reported by The Star-Ledger on Thursday, thousands of homeowners, mostly in northern and central New Jersey, are applying for the government to purchase their homes, which have been damaged or destroyed by repeated flooding.

    The appeals represent a record number of people applying for such state and federal help. The upsurge in applications comes on top of the nearly 400 homeowners who received such government help since 1998.

    We feel bad for homeowners struggling with flooding, and compassion is a good thing. But it is wrong – morally and fiscally – to use precious taxpayer dollars to bail out individual homeowners who purchased homes in areas ordinarily subject to flooding.

    In the first place, unlike federal aid for once-in-a-lifetime disasters, such a bailout is not in response to an unexpected emergency.

    “I just can’t deal with this anymore,” a Little Falls resident told the Star-Ledger reporter. The woman’s house, located along the Passaic River, “has been hit repeatedly by major flooding since she moved in 15 years ago,” according to the newspaper report. “I love my house,” the woman added, “but I have to get on with my life.”

    I suspect that the reporter included this quote, the first in his front-page story, to give a sense of the woman’s dire predicament. But as the woman stated, her home has been hit repeatedly by major flooding for the last decade and a half. The flooding is not an unexpected event, calling for emergency help. No, the flooding is a constant and very predictable event, something she likely knew when she purchased her house.

  5. grim says:

    From the Star Ledger:

    N.J. takes action on bills to convert foreclosed homes into affordable housing

    An Assembly panel Monday approved a bill intended to transform foreclosed homes into affordable housing.

    Under the bill (A2168), which was passed 4-1 by the Assembly Housing and Local Government Committee, municipalities would have 45 days to decide whether to buy houses situated in their jurisdiction through the state’s $268 million affordable housing trust fund.

    If they do, municipalities would receive a two-for-one credit against affordable housing obligations.

    “This bill provides a practical solution for residents who have limited financial means and are in need of affordable housing, and for communities that are dealing with the blight, reduced property values and illegal activity that is synonymous with vacant properties,” Assemblyman Jerry Green (D-Union), chairman of the committee and a sponsor of the bill, said.

  6. grim says:

    From the Daily Record:

    Home improvement issues top list of 2011 consumer complaints

    Problems with home improvement contractors led the 2011 list of consumer complaints, beating out motor vehicle issues, according to a list released by the state Division of Consumer Affairs Monday.

    The top-10 list of consumer complaints, however, shows some marked dips in numbers from the 2010 list. For instance, home improvement complaints dropped from 1,401 in 2010 to 937 in 2011. The top complaint in 2010 was about motor vehicles — 1,805 were made, but that number dropped to 778 in 2011. Motor vehicle complaints were second on the 2011 list.

  7. grim (4)-

    Just another example of why anyone who pays his mortgage is a sucker. Any and all debt/liabilities can be shifted onto the taxpayer, with seemingly very little effort.

    The contagion of moral hazard- unleashed with the TBTF bailouts- will continue until nothing is left but a giant, unpayable debt against the account of the US taxpayer.

  8. grim (5)-

    Local gubmints enter the RE and property management business. This should end really well.

  9. grim says:

    7 – Too late, the taxpayer is already in the flood insurance business. Every year it floods, and ever year we pay out. The cost of the premium doesn’t even come close to covering the full risk, as premiums are subsidized by the government at somewhere near 50%. Why on earth wouldn’t we tear these houses down? Hell, I think participation in the national flood insurance program should require mandated buy out-clauses in those contracts. Homeowner shouldn’t get a choice if they are taking a taxpayer funded subsidy. (We’ll cover the risk, but if we feel that the long-term risk outweighs the premium, you’ll need to leave, and we’ll tear it down).

    If we don’t want to subsidize flood homeowners, get rid of the national flood insurance program all together and let the private market provide a solution. I’d wager that a good portion of these homes would get abandoned if this was the case. We’d end up having to tear them down anyway.

    Returning these areas to natural flood plains that are allowed to flood seasonally seems a whole lot easier than bringing in the Army Corps of Engineers and paying them a billion dollars to try to fix a flooding problem that probably can’t be fixed. We’d be left with yet-another-billion-dollar-boondoggle in addition to paying out every year for flood losses.

    We’ve got easy options here, mandate that reservoirs can’t exceed some level of signficantly reduced capacity at any time. Don’t allow for a repeat of what happened last year, as reservoir owners didn’t dump excess capacity before the heavy rains, and as a result, needed to dump excess water downstream after the rivers had already started flooding.

    What’s the downside? Drought, no filling of pools, no watering the $50k landscaping, no washing cars, water restrictions in the home. Nobody in NJ would agree to that, because we’re idiots.

  10. gary says:

    Dear Sellers,

    Property Taxes.

    Any Questions?

  11. chicagofinance says:

    Repost….I am so proud….

    njescapee says:
    March 5, 2012 at 11:00 pm
    NC toll roads are located primarily in and around the triangle.

    chicagofinance says:
    March 5, 2012 at 11:19 pm
    njescapee says:
    March 5, 2012 at 11:00 pm
    JJ toll roads are located primarily in and around the hairy triangle.

  12. chicagofinance says:

    $2M Hamptons foreclosure
    By JENNIFER GOULD KEIL

    The economy may be inching back, but the real-estate bubble is still bursting in the Hamptons.

    A luxurious 9,679-square-foot Southampton mansion is the largest and most expensive property currently in foreclosure on Long Island’s East End, a broker handling the sale said.

    The sprawling post-modern gem is set on 5.2 wooded acres and features seven bedrooms, six baths, a huge atrium with 30-foot ceilings, an indoor pool, library and five-car garage — and has never been lived in.

    Eric Keller, 73, who lives next door at 21 Sunninghill Road, subdivided his land and built the mansion in 2008, property records show.

    But Keller couldn’t sell it and finally made a desperate attempt to unload it for $2.5 million in a short sale last summer, said foreclosure broker Kristopher J. Pilles.

    But there were no takers, so JPMorgan Chase foreclosed in October and Pilles plans to list the fancy digs as early as this week for from roughly $1.8 million to $2 million.

    The mansion and property at 19 Sunninghill Road have an assessed value of $2,275,400.

  13. Good part of my single days in Long Island was no tolls on road and no paying for tuna tacos.

    NJ has way too many toll roads. I rarely ever drive to a Jets game as the tolls are unbearable, as well as gas and the bad Jersey drivers.

    BTW Hairy triangles were last in style when I was 17 and used to sneak into discos with my shirt half buttoned to show off my chest, like Frank Zappa the hairy bush has been dead for years. Although it did save me from flossing after muffing and it certainly gave Mr. Johnson a nice buff shine
    chicagofinance says:
    March 6, 2012 at 8:56 am
    Repost….I am so proud….

    njescapee says:
    March 5, 2012 at 11:00 pm
    NC toll roads are located primarily in and around the triangle.

    chicagofinance says:
    March 5, 2012 at 11:19 pm
    njescapee says:
    March 5, 2012 at 11:00 pm
    JJ toll roads are located primarily in and around the hairy triangle.

  14. Big deal there was 8 and now going to be 4. Plus numerous towns have their own police force.

    gary says:
    March 6, 2012 at 9:02 am
    Nassau County Votes To Close Half Of Its Police Precincts

  15. nwnj says:

    Any board insight on “Buyer to assume pending sewer assessment. ” means(and costs)?

  16. gary says:

    Brass Balls [15],

    Big Deal? It’s the beginning stages of a trend that will continue for years.

  17. grim says:

    16 – Yep, pretty typical to see if the area of town has recently undergone installation of public sewers. Pretty customary to assess a connection fee per homeowner to defer the project costs, as well as to pay for the connection to the home. Typically these charges are levied over a few years to defray the cost, especially when they are higher as a result of a new installation where sewers didn’t exist before. Once it’s paid, it’s paid (other than usage fees, etc).

  18. Bystander says:

    #4,

    “Precious tax dollars”!?

    Talk about about an oxymoron. Might as well discuss Snooki’s precious cherry.

  19. seif says:

    16 – I dealt with that once in Old Tappan. the town did some sewer work and it added an assessment to all homeowners, meaning everyone needed to pay a one time fee (spread over time) to fix the sewers.

  20. nwnj says:

    Thanks. I guess that could vary wildly.

  21. nwnj says:

    The cost that is.

  22. grim says:

    Yeah, and you generally can’t opt out, even if you want to keep your septic.

  23. grim says:

    Varies – For example:

    http://www.nj.com/independentpress/index.ssf/2011/08/watchung_residents_get_a_break.html

    Watchung expansion, $10,780.90 per home, 4.25% with a 20 year term.

  24. Personally if we have 50% too many cops I would say have them duel each other and we keep the winners.

    gary says:
    March 6, 2012 at 9:02 am
    Nassau County Votes To Close Half Of Its Police Precincts

  25. Anon E. Moose says:

    nwnj [16];

    I bid on one property where this charge was ~$150/yr over 10-15 years. Frankly, it really didn’t move the needle. YMMV.

  26. gary says:

    JJ [25],

    The point has nothing to do with cops. It’s a sign of a new trend for the public sector: dismantling and disintegration as a result of abuse of other people’s money.

  27. Anon E. Moose says:

    Grim [24]’

    Purcell added that two of the 11 residents whose properties were included in the project are more than 200 feet away from the sewer line so they don’t have to connect to it, but they must still pay the assessment.

    “Have to connect to it”? And forced to pay even if they don’t connect to it? That complaint would be registered by Louisville Slugger.

  28. Anon E. Moose says:

    Federal Help for Deadbeat Flippers

    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-05/boom-era-property-speculators-to-get-foreclosure-aid-mortgages.html

    Second-Chance Assistance for Multiple-Home-Owners, known by the acronym, “SCAM.”

  29. Juice Box says:

    Police layoffs in Nassau are only 20 million of a 310 million budget deficit. Seems like they are going to need to cut allot more.

  30. You are right, maybe cops can shoot the teachers first.

    In the LI case, 8 huge cop stations in a county that is only 20 miles long and and maybe 15 miles wide is a lot. Remember there are multiple small shacklike buildings where cops can park, warm up make phone calls etc. There is one near my house in shopping center. That plus multiple towns like rockville centre, old brookville, Freeport, Laurel hollow all have their own police forces that Nassau does not even patrol coupled with the fact crive has fallen like a brick pretty much since the 1980s. If crime has fallen over 50% we need less cops. And no cops did not have much to do with it. Take Levitown as an example in 1960s and 1970s levitown was packed teenage kids 13 to 19 in prime trouble making years. Four or five kids to a house. Today, it is grey haired old geezers living on their own or new double income working parents with kids shoved in daycare of camp all summer. My town is for instance a ghost town in July, neighbor told me 40 years ago kids used to roam streets no fences, lots of pot smoking, drinking, you know kids being kids. Cops had lots of work. Today old folks and kids at camp. Heck back in the day lets say 1982 LI had dozens of rock clubs some like speaks and OBI held 3,000 people and were open 7 nights a week and packed 18-21 year olds drinking and smoking pot and hitting the roads at three am. Today the average 19 year old plays video games at home and a night out is a trip to starbucks and redbox.

    For example in the 1950s my uncle who was a big Irish Cop would patrol the fights at MSG, back in drunk mad man days he would break up 10 fistfights a night. Today, cops just sit there and watch. You just done need enough. Men are no longer Men. A good night out 30 years ago with a bunch of 19 year old usually involved at least 3-10 crimes. Today gamming. Heck two or three times I had hit and runs where both of us fled back then. Everyone was drunk as a skunk on the road, with open bottles, drugs, unregistered vehicles, no insurance or had a drunk minor girl in car. Today, a three year old camry with airbags, antilock breaks and a couple of 19 year olds coming back from community service.

    gary says:
    March 6, 2012 at 10:24 am
    JJ [25],

    The point has nothing to do with cops. It’s a sign of a new trend for the public sector: dismantling and disintegration as a result of abuse of other people’s money.

  31. Double Down says:

    This may be pissing in the wind, but are there any recommendations for a competent landscape / masonry outfit in Northern NJ that can:

    1) Speak English.
    2) Are actually old school masons, and are not digging dirt holes 75% of the time, and being a “mason” 25% of the time.
    3) Can build a real stone retaining wall not made of concrete Lego blocks, and not filled with tiny stones in the cracks because they didn’t know how to properly stack the large stones.

    Just reading that, forget it. All the skilled folks capable of this died years ago.

  32. Dissident HEHEHE says:

    “From the Star Ledger:

    N.J. takes action on bills to convert foreclosed homes into affordable housing”

    Or as I like to call it, “The McMansions and Waterfront Condo’s for the Politically Connected Act”

  33. EJG says:

    Double: Suggest you keep an eye out and when you see work you admire talk to the homeowner and see if you can get names and numbers that way. They will love that someone appreciates their property. Also reach out to suppliers of the material. They usually will give you names of the crews that do buy alot from them and so are probably capable.

  34. gary says:

    The sad thing about living in the Crazy House for four years is how living a life of illusory security saps the will and perhaps even the ability to function in the real world. The grease-soaked sugar bomb food they serve has left everyone obese and malnourished, and all the electronic toys and entertainment has rendered them mentally and physically unfit and terminally distracted.

    http://www.zerohedge.com/news/guest-post-welcome-year-five-crazy-house

  35. Dioclene says:

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  36. Jill says:

    Double: If you are OK with just a mason without the landscaping, the brother of a friend of mine was trained as a mason by old Italians. Haven’t used his services yet, but I’m considering it. I’d be happy to e-mail you the contact info.

  37. Juice Box says:

    LIB – House in GR for 400k has 9 bids!

  38. 3B says:

    #38 Jill: It is only going to get worse. And if Oradell wins the regional school funding battle even more so. It is a story of a town that destroyed itself with out of control spending. Because of clueless residents, and clueless local government.Even the last batch of Republicans who were elected on a platform of fiscal sanity, will not stand up to the clueless residents and make the tough decisions that need to be made.

  39. All Hype says:

    Juice (40):

    I think I saw that house last weekend. The house is in good shape and it is in a pretty good neighborhood. The kitchen was terribly redone, the garage is a goner, the backyard needs about 10 yards of dirt to fix the slope and the chimney is shot (no way it passes inspection). Throw in a new driveway and you will spend an additional 50k to be move-in ready.

  40. Libtard in the City says:

    Juice…Can’t say that you weren’t warned.

  41. Libtard in the City says:

    Juice…What did I predict? 475K? Let’s see how close I come. I’ll check back in in about 3 months.

  42. It’s all going to hell.

  43. gary says:

    “When I bought the house the taxes were $10,000,” Frost said. “I’m now paying $14,000 and under the new assessment my taxes increase to $19,000.

    Hey Frost, just keep convincing yourself that you’re prestigious. Besides, it’s for the children. :o

  44. It says in article Frost is a teacher and does not want to pay high school taxes that go towards paying teachers, hard to take him seriously.

    gary says:
    March 6, 2012 at 1:22 pm
    “When I bought the house the taxes were $10,000,” Frost said. “I’m now paying $14,000 and under the new assessment my taxes increase to $19,000.

    Hey Frost, just keep convincing yourself that you’re prestigious. Besides, it’s for the children. :o

  45. gary says:

    Brass Nuts [47],

    He doesn’t have a choice. He either pays the extortion tax or gets his house f*cking repo’d. Let him kill a unicorn or get a loan from a shylock for food if he he’s tapped out. Prestige has a price, that’s what a house tour guide told me. Besides, what would his neighbors think if he’s sporting a GM model in the driveway instead of a German import?

  46. 1987 condo buyer says:

    I thought the doctor’s wife was the school teacher?

  47. I am doing research into what the average person thinks. God is it scary. They think more about what they want for lunch, what movie they want to see, gossip, vacation spots etc. and make demands to their boss they need raises etc.

    Problem is you will never get rich if you only do it for the money. I have never asked for a raise, bonus or promotion in my life. Never asked for a bail-out. Never whined about my taxes. Frost has two choices earn more income or attempt to grieve taxes or even better do both. I like to grieve my taxes I win some I lose some. Most people make incredible poor choices.

    Article in WSJ today about a guy whose dead sons house were being foreclosed on and how he lost three jobs in career. He then states he never bothered going to college nor did his wife which led to a series of bad jobs, he never saved for his kids schools. His son joined military at 17 and he signed paperwork. Son bought house at peak with zero down and after son died he continued to make payments even though he had no obligation to do so and should have let house go under. By time he tapped out his own money on house Chase foreclosed and sold house. He is mad at Chase. WHOAAA, this is a long chain of decisions. The butterfly effect. His son stil may have joined military, but the financial ruin he suffered started 25 years ago by skipping college.

    gary says:
    March 6, 2012 at 1:45 pm
    Brass Nuts [47],

    He doesn’t have a choice. He either pays the extortion tax or gets his house f*cking repo’d. Let him kill a unicorn or get a loan from a shylock for food if he he’s tapped out. Prestige has a price, that’s what a house tour guide told me. Besides, what would his neighbors think if he’s sporting a GM model in the driveway instead of a German import?

  48. In the end, we’re all dead.

  49. seif says:

    51 – do you consider yourself “the average person?”

  50. The Original NJ Expat says:

    grim [9] – If government came up with a whopping buyout and eliminated all the flood plain houses in Wayne, Pequannock, Little Falls, etc., would that be a net benefit to the remaining residents or would the lost property taxes severely hamper the local govs?

  51. Anon E. Moose says:

    seif [53] & jj [51];

    Carlin said it: Think of how stupid the average person is, then realize that that half of them are stupider than that.

  52. Libtard in the City says:

    Expat (54) – The moral hazard in having the government buyout these individuals who knowingly purchased homes built in a flood plain, is simply unfair. If they do go through with this, I will see what foreclosures exist along the Passaic or Rahway Rivers for potential investment purposes. Does not anyone need to take responsibility for their actions in America today?

  53. lib (56)-

    Worse than that; anyone who does take responsibility for his own actions is a dolt. Moral hazard is a bitch that way…once you unleash it, it can’t be reined in. Even worse, moral hazard, once unleashed, metastasizes until everything it touches is destroyed.

    “Does not anyone need to take responsibility for their actions in America today?”

  54. No. The average person is selfish, lazy and stupid. I am at best only two of those three.

    The average person has a sense of self-entitlement, people should bail them out and have no soul. Or even common sense.

    Case in point I have had staff when I had stuff come up, for instance an emergency once where baby almsot miscarried and wife was in the stupid thing where you are suspended upside down etc. I had to run out at three pm. Stupid staff member never asks how wife is doing, also I can see through a tool what she is doing and it is all all about dinner plans, grocery lists and personal phone calls. So I go no biggie just staff. Then a year or two later she gets prego and I hear flex time, telecommuting, songs and dances about dr. appointments which I know half of them were excuses.
    People today don’t even have common sense send a card, or pretend to care or even make it seem like you are picking up slack. Then they want it all for themselves later on. A boss knows a lot more than he lets on. We cant put things in reviews or hold things against you but we know. The average person goes through life chasing nickles and throwing dollars away. For instance I am interviewing someone recently and this girl was smart. When I told her I know her boss pretty well she told truth about how her boss sucks in a nice way. She was a smart girl. Smart enough to know I know. The average person is so stupid they wont admit they are stupid. I am stupid about a lot of things. But I will suck the knowledge out of people smarter than me. I am smart enough to know when I am supid and smart enough when to know to pretend I am stupid. Most people are too supid to know they are stupid.

    seif says:
    March 6, 2012 at 3:27 pm
    51 – do you consider yourself “the average person?”

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  56. Shore Guy says:

    “would the lost property taxes severely hamper the local govs?”

    Lost taxes? Lost taxes? First, homes that used to have a house behind them or actoss the street will get assessed higher. Next, the millage will increase. The town will find ways of collecting more each year, one way or another. BOHICA.

  57. 30 year realtor says:

    More REO means lower prices. The reason why is most of these properties will be sold twice. First time around the house will be sold to a flipper. After renovations the home will be sold again. Flippers will likely set competitive prices for their product which will be in superior condition to competing inventory. Until all the flipper inventory clears (it will take years) a homeowner trying to sell their tired, old house will be up against stiff competition. The only solution will be to reduce the price.

  58. grim says:

    33 – Dry stack slate or something similar? There are guys that can do it, but it’ll cost a small fortune compared to interlock block. It takes forever, the labor is incredible. When you say retaining, do you really mean retaining, or is this largely decorative. You’ll have a hell of a time getting engineering approval for any kind of dry stack wall holding back real load without building some sort of masonry wall behind it, making the slate more of a facade. There is a reason those legos are so popular, they’ve got predictable engineering. I wouldn’t be surprised if a similar slate wall didn’t cost 10x the price, are you really looking for a $50,000 wall?

    This is all moot if we’re talking about a foot high decorative wall or border. Just figure it out yourself.

    1) Speak English.

    I wouldn’t hire a mason that spoke English. In this area, I’d opt for Italian or Polish guy, late 50s or early 60s, with broken english and a legible estimate.

    I can give you the guys that did my concrete work and rebuilt my stairs. My retaining wall is lego (https://njrereport.com/images/ghupdates1.jpg) though.

  59. morpheus says:

    ok….Need some advice.

    Town I bought in is doing a reassessment. Now, when I bought the property, bank assessed the property at $17K more than purchase price. Town now says the house is worth $33K more than purchase price. I showed them the sale and the bank’s appraisal, and now find that property is worth only $29.6K more than i paid.

    Property was an estate sale and town rep says estate sale does not count.

    What are my chances to win the appeal? Is it worth the effort when I am dealing with an estate sale? How difficult is it to appeal? Do I need to file a notice of the appeal and then filing the supporting documents at at later date?

    I believe that stu is the expert in this area….any guidance would be appreciated.

  60. grim says:

    Here is a shot of the front stair landing, all site-cut and laid penn bluestone, even the stair treads (don’t like the cast/concrete stuff). The masons were actually excited to do the job, since nobody is really doing this kind of thing these days.

    https://njrereport.com/images/bluestone_landing.jpg

    I’ve got a good railing guy too, Albanian

  61. Mikeinwaiting says:

    Jill 39 I mentioned this the other day, “Even those residents who will see a decrease in their assessment may still see a tax hike in the end.” lower assessment no problem raise the rate.

  62. shore (66)-

    Guy is lucky he died and didn’t have to witness the slo-mo car wreck we’re living now.

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