[quote=njtosd]OK, Brian, you got removed from the board for politics, and now you’re hijacking threads to talk about fat people. It seems all roads lead back to obesity for you . . .[/quote]
nj, I think the state of the overall health of Ferguson’s residents is relevant here. Poor health (as well as lack of opportunities) leads to depression and hopelessness. It’s likely that both sides of this sad saga have issues with one or both.
You would have to have your boots on the ground (and it wouldn’t hurt to put on a little bug repellent first) to see …. and believe ….
For example, in Cali, every single piece of land of properly “platted” (except for National parkland). A very large portion of Cali parcels have been professionally replatted multiple times thru various changes made to the original parcel map. A CA RE buyer knows exactly what they are buying in the form of receiving a preliminary title report during escrow, which he/she has to approve by a date set prior to closing and re-approve it at the time of closing. Every single easement is listed on the title report for the buyer’s written approval, as well. There are VERY few surprises in this regard, which would be covered by title insurance if discovered by the buyer after closing.
This is not necessarily the case in many parts of “flyover country.” Title insurance often does not exist in the form that we in Cali know it. A buyer must hire an “abstractor” who will cull the public records to determine owner rights and encumbrances (depending on locale, the seller will often split the cost). An “abstractor” does not need to be an attorney (but can be) and the title of “abstractor” does not have any special education and experience requirements. In some jurisdictions, “abstractors” are not even licensed. VERY often a seller cannot guarantee that there is not “open and notorious use” of a portion or strip of his/her land by an adjacent landowner who would have a legal claim on the portion they have been using every day (or nearly) for a good number of years … and in any case, the seller is under no obligation to disclose this information to a prospective buyer. A prospective buyer can’t control the water quality running out of nearby tributaries into ditch(es) running through property he/she has had an accepted offer to purchase on (a very common occurrence). It could very well be poisoned by pesticides, fertilizer, human or livestock sewage, nearby fracking operations or even worse, chemicals discarded from nearby crystal meth labs. The buyer may only learn this AFTER purchase AFTER they had unexplained losses of livestock and other animals and then had the water tested.
It is not uncommon for landowners to have they land/lot surveyed for which they recently purchased in “flyover country” and learn of many surprises. (If the buyer had asked the seller to pay for the survey as a condition of sale, they likely wouldn’t have gotten their offer accepted.) If the buyer wants to do “due diligence,” he/she is frequently between a “rock and a hard place.” The buyer and their agent/broker must literally talk to every adjacent landowner (preferably in person) prior to making an offer to find out what each knows about the property and get access to the land with an engineer who has already done his/her homework … that is, if he/she can locate and make appts to speak to these owners in a timely manner … at the property.
And just because a buyer may be interested in a lot/parcel in an “incorporated area” or “town(ship)” doesn’t neccessarily mean: a) that ALL the parcels (or even contiguous parcels) in that town/city have access to a public sewer system; b) that neighboring properties with septic tanks/leachfields have been maintaining them properly; c) that neighboring improved parcels are actually fully hooked up to all utilities; d) that close neighbors won’t be allowed to park non-running vehicles on blocks, farm equipment or even triple-tractor trailers on their front yard 24/7/365; and, e) that there is any government oversight in place at all to police any of the above issues.
There isn’t even any regular testing of the water of public lakes in many areas… even lakes bordering National parkland. I myself have returned home with painful double ear infections twice after waterskiing and swimming near beaches in two different large “resort” lakes over 100 miles apart in “flyover country.” This occurred in the last decade.
A lot of Americans (CA residents and non-residents alike) complain vociferously (incl Piggs) that Cali is too highly regulated and has too many agencies which need to be supported by taxes and the tax burden on CA businesses is too great. It’s all in place for very good reasons and most Cali residents take it all for granted.
For the complainants, the “Fergusons of the world” (and there are hundreds in this country, if not thousands) are your alternative. Take your pick.
