All Forum Posts by: Pam R.

I'm surprised you have to disclose the proposed construction at all: it's not on your property, isn't even next to your property. It's next to your neighbor's property. Why would you have to disclose neighborhood development plans to potential buyers? If that land is zoned for an apartment building - shouldn't the buyer be performing that due diligence? That area is already mixed use, with houses, lots of condo complexes, strip malls, pizza shops, as well as commercial office space (including the 3rd largest office building in the world, which has 10,00 people people showing up for work every day), and a huge mall - all could be hit by throwing a rock in any direction. Lazelle Rd is a 5-lane road, if I recall - not a residential street. An apartment complex wouldn't appear to be a non-traditional use in this area.  I just don't understand a requirement to disclose under those circumstances. I have no knowledge of legal opinions or real estate requirements - just my personal assessment. I would love for someone to explain to me.

I'm in Columbus, OH, and we use Guardian Water & Power to sub-meter our duplex. I think they charged ~$200 to set it up a few years ago. They read the meters, and send a bill to the tenants. There is a $4.60 charge per unit for the metering - it is rolled into each unit's bill. The tenants send us the monthly payment. The official water bill with the City is in my name - we receive that bill quarterly, and use the tenant funds to pay the bill. I pay Guardian the $4.60/unit monthly (again, from the tenant funds). I audit the City bill every quarter, and the Guardian reading is pretty spot on.

The last place we went in contract on, I did some online checking of the people on the leases. I quickly found 9 years worth of assault/felony theft/domestic violence convictions against one of the tenants. So if you get to the contract state, a few minutes of court record sleuthing could be worth your while. Our deal fell through for financial reasons, so we didn't have to decide whether we even wanted to deal with that situation.

Hi Lee. Personally, I'd try to sell, sooner rather than later. 

I think the good news is that there are plenty of people who like to live close to work, whether renting or owning, so you are in a marketable area, one way or another. And you have to be in a very good school district as well.

I'm up in rural Northern Delaware county...about 8 miles north of where they are dropping the new outlet mall. My daily commute is going to get ugly, but I'm grateful the mall isn't going in my back yard (now when they start to develop at the next exit up...well, hopefully I'll be retired in Florida by then). 

I guess the old saying is "You can't stop progress."

@Matthew Paul - The conservation easement is a great idea...there are actually 3 of us who own the woods where this would go...and all 3 of us would be perfectly happy to leave that land untouched forever. I'm going to research that option. We actually can't subdivide (original lot owner split the 60 acres into our 3 lots, and gave us a deed restriction that we couldn't subdivide). Ironically - if we could subdivide - it gives more weight to the ditch being installed. Water in Ohio is considered the enemy of the people - if I lose a little land to a ditch, but it moves extra water off the rest of my property, the county will say my land is now MORE valuable.

And I'm still looking for that endangered animal hidden in my woods. I'd love to find Bigfoot.

@Rick H. - I like how you think!

I generally do some internet sleuthing before returning calls/emails, as I like to be prepared - and remind them it's a no pet policy (when their FB page has them gushing about their new puppy. No one ever believes the no pet policy when they see it in the ad!). If they don't leave a full name, then I don't call back

Thanks Darrin. Interestingly, the compensation for the public easement...is that the land on the easement is removed from the property tax rolls. So that will save me like $1/year.

And you're on the same track I am - evaluating the reduced value of my property (and of the potential value of the trees) as a hedge against the farmer's increased value. I need to find out if anyone has successfully done that. The Soil and Water guy (who has handled dozens and dozens of these petitions in the last 15 years) suggested that they will always presume my land becomes MORE valuable with a ditch through it. I guess I'll start digging through County engineer and County Commissioner data to see if that's really true. And find out if there is a local lawyer who has ever handled a ditch petition.

Thanks again.

I'm anticipating a neighbor will be filing a petition with the county to have a ditch installed through my property in order to drain his farmland faster. (This is my personal property, not one of my rentals). The way the law works in Ohio - any landowner can petition for drainage improvements on their property by filing a petition and $750 with the court, the county engineer assesses the situation and draws up plans and costs/benefits, there are a couple of hearings, and then the county commissioners decide whether to approve the project. 

Oh - and the impacted landowners have to pay for it.

In this specific case, Soil and Water told us at a residents' meeting that the guestimated cost, based upon other similar projects, would be $150k. My favorite part of the meeting: my neighbor and I share a wooded lot, and between the two of us it is at least 1500' long. The S&W rep said they would clear a 75' swath for installation of the ditch, right through the woods. (The ditch will likely be 8' wide - I'm guessing they need 75' for bulldozer races) When asked if we would be compensated for our loss of trees, here was the response: "We're not going to take your trees - we'll leave them laying right there for you to do with what you want when the project is over." Sigh.

So as I'm getting my ducks in a row to deal with this petition, I'm wondering if anyone out there has been party to one that has any insights or advice?

Let me know if I'm posting this in the wrong forum - Legal Issues seemed to be the best fit.

@Peter Lohmann - Good stats there. Thanks.