On Tue, 03 Jun 2003 17:34:35 GMT, "Vox Humana"
wrote:
"susabean" wrote in message
...
But.....the bottom line is its their right to do what they want to do with
their property as long as it isn't endangering anyone else.
I don't know where this concept originates. You simply don't have unlimited
rights to do as you wish with your property.
If you don't know where this concept originates, you should study some
history or get a better understanding of people, because the answer
should be very clear even if you disagree with it.
Indeed, most of us live on
property owned by a financial institution who has some interest in
maintaining the value of their investment. Therefore, the use of property
has to take into consideration the risk to the investor and the rights of
surrounding property owners to preserve their investments. When you sell
your home the listing agent will come up with a price based on the
comparable value of homes in the neighborhood. This is based in large part
on sales histories. When someone causes a depreciation in his home's value
it also has an impact on the surrounding properties. You might find
yourself in a situation where you have to sell your home quickly and are
unable to because your neighbor has decided to decorate his home in an
Adam's Family theme. Remember, when you sell your home you are competing
with sellers who live in neighborhoods that are free from the clutter of
boats, RVs, unmowed lawns, Pepto-Bismol and aubergine colored siding, rusted
fences, and trash cans dotting the landscape.

I disagree. I should have the right to do whatever I want with my
property. I bought it. Its mine. Sure I'm in debt to the bank over
it, but that should not be in any way a consideration of how I can use
my land.

When you are talking about keeping the value of the property up in
case you need to sell, or any of the other reasonable points you made,
you are talking about what is common sense, not about what I must do.
By that I mean that not trashing your place is a good idea, not only
because you may want to sell the place some day, but you've got to
live there as well. Again, I consider this to be common sense, not a
rule that I must obey. Trying to be kind to the neighbors by
limiting unpleasant views (by my standards) I see as just the right
way to behave. Actually, there are legal limits to what I can do, so
you are not totally incorrect in saying that I don't have unlimited
rights

I made sure that there were no associations before I bought my place.
I do think about these things as I contemplate planting more trees,
changing the lawn over to wild flowers and gardens, etc. If I want to
sell the place, having too many trees and not enough lawn or formality
could be a problem. Still, I'll go ahead with my plans. I live here,
I have to like it here, and have no plans of moving. As long as I
don't go too far overboard, most of what I do is reversible with a bit
of work

snip
It reduces the value of the property. If I have a choice between buying a
home in a neighborhood that has boats, truck, trailers, RVs, and semi
tractors parked in the driveway and one that doesn't, then the choice is
easy. It might not even be a conscious decision. I would probably just
have a better feeling about buying in an orderly neighborhood than in one
peppered with clutter. Let's face it, when have you ever heard anyone say
that they liked a neighborhood because of all the charming boats in the
driveway? How may boats would be acceptable - one, two, six? If one boat
is ok, then why not three? Part of the cost of having a boat is either
keeping it in an enclosure or at a dock or storage facility. If you can't
afford to store your boat, then you can't afford the boat. Boats are
optional. Your hobby or recreational interests shouldn't be pursued at a
cost to your neighbors. Parking you boat(s) in your driveway is just a
subtle way of extracting value from your neighbors' homes.
I thought just the opposite.

I bought a home in a neighborhood where there were no sidewalks,
every home was different (no cookie cutters), and there was an
informal feel to the area. I wanted it that way. If someone had a
boat or an RV, I wouldn't give the least bit of a damn, and I may want
a ride. I wouldn't like it too much if their yard was trash strewn,
or rusting hulks of cars were littered all over, but fortunately the
neighborhood doesn't have much of that.

Its a difference of opinion. You seem to be talking a lot about value
of property as though your home was only a way point to somewhere
else. To me, this is home, and although I may be elsewhere in a few
years, I'm not planning on going anywhere anytime soon if ever. I
have to like the way things are around here. I can't spend too much
of my time worrying about what the people that may buy this place may
think.
snip
Can your neighbors operate a kennel or keep farm animals?
My neighbor has 6 dogs that can be a real pain sometimes, especially
the barky ones, or the old dog that forgets he knows me. Still, I
like animals and could probably live with it just fine.
Would it be OK if they
decided to pave the entire yard with asphalt?
That would suck. That's a lot of asphalt. Is that actually illegal
in most places?
There is a home with a chain
link fence in our area that has crushed beer cans of various colors that are
inserted into the mesh to form a flag and spell out "God Bless America." Is
that OK? How about if is spelled "Impeach George W. Bush" or "Long Live the
KKK?"
Depends on what type of beer it was.

I think a lot of people would do well to MTOB.
People are very much minding their own business when the act to protect
their property value and quality of life.
MTOB is the way to go for me. There are valid points of view to what
you saying as well. I'm not saying you're wrong and I'm right. Its a
difference in philosophy about how and where we want to live. There
should be places where we can each live the way we want to. It would
be a shame if every community had the same laws, and everyone had to
obey the same rules (one major reason that I am in support of states
rights vs federal mandates).

Swyck