RECENT COMMENTS
a lack of community spirit
The house at 2109 Fairmount Avenue is for sale by an absentee owner, Belinda Bentley, and has been on the market for some time. The realtor is the Chesterfield-based MAP Investments & Realty. Neither seem to care that the house sits vacant and the yard has grown wild this summer.
I was struck by the condition of the yard at 2109 Fairmount Avenue today while passing out flyers for the New Visions Civic Association meeting tomorrow. In community-oriented frame of mind, I called the number the for sale sign out front, a company called MAP Investments & Realty.
It was, I believe, Marvin Harris, one of the owners of MAP Investments & Realty, that answered the phone. I explained that the yard looked like it hadn’t been cut all summer, and that as a neighbor I was hoping that something could be done about this. He then explained that he’d tried to get the owner to take action, but that she won’t, and that he won’t arrange to have the yard cut because “she won’t pay for it”. He then suggested that I call the city.
I in turn explained to Mr.Harris that there was already a violation notice from the city posted on the front door, and that the city was unlikely to take timely action rectifying the problem. His response was that he had a call on the other line and hung up on me.
A few things linger with me… The house is listed at $112,950. A sale will clear the realtor at least $3,000, right? And he can’t drop $20 to have the grass cut? Very nice, Mr.Harris.
Also, MAP Investments & Realty seem to represent a great number properties in the neighborhood. Are the rest of their properties as poorly maintained as this?
It’s unfair to blame the realtor for the condition of the property, that’s the owner’s responsibility.
It seems to me that if you are in a position to profit off of the neighborhood then you have responsibilities to the community while doing so.
The absentee flipper/investor owner has a small transient tie to the neighborhood; businesses such as Map Investments & Reality have an ongoing relationship to the area.
Realtors choose who they represent. If they choose to work with absentee flipper/investor owners, this is something that can happen. When their client does not step up and take even minimal care of the property, then as part of their interest in the health of the block the realtor does have an obligation. It is a cost of doing the business that they do.
Wrong. It is solely the obligation of the owner. It may be a smart move on the part of the realtor to do so but it’s not part of the job description. Some realtors go all out and do go the extra mile, getting the yard tidy, cleaning the house, staging inside, etc. at their own expense while others just put up a sign and wait to see what happens. It’s clear which approach will be more successful but you can’t force that on someone. The owner is going to end up paying the city triple what it should have cost to cut the grass, so hopefully that will be one lesson learned. The higher the property values of nearby homes, the more the realtor will earn, so what you say does make economic sense but you’re kind of pushing it to assume that the realtor “has an interest in the health of the block”. As a side note, I recently called MAP about a different listing, never got a call back.
John:
I’d keep bugging the city. You know, the squeaky wheel thing.
A lot near us always grows over four feet before the city gets around to cutting it (usually by Sept.). But this year, they posted early and cut the lawn about a month ago. Still looks pretty good.
Give them a call. They seem to be more responsive than usual.
I don’t think that it is “unfair” to blame any interested party in a delinquent property whether it is part of their job description or not.
Again, we find an otherwise reasonable discussion deteriorating into name calling and “ad hominem” attacks.
Can we please get beyond the emotional responses and look at this situation calmly and rationally?
Obviously, there’s a problem here that goes beyond the owner and beyond the realtor.
The problem, in fact, goes beyond the beyond, a point made obvious by careful study, by a trained eye, of the photographs above.
The place is obviously haunted by one or several “celestial apparitions.”
Most apparent in the top photo, there is a ghost waving the photographer away from the property.
Doubtless ANYONE who tries to cut the grass or other wise cross the fence line that divides the “here” from the “there” will suffer the wrath of these specters.
Not something I’d willingly risk, either.
So, the question is not, “Is it the realtor,” or “Is it the owner.” The question is…
“Who ya gonna call???”
One time I went over and mowed an X in the lawn of a property like this. I was kind of being spiteful at the time, but it got a laugh (unexpectedly) from the neighbors, and someone else went over there and finished the job.
That lawn was bigger though. In this case, maybe someone could just mow a comma.
I just got a note from Ramzi to check this discussion out.
So, for what it’s worth, these are my thoughts…
Owners are responsible for the condition and appearance of their properties, especially when they obviously are neglected and causing the neighbors distress. Whether there is a realtor that has been hired to sell the property or whether the owners mother, sister, brother lives right next door the responsibility for upkeep and to follow local code lays 100% on the shoulders of the owner.
For properties that are not kept up, please call the number on the sign! BUT call the city, call the city, call the city! The more neighbors that complain about a particular property the quicker it gets on the list for maintenance. But the city -unlike the realtor- will get it’s money back in triplicate!
My neighbors and I call the city on a property a couple blocks away from us on a regular basis so the city is out there approx once every couple of months.
As a realtor myself I do get these phone calls from neighbors from time to time (Stretch and I go way back on a special piece of property). It is my responsibility to relay the condition to the owner and to best sway them to keep their property up in the interest of both the neighbors and for a quicker sale. 1st Impression and all! And there is the kicker that if the neighbors are disgruntled who is going to want to live next door to them! Keep your property up and most neighbors will end up smiling and waving to prospective buyers instead of grimacing and saying “we can’t wait for someone to move in and get to work on that heap!”
Not many realtors or other employed or self-employed folks are willing to put their money on the line for someone else without the clear & express (preferably written) condition that they will be reimbursed. I am known (Ramzi can back this up) to use my own pitiful amount of money in order to keep the properties I represent up to snuff or at least free of foot tall grass! I do like to be paid back for this, but that does not always happen. In the event of a sale I say it was a “gift” then I take my cut of the commission after the company takes it’s part, pay my taxes, pay off my advertising, pay my dues, reimburse myself for gas and phone usage and then take the little left over and get that nail out of my tire from the renovation site! 🙂
I’m also known for sending my husband across the street to cut the grass on that “abandoned” property (RAMZI!) when needed instead of logging a complaint with the city. It’s just the neighborly thing to do. Like when my Dad would tell me to cut the neighbors grass when I was done with our massive yard because obviously they were a. out of town b. it was to hot c. they were simply to old to be expected to do it themselves. d. because i said so
Okay! enough of this computer stuff I have to go out and cut my grass before the neighbors start to complain! 🙂
Not to defend MAP but I just drove by a vacant lot they have listed on Venable St and it was freshly mowed.
Mowing someone else’s grass on their property without their permission is trespassing. Leave it to the city to take care of negligent properties. It sucks, but there you are.
Y’all say that this type of maintenance is not in the job description of the realtor and I agree that on the surface it isn’t.
I fundamentally disagree though: if anyone is profiting off of the community, it seems to me that they have a basic obligation to the community to conduct their business in a certain manner. In this particular case, the realtor is knowingly representing a profiteering/absentee/flipper property owner. As the company MAP has the more enduring relationship with the area, they should take steps to engage in practices that are not damaging to the community in which they conduct their business.
As a community of residents and businesses, we should not have to rely on the city for basic property maintenance.
John –
I’m glad that you keep this site updated with information on an almost daily basis. The pictures are always great (I sometimes wonder how you have time to take them all) and although I no longer live in the area, I still like to keep up with what’s going on.
That said, sometimes you should just mind your own business. You don’t OWN Church Hill – don’t forget that. What’s some tall grass on Fairmount bothering you — really?
Look closely at the photos, this is more that tall grass. Tall grass doesn’t bother me. Seven foot weeds are abandonment.
This stretch of Fairmount has a high vacancy rate. There are also the ongoing issues of prostitution and drug sales in the immediate area. A wild vacant house only contributes to this environment.
I live close by to this block of Fairmount, this is in my neighborhood. I know the woman that lives next door & I know that she is not happy about this – is it only her problem, then?
Re: #11: Snakes and rats love the tall grass. It would make sense that one would prefer that someone down the street from them refrain from inviting pests to set up nests in the yard down the lane. (Personally, I would not worry about that pesky trespassing thing. I’d just go over there and handle it, if it was bothering me. So sue me.)
From a REALTOR standpoint, I think that what is happening here is why I would have taken the time and/or spent the cash to get that place trimmed down if I were helping the seller market this place. This conversation that we are having right now could very well be about John’s good friend who he hooked up with a cool house with a lot of potential down the street from him… Awesome new neighbor, right? Instead this has become “that crappy looking house.”
Speaks to business plan, to me. Where do you want your name, and are you willing to do what it takes to show as attractively as possible, with the goal of a sale in mind? Eliminate rebuttals on the front end. It is what it is, sure – but that looks like a cute house, even if it might need some work. Look at the impression, though. Is that the marketing goal?
Also, because I would not want my name associated with a potential health hazard, I would have had something done about it a long time ago. I’d much rather accept less listings, and be able to be well-involved with them all. But that’s just me – learned the hard way.
people if you go on the REQUEST CITY SERVICES on the city of richmond’s website you can put in the name of any address with a distressed lawn and the city will sent them a letter and if they do not comply then the city will do the work and bill them. I have personally done this several times and I have seen results every time. Is is a great service—-there are plenty of chooses to choose from –from drug dealing properties to noisy neighbors…
http://www.ci.richmond.va.us/applications/citizensrequest/frmNewEntryType.asp
you must create a log-in name first..
gone
Post #11:
I disagree with the “mind your own business” suggestion, and the police department does too. Officer Pitts with the Neighborhood Watch Dept. with the RPD encourages people to be “busy bodies.” Vigilance, not vigilante. This is how neighbors help to prevent crime and blight.
Hey I grew up in Church Hill and love the place. Its sad that people don’t aprreciate what they have. Spend the money and cut the grass…all will profit, the owner,m the realtor and the buyer. Who wants to buy a house with over grown weeds?
By the way, I live in Charlotte, NC now, but there will never be a place like the Hill
Glad to see this thread got to this point without me 🙂
I agree with “new to the hill”, there is the Citizen’s Request service on the main City of Richmond site where you can place a complaint… the more the better. Then you can follow up on what is being done. I know that there is a division of the Parks Dept that takes care of this sort of thing and do believe that it is the owner’s responsibility as seen by 404 N 27th. It has sat vacant for at least 10 years and you can imagine the grass/shrubs/trees that grew up in it obscuring the entire front of the house. Couldn’t even find a way to the front door! Finally the city did come with jail workers and cleared everything out. It isn’t quick as there are many such properties in the city to clear.
I guess the realtor can choose” to do this if they wish but what about abandoned properties like 404? It is the owner’s responsibility then.
Eric
“A sale will clear the realtor at least $3,000, right? And he can’t drop $20 to have the grass cut? Very nice, Mr.Harris. ”
So where does he draw the line on yard maintenance? Just church hill houses or every one he lists? How about if the porch needs painting? Heck, that should only cost a few hundred more…
This is 0% the responsibility of the realtor. It would be like blaming the teacher if lil Johnny doesn’t bring his school supplies…
Now the Owner on the other hand, I look forward to him/her getting that bill from the city…
Decay goes hand-in-hand with crime. Which phenomenon begets which is up for debate (which I’m not suggesting we do here, really), but it is good reason to care about weeds that don’t belong to you. And it’s the reason why I spray sidewalk weeds clear down to the end of the block. To take one factor away from the dependent relationship of disrepair/neglect and crime surely will have an impact on your own house and personal safety.
Have you called the city? I have a vacant lot across the street from me that gets several feet tall. I have called the city on several occasions and each time they have cited the owner (who didn’t respond) and sent inmates out to cut it.
I lived in between two vacant houses. One with a tree covering my house. Causing a lot of damage to my house and there is lot of vines in both yards, coming into my yard. It has cost me a lots of money to maintain my yard. When I complained I was wrong. You don’t know what we go though in this area. We are second class. If the vacant property is Owned by a white owner , you better not open your mouth to complained. If you don’t know whats going on try not to speak on it. This is one of the reason blacks are moving out of east end.
To #11:
Everyone should ‘own’ -or feel like they do- their neighborhood. Its the lack of ownership that creates many of the problems in today’s world.
To #19:
The realtor has a number of choices – (a)Only represent responsible owners that won’t neglect their properties, (b) pay for the baseline maintenance (cutting the yard) for the homes they are representing understanding if they are doing business in the neighborhood they are part of it, (c) Do neither and end up being talked bad about in venues like this.
To #20:
The ‘Broken Windows theory’- widely viewed as the ideology responsibly for the rapid crime rate decrease in NYC – suggests that even minor decay, be it neglect/vandalism/etc, begets increases in crime in the neighborhood because (basically) it shows people inclined to crime that nobody cares about the area.
Love, Your experience is interesting. It makes me sick to think that the color of one’s skin would enable a lazy property owner to neglect their yard and negatively impact yours.
Just curious, did you deal with the city on the matter? In my experience, the Environmental Control officers appear to be color-blind.
Call me naive, but any kind of race-based bias in property maintenance issues is abhorrent in this day and age, in this city. It’s flat-out unacceptable, you know it, we all know it. Stick to your guns, and keep fighting for what you know is right.
I don’t are any more. Im giving up Iam so depress. Thing wiil never change.
love… I feel your pain but at the same time the situation can run both ways. For example the buildings on the corner of 27th and E. Marshall. They refuse to sell to white people no matter how much they offer for the properties. Now one that is historic will be in court battles due to its condition and the owner’s neglect though the surrounding blocks have mostly been gentrified and restored. I guess they feel it is one last stronghold on the old block?
Eric
I truly doubt there is intentional race bias going on. Don’t let that stop you.
“LOVE” is clearly a troll. Look at post 25. Obviously a white racist trying to stir up the pot, while using spelling, grammar, and typos to fit, and further, his/her stereotype of African Americans. Sad.
Did anyone read the letter in the RT-D today from Mr. Boschen regarding the poor condition of Chimbo Park??
I hope “love” isn’t just playing games – especially this type! All the more reason to try and enforce real name usage on the board.
Eric
#28 I was in a bad mood last night. It’s people you that causes the problems. Iam for real Eric. Thank -you Eric, I am feeling better today.#28 I am not a troll nor a white racist. I am not an African American. I am an American and I want to be treated like an American. I am sorry for what I wrote. I should have kept my problems to myself and handle them myself. Thank-You again Eric. I think you are a good person.
Thank you “love”. We all can speak a little more than what some wish to hear at times but all with good intent. And think we may share some of the same viewpoints when it comes to the “American” issue.
‘Nuff said 🙂
Eric