[Durham INC] instead of plywood on windows...
TheOcean1 at aol.com
TheOcean1 at aol.com
Fri Mar 4 15:04:25 EST 2011
'ppreciate the shout out, Matt.
I suppose you know that one of the doors that sported that sneaker print
was yours, and that was less than 3 years ago! Just look at your block
today.... wow, you and your neighbors should be very proud.
Can you imagine what Cleveland Holloway would be like now if Ken & I
weren't almost the only Realtors interested in your neighborhood in those days?
We didn't need a financial incentive, but I think other Realtors would
react to more money.
If a fund could be established that would add a $1,000 bonus to any Realtor
who sells a boarded up gem, perhaps a bunch of other Realtors would be
carting their clients around Cleveland Holloway.
Those clients might become your new neighbors.
If all it took to fill those 15 nearby vacant houses was a pool of $15,000
total, it would seem like a bargain in the long run. Especially when the
County sees the up tick in property taxes collected.
Just thinking out loud,
Bill Anderson
REALTOR
919 282-8209 Cell
www.SeagrovesRealty.com
In a message dated 3/4/2011 2:34:28 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
matt.dudek at gmail.com writes:
I agree that boards aren't ideal, and I think Art is great as a temporary
fix to bring focus on a neighborhood in need of help. In Detroit though, as
far as I understand, those art installations were never meant to be
permanent. The intention was to get news crews to show the need for investment in
those neighborhoods. Now it's become a part of "ruins porn."
I live in Cleveland-Holloway and even though there has been significant
reinvestment, and a number of vacant houses renovated, there are still 15
vacant/abandoned houses within a block and a half of my house. I don't want
permanent art installations that outsiders come to gawk at. I want new
neighbors, permanent, real-life new neighbors invested in the health of the area.
I think the city's installation on Holloway St. is great, and I think the
temporary New Neighbors exhibit is a fantastic idea. I hope it brings people
to East Durham and shows what a vibrant, functioning community it is. I
know the intent of the program was to get people to buy houses in East
Durham, and I hope that's what it accomplishes.
(And I should mention that both Ken Gasch and Bill Anderson have been
instrumental in bringing new owner occupiers to Cleveland-Holloway. I hope more
real estate agents start showing more homes in our neighborhood and other
East Durham Neighborhoods to people looking to buy a home for themselves,
and not just investment properties.)
Just my two cents.
Matt Dudek
Cleveland-Holloway
On Fri, Mar 4, 2011 at 1:59 PM, <_TheOcean1 at aol.com_
(mailto:TheOcean1 at aol.com) > wrote:
I love Melissa's idea (about the painting contest, not young kids using
them as meeting locations), and greatly prefer the look of that house on
Holloway with these windows/painted plywood to secure it.
But I'm a little concerned that owners of boarded up houses will view this
as a more permanent solution than the old style of boarding up the house.
They won't be productive properties again until they are occupied, and as
a Realtor, it's hard to show a boarded up house, painted boards or
otherwise. I see boarded up houses as property that needs to change hands for
everyone's sake, the neighborhood, the former owner and the future owner, even
the house itself.
Since I'm on the committee, I wanted to make proper disclosure that I'm a
Realtor with a history of buying/selling vacant properties. There's no
money in it, which is part of the problem. I became a Realtor to assist a
neighborhood. One of the primo houses, with a piece of Ellerbee Creek running
thru it's backyard, we bought for less than $20k. Do the math, my take was
less than $300. and most wouldn't have done the paperwork for that. But it
helped transfer ownership so the renovations could begin.
My reason for bringing up that house is that it was easy to show to
perspective buyers/renovators. The front door had been kicked in, and the same
sneaker print was also on the front door of the house next door.
Both of these houses are now beautifully renovated and owner occupied.
Not sure that would be the case if they had been boarded up, with
decorated boards or plain ones.
I think the question might be: "Which helps a house change hands faster,
decorative boards, or a Realtor who is community minded enough to do the
work for peanuts?"
Bill Anderson
In a message dated 3/4/2011 10:15:07 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
_fletch.groups at gmail.com_ (mailto:fletch.groups at gmail.com) writes:
Ken, not every boarded up house has a neighbor that can keep an eye on it.
There are entire blocks of streets that are made up entirely of boarded up
houses. Turning these buildings into art may increase traffic and
visibility around them, helping decrease squatters and general crime in the
neighborhoods they are in. Detroit has had some success with _this_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heidelberg_Project) .
On Thu, Mar 3, 2011 at 10:34 PM, Ken Gasch <_Ken at kengasch.com_
(mailto:Ken at kengasch.com) > wrote:
Boarded up windows scream: "Hello squatter, please consider prying a board
loose on my back side and coming on in. As you can see by my boarded up
windows, I am empty and nobody will bother you for weeks at a time." Artwork
will do the same thing.
Boarding up homes is a bad policy.
Homes should be lived in.
I have had to keep squatters out of houses scores of times.
For starters, go in a few times and throw all their belongings out. That
usually keeps them from coming back.
Empower the neighbors to watch the house for you. I have one project where
a neighbor ran off some would-be looters/squatters with a 12-gage, double
barrel shotgun.
Get temporary power on and play music and keep a light on or two. Put
lights on timers.
Sign a trespass agreement with the police and post "no trespassing" signs.
My sign is not big and neon orange. My sign is very small. It does not
scream: "empty house." It is in 12-point type and says: "No Trespassing.
Durham Police Department, Pursuant to NC General Statute 14-153.13 (1), I
hereby authorize any officer of the Durham Police Department to arrest and
remove any intruder found upon these premises. I will testify in court as to my
power to delegate this authority. Please do not hesitate to phone me at
any time of day or night. Thank you, Ken Gasch _919.475.8866_
(tel:919.475.8866) ."
Do not board up houses!!!
Ken Gasch
REALTOR®/Broker
Seagroves Realty
_www.KenGasch.com_ (http://www.kengasch.com/)
C: _919.475.8866_ (tel:919.475.8866)
F: _866.229.4267_ (tel:866.229.4267)
On Thu, Mar 3, 2011 at 10:24 PM, Barry Ragin <_bragin at nc.rr.com_
(mailto:bragin at nc.rr.com) > wrote:
You know, for a city that's on everyone's list of the top ten places to
live in the US, we sure seem to have a lot of vacant and abandoned houses in
this town.
I can't for the life of me understand why that should be.
Barry Ragin
On 3/3/11 4:30 PM, Melissa's yahoo wrote:
Maybe Durham would consider hosting a contest where artists paint a board
to be permanently displayed in windows that are broken/in disrepair.
Durham could give a small cash prize and/or display the winning board at City
Hall or something like that. It would be great publicity for the many artists
in Durham and the Triangle. If this doesn't float, maybe we can make it a
contest for schools or school aged children and give the winner a $200
savings bond - this is what they did for the Durham America Recycles Day
contest this year. Or the winner's school could get a raingarden installation or
something like that, which we want to see done anyway...
Melissa
Sent from my iPad
On Mar 2, 2011, at 7:13 PM, "RW Pickle"<_randy at 27beverly.com_
(mailto:randy at 27beverly.com) > wrote:
Since this is a current topic of a new committee, those involved (as well
as anyone else interested) should view the recent window treatment
(instead of plywood or other materials) used by NIS on a house located on
Holloway Street. The house is located on the right in the first block
(going out Holloway from downtown past the Public Library) just past the
Dillard Street intersection. The house is white and I believe it's the 3rd
or 4th on the right as you head out Holloway that way. This is a window
treatment that offers security, yet looks like a window. The house also
has fresh straw in the yard from reseeding (just to help you locate it).
It has much better curb appeal than plywood and just casually looking, it
looks like windows are in place.
Randy Pickle
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