Showing posts with label Condo/Developer Checklist. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Condo/Developer Checklist. Show all posts

Sunday, July 13, 2008

And I Thought I Was Pissed…

Every time I turn around I continue to get love from the blogosphere.

This time it comes from a similarly themed blog named bewarethebuilder.blogspot.com.

Oooh whee----Mr. Thomas Doyle is one angry condo purchaser. He’s one pissed off brother.

And he’s my new idol.

Not only is he fighting the good fight against his developer, but his developer Bryton Development LLC and it’s principal Kevin Bryar is suing him for defamation.

Defamation----that gets me kinda hot.

Now I’ve been through Mr. Doyle’s blog and I see a great many similarities in our experiences and I feel for him

Beating your head against the wall when it comes to this condo thing ain’t no joke.

Questionable construction quality and apathetic neighbors will drive you to drink.

You went ahead and took the plunge and took part in the American Dream and threw down a chunk of money to purchase your own home.

I was shitty when I didn’t get my full condo value for my paltry $125,000.

So I get that Mr. Doyle, also know as Truth In Advertising, is beyond incensed where his $390,000 is concerned.

Personally speaking, I’d launch a full scale war if that type of cheddar was involved.

So I say to Mr. Doyle and those of you who may follow in our steps, call it like you see it----but with caution.

Documentation, documentation, documentation.

Let me make myself abundantly clear----make sure you can document your claims.

Oh yeah, no matter how tempted you are to call the people you write about names and offer your opinion, resist.

Well, mostly. Sometimes you have to slip in a "shifty" here and a "scumbag" there to make your point.

Yeah, I name my developer and write about Mt. Carmel but majority of my posts are based in fact and can be verified by court documents or pictures.

My posts about random neighbors and the Jenkins Boys notwithstanding.

Note: Woody + Cell phone camera = trouble. I’m a picture snappin’ broad. Don’t do anything dirty, I will put your shit on blast.

Anyhoo…

For those of you who have been reading from the beginning you’ll remember that at first I didn’t name names---it took quite a while before Mr. Knight’s name was mentioned. I didn’t even refer to Mt. Carmel by name until earlier this year.

My intent in starting my blog was two fold---As a form of therapy and to inform others of some of the pitfalls on condo home ownership.

Everything else just kinda fell into place.

But as you all know egregious acts call for egregious actions. Hence names were named.

But through it all I adhered to my number one rule---be able to prove it through documentation.

Ladies and gentlemen, avail yourself of secrets hiding in plain sight. The freedom of information act was made to uncover potential deception.

Or at the very least be able to prove a pattern of behaviors that will lend credibility to any future acqusations you may make.

Ladies and gentlemen those government links on the left side aren’t there because I needed space filler.

Hell, I think that the kids at the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office almost know me by name.

I find most if not all of my documentation right there.

You’d be surprised what you can find in legal proceedings in the Cook county court system.

Actually, you’d be surprised at what you can find when you start leafing through bankruptcy filings at the federal building.

But I’m sure you get the point.

It’s all right in front of you. Dig through, make copies and factually post your findings. Throw in your voice and you have a blog.

Now I’m not sure how this brouhaha is gonna turn out for Mr. Doyle.

But I would think that if he can properly document past behaviors and the current situation, he may stand a chance of defeating this lawsuit.

What do I know, I’m not a lawyer (even though I know an ass load of them).

This has all of the makings of a possible 1st amendment test case.

Time will tell if I’m right.

But I’ll tell you this; I’m running down to the clerk’s office tomorrow to get the 411. I’ll be the one at the copy machine.

Sunday, April 06, 2008

Draining

Yes, I’ve been missing lately. Please excuse my absense.

After all, waitressing and working seemingly every part time job possible can take a toll on a sister. It took about three weeks for my feet and back to stop outright throbbing.

Methinks that I can now run a marathon in heels.

Just because I’m working day and night to make ends meet doesn’t mean that I don’t have stories to tell.

The latest involves why you should always make sure that you have a legitimate developer who has obtained all of his or her legitimate licenses regarding your building.

Note I said legitimate licenses.

Carlton Knight obtained “licenses” but they were to replace walls and to erect a fence. Trust me, I have copies of the permit applications.

You want to make sure that little things like the plumbing and roof have been covered as well.

But I digress.

After many years of having their low-end laminate kitchen cabinets, my next door neighbors decided to upgrade and get new cabinets.

They shopped, saved their money, made their purchases and set an installation date.

The appointed time came and the workers started to rip out their old cabinets.

But a small wrinkled developed.

The “T” drain that funnels water from the kitchen of both of our units was damaged when the base cabinets were being moved.

As I’m sure you know, most bathrooms and kitchens in a development are placed in generally the same place so the water and drainage lines can be in the same location.

You see my friends, when our developer “rehabbed” our units he merely made cosmetic changes.

If you’ve been a long time reader of this blog you’ve read the stories.

But this time the “T” drain in the kitchen of my neighbor’s unit was being held together by insulation foam resting on the base kitchen cabinet.

Did I mention that the “T” drain was completely rusted ?

Now I’m not a Rhodes Scholar, but I’m confident that if the plumbing was updated when all of us first bought into this development over six years ago it wouldn’t of rusted.

Hell, can you even put metal pipes in buildings anymore?

Ironically, when my neighbor directly below me rehabbed her kitchen, she didn’t have any problems. And might I add her new kitchen is the shit.

Hotness personified.

Nonetheless because the drain runs between both of our units, I couldn’t wash the dishes or run the dish washer.

Like I need an excuse to not do housework.

Unfortunately my neighbors had to pay over $700 to get the “T” drain fixed. If they didn’t any kitchen water both units would of run would of gone directly into the walls.

And we all know that water is a home owner’s worst enemy.

The moral of this story is that when you’re looking for a condo and you get that funny little feeling about the things you can see, be very concerned about the things you can’t.

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

He Already Had Me With His Cinnamon Rolls

It's not like I wasn't a Tom Tunney fan already.

Prior to being the alderman of the 44th ward, he was the very public face of the Ann Sather's restaurant on Belmont.

Many a time I'd stop off after work too tired to cook, too hungry to wait and too poor to buy groceries. Methinks Mr. Tunney recognized all three and would slip a sister a complimentary bread plate to go along with my vegetable soup.

'Cause you know bread ain't free when you only order a cup of soup.

He was kind enough to chat as well. To make me feel welcome despite the fact I was spending less than five dollars (with tip).

As you can see I've never forgotten the gesture.

So it should come as no surprise that as the Alderman Tunney is leading the way to forge a set of behaviors and practices for developer/neighborhood relations.

Behold another aldermanic rock star.

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

The Righteous

I’ve finally found a good developer.

I searched high and low, kept my ear to the ground and even solicited you kind readers for potential candidates.

Naturally I wound up with nothing. It was as if the word “good” and “real estate developer” could never be used in the same sentence.

The person I’m about to tell you about not only exists, but has been sitting a few blocks away all this time.

The irony is delicious, no?

Ladies and Gentlemen I’d like to introduce you to Benjamin Van Horne and Greenline Development.

You may have heard about Mr. Van Horne on the Chicago Public Radio broadcast about Woodlawn last week. I remember meeting him at a fundraiser for my alderman.

He seemed nice enough but when we’re talking real estate development, I’m sure the title of this blog says it all. I have a healthy dose of skepticism when it comes to people who have the word “developer” in their job title.

But then I heard the Chicago Public Radio broadcast, found his website and had that warm fuzzy feeling.

Still not convinced, I called over to my alderman’s office and spoke with my contact.

“Is this Van Horne guy the real deal? “

“Believe it or not, yes he is.”

“Bullshit---there has to be something wrong with him---some major character flaw. Developers aren’t nice.”

“No really, he’s the real deal and his buildings are spot on. We’ve never received one complaint.”

“Bullshit---are you for real?”

“Yes I am. He’s a nice guy with a conscious who builds buildings that give people an affordable yet nice place to live.”

That statement left me in a quandary. After all, it goes against everything I’ve ever experienced in the “gut rehab” condo market in Chicago.

I was truly perplexed.

In the interest of disclosure, from what I understand Mr. Van Horne has also done some fundraising for my alderman as well as stumped on her behalf.

Normally my spidey sense would be tingling after such a ringing endorsement, but I actually trust the people in my alderman’s office. If this guy were a fuck up I doubt that the love would be there.

At some point I have to trust in at least one city political institution, right?

Plus I like the fact that he’s a socially responsible capitalist. There ain’t nothing wrong with that.

So I will exhibit something I so rarely do these days---trust.

I think this cat is an honest to god good developer. Apparently the only thing he can’t do is turn water into wine.

So if you’re in the market to purchase a condo and it’s offered by Greenline development, more than likely you’re headed down the right path.

Now that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do your homework like Woody told you to. Remember, there is no substitute for good old fashion fact checking. Always cover your ass.

But unless someone has credible documentation to the contrary, Mr. Van Horne may be the first developer actually given the thumbs up by “I Hate My Developer.”

Let’s hope we’ll be able to add many other names in the future.

Friday, March 30, 2007

My New Best Friends

It looks like my association isn't the only one who's being (been) shafted.

Apparently some of our north side neighbors who bought into the development at 156 West Superior paid a lot more money for what they deem as questionable work.

Allegedly the developer isn't being very responsive. So they've decided to (legally) take matters into their own hands. They're fighting back with a little website devoted to airing out their problems.

It even has awesome captioned pictures!

Viva La Resistance!

Monday, November 06, 2006

Honeycomb Kid

A small surprise awaited me this morning when the nice men came to lay down my new tile floor in the bathroom.

You remember the bathroom remodel I started, right?

The shower backsplash got replaced with the glass mosaic tile.

The bathroom has since been painted, giant mirrors and glass shelving has replaced the medicine cabinet, a new light fixture has been installed.

Now the honeycomb hexagonal new floor is being laid.

(**Insert your own inappropriate “laid” joke here**)

Nonetheless my tile guy calls me and says, “You know that your developer laid your current floor over the existing original floor, right?”

“Why no floor guy, I didn’t”

“The original floor is almost exactly like the tile that you picked out.”

“Really? So if my developer had left well enough alone, I could have had exactly what I wanted?”

“It looks that way. The floor could have been repaired had it not been tiled over. Naturally we can’t save it now as it was damaged when we lifted the other tile off.”

“Of course.”

He then mapped out my options and let me decide which was going to be a good fit for me and my budget.

I could of set the new tile over the original tile but the original tile was too “slippery” and the new floor eventually would of come up in a couple of years.

Instead I opted to rip out both floors and do it the right way so there will be no drama in a couple of years or in a couple of decades.

Naturally the right way will cost me an extra $200.00

But you know what? I partially blame myself.

I selected to live in this building because I love old buildings. A more savvy buyer would of gone in and done a complete and thoughtful assessment of what was there (original honeycomb tile floor in the bathroom, moldings & built in hutch) and put it’s restoration in the contract.

Moral of the story #1: Trust no one else’s taste but your own. Unless you’re hard up for cash and need the salvage money, there’s no reason to rip out built in’s or cover original tile. Well there is but I was always told its bad manners to point out other people's crappy taste.

Then of course, who says my crib is House Beautiful cover material?

Moral of the story #2: Check everything in the unit you’re going to buy---especially a vintage building---and make sure it’s inclusion or demolition is in the contract.

So the question remains, why am I still paying for Carlton Knight’s (or his general contractor’s) miscues?

God only knows what else I’ll find as I continue to remodel.

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Caveat Emptor

Before I resume with the latest twist in the ongoing saga of my developer, let’s pause for a little self help session.

While I’ve focused on my developer in this blog, from what you nice people have been sending me he’s not the only developer executing questionable business and construction decisions.

The way the laws and ordinances in the State of Illinois and the City of Chicago stand any bozo can call him or herself a “developer.”

Unfortunately the onus is on you to do exhaustive due diligence on your developer and the condo development before you sign any contract.

Trust me cats and kittens there are few, if any, protections in the State of Illinois or the City of Chicago for the newly fleeced condo owner.

Lobbying your elected officials will hopefully make that a thing of the past.

Until that great day comes, I’m going to pass along a few tips from my soon to be released “Developer/Condo Checklist.”

That’s only the working title. It will change before I put it out to the masses to be downloaded for a mere $35.

Now granted I’m not reinventing the wheel. What I’m including on this checklist has been in past posts of “I Hate My Developer.”

None of this is any big secret.

With the click of a mouse all of you smart cookies can dig this stuff up for yourselves---for free might I add---and go on your merry way.

If your idea of a good time is going back through hundreds of my posts, please click away.

It has been my experience that even people familiar with the process of selecting a real estate agent, purchasing a condo, finding the best rate for your mortgage and coordinating a move are a little less than familiar on how to see if their developer or their development is on the level.

Unfortunately a sound education in this matter usually comes the hard way.

Payment is tendered in personal frustration and your hard earned cash in the form of special assessments.

If you’re gonna spend thousands of dollars investing in a piece of property, what’s another $35?

But I digress, ladies and gentlemen on to a few selected tips.

Before you put your name on the dotted line of any real estate contract find out the following:

What is the actual legal name of the condominium development?
Who is the developer?
Does the developer have partners?

Take the above information and hit the treasurer trove of governmental websites.

If you live in Illinois has the development been registered with the Secretary of State’s Office? Do a Corp\LLC search and find see what you unearth.

If you live in Cook County you can find out if the developer, any of his or her partners or the development (under it’s registered name with the Secretary of State) has any past or present lawsuits pending. You can find this information by doing a search on the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s website.

When you get to the Clerk’s page click “online case info” link on the left hand side of the page, select full electronic docket search and then decide if you’d like to search either the civil, criminal or chancery (foreclosure) division. Then choose if you’d like to search by last name, filing date or case number.

Frankly speaking searching by name has always brought me the best results.

Obviously local laws and the availability of this information on-line will vary. We are fortunate enough in Cook County and in the State of Illinois to be able to access this information at the click of a mouse.

One of the holdups of the checklist is preparing my disclaimer and such legalese for you folks who live outside of Cook County, Illinois.

I want as many people as possible to benefit from my hard won knowledge but I also want to be very specific and clear what you’re getting and what you’re paying for.
It’s all about managing expectations.

If you know where to look and what to look for, most of the information is an open secret that’s just simply waiting for you to come along and take a look.

That’s all of the free nuggets I can reveal without giving away the store.

Hopefully I’ll have a comprehensive and informative product up on this site before Halloween. We’ll see.

Now if you want me to do the work for you, that’s a completely different matter.

However you choose to do it protect your interests concerning your condo, your rights as a consumer and as a soon to be property tax paying member of society---no one else is gonna do it for you.

A little nose poking and question asking will go a long way.