Messages

1

Member Experiences / Re: Endangered Species Enforcement

« on: July 17, 2010, 03:16:37 AM »

Dave2,

I had a request this week to build Turtle Crossings under a major road since our shelled friends were getting flattened by semi-trucks. When we pointed out that the amphibians were not so much crossing the road as they were sunning on it, we were asked if we could pave the road in lighter colours so it wouldn't heat up so much, or build on a wall that turtles couldn't climb.

Sometimes the Cons Authority is more out of touch than the planners. Really.

2

Properties for sale / Re: Helping fellow Board Members - Should we be more active on the Sell Side

« on: July 16, 2010, 02:46:35 AM »

Well its been a while since I poked my head in here, and this thread is almost exactly what I am looking for...

If anyone has something in the southern half of Durham region, within 40 minutes of oshawa, I would be interested in hearing from you.

email is best. cpotvin73 at hotmail.com

3

General / Re: bidding strategies

« on: November 20, 2009, 04:34:46 PM »

-foundation or posts:  good luck looking since you can?t trespass.  What fill was used from way back when. 

Dredging this post back up to point out the fill issue. If you are bidding on land in older industrial towns, beware what is in the ground. On a recent project in a southern Ontario industrial town which shall remain nameless, my crew unearthed the contents of old coke ovens used in steel processing. The fill material was a mix of coal, old bricks, hunks of metal, and blckened lumps of rock etc. All with a thick black goo running through it.

Since the project was on the muni's dime, we cleaned out the questionable material, and sent it for processing, then capped the area. All of it that was in the ROW. Trouble is the fill didn't end at the ROW, so adjacent landowners are sitting on a mess of who knows what. The neighbourhood (residential) had many century homes, and was a desireable area. Likely the "stuff" would never have been pulled to the surface without our project. Hopefully more doesn't surface. But maybe someone will put in a pool, dig a well for geothermal, or what have you. I hate to see their face when they get the bill to clean up their property.

This is exactly why I'm staying away from the St. Kitts bid. Looks homey, but too old and too close to the railroad for history to have been especially kind to it.

4

General / Re: Help! Need advice regarding a crown lien on the tay property.

« on: November 20, 2009, 04:10:40 PM »

Thanks for all the advice
36 hours after I left a message with the Canada Revenue agency. I got a call back. and to my surprise they concurred wiht the township lawyer that the lien will be removed within 30 days after the tax sale. I was a little stunned as I have always thought that crown liens stick like glue but She stated that every crown lien is specific to its situation. But it did have something to do with the townhip going on title before the CRA but not every case of like that will result in the crown removing its lien.   not only that but the crown will only claim 1/4th of the amount left over after the cancellation price. Doesnt sound very crown-like.
So I have two sources telling me that crown lien will dissappear. The township wont give it to me in writing and I forgot to ask the CRA rep (but I'll call tommorrow again and ask).
At this point I think I'll go ahead and finish the deal although it still will feel strange buying a property with a crown lien on it. but I guess I got lucky on this one and dodged a bullet.  I guess I'll start doing title and execution searches before I bid from now on.
next issue; getting the township to remove the H from the zoning.  Has anyone else had a property with a EP2 layer(significant woodlot)?

Congrats Worldjohn on what looks to be working out to be a good buy. I have not had to work with the EP-2 woodlot restriction, but you may want to call the local conservation authority as well as the town on that one. I don't know how well organized Tay is, but usually the right hand and left hand have at least some kind of relationship for these things. Remember, emails get passed around, and you never know who will get it next. I might be tempted to walk in to get the rules straightened out, then put together my development plan, then submit. The thing to avoid is an iterative process where things start circulating in circles. Once a spiral starts, its hard to stop.

If there are legacy issues with the property, sit down with the muni and get clarification on them, then make it clear that this was all with the last guy, and you have no interest in his plans. You see the site as a greenfield with zoning issues. Find out the goals of the muni with respect to the zoning. IF they are protecting greenspace, your approach should be different than if they are protecting the last stand of Periwinkle in the county.

Once you know the reasons behind the zoning, you can begin to address them, and either discount or work with the restrictions to get to your goals. Do not think you can walk into the muni and tell them what to do. There is no faster way to kill a project than to tell the planners you know more than they do, or that your goals are better than theirs.

I can discuss some things further in PM from my perspective if you wish. I haven't been in your exact position, but have negotiated similar changes for other reasons. Drop me a line if you want to chat.

5

Announcements / Re: Hamilton Tax Sale - Posted Date October 31

« on: November 18, 2009, 04:57:40 PM »

Frank, doesn't the 20K gap between 1st and 3rd point to something in your eyes? I ran some stats and the distribution on this one is a little different. There are definate peaks pointing to different strategies at the opening. Here are my assumptions:

Peak 1 - cheapies - (Get it for nothing and who cares what comes next)
Peak 2 - flippers - (Pay a reasonable price, make improvements, come out with reasonable profit)
Peak 3 - hold for value - (Pay retail, rent it out, sell in 10 years)

Retail for both of these looks to be in the 100-130K range.

Also - what wsa up with the woman who ran out after property 2 was read out? Did she have a real gripe? Seems she wrote the wrong bid down?? Did anyone catch what her actual problem was? She seemed genuinely upset, but was obviously having trouble with her english.

6

Announcements / Re: Hamilton Tax Sale - Results

« on: November 18, 2009, 02:32:07 PM »

You do great work Rob. No complaints here. I would never rely on only one source for info anyway.

Went to the bid opening yesterday. All redeemed but 3.  Here are unofficial results:

19 Burris Min Bid $27,296.98 (I didn't write down the first few bids):
Winner: $103,565.00........... Bidder initials: BTP
Second:  $85,005.00
Third:     $83,100.00
26+ Bids Tendered

121 St. Joseph's Drive Min Bid $154,081.41
Winner:  $205,081.41
Second: $200,555.84
Third:    $200,200.00
5 Bids Tendered

1084 King St. Min Bid $28,057.75
Winner:  $128,565.00..............Bidder Initials: BTP
Second: $125,005.00
Third:    $102,368.54
24 Bids Tendered

Since both "single family residential" type properties went to the same bidder at a higher than expected price, to a business-named bidder I would be interested if anyone has insights to the winner's model. The "p" in the winner's initials stands for "Paralegal"...

7

Questions and Answers / Re: Why do we do execution searches?

« on: November 11, 2009, 10:28:54 PM »

Anyone checked if the commercial condo unit at 4465 Sheppard is the "Shiatsu Massage" business. You may get more than a handshake for winning that one!

8

Property Information / Re: Tay ...or Why would a perfectly good waterfront lot be forgotten and left to die

« on: November 11, 2009, 04:37:41 PM »

To put a wrap on this...

Tay has posted results here: http://www.tay.township.on.ca/ws_par/groups/public/@pub/@tay/documents/web_content/wspar_020303.pdf

Any thoughts on the winning bids?

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Questions and Answers / Re: Why do we do execution searches?

« on: November 11, 2009, 03:45:06 PM »

Newbie (you might want to change your login since you won't be a Newb forever!), if you are looking at condos, be careful of what you are buying. Many of the Toronto listings are storage lockers and parking spaces. Read the whole description and be sure you know what you are bidding on. Seems like common sense but I have heard of folks buying a storage locker not realizing what they were bidding on.

For those who have bought condos, does the building usually have a master key to get into the unit? being that I've never bought one, never lived in a highrise, and never want to, I'm mostly curious about how entry works. I don't imagine its a standard door-crash.

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Property Information / Re: Tay ...or Why would a perfectly good waterfront lot be forgotten and left to die

« on: November 06, 2009, 10:27:05 PM »

#1 and #7 removed from sale.

No wrecking yard for me, no dockage either.

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General Discussion / Surveys

« on: November 06, 2009, 03:01:13 PM »

How often do you get a property surveyed that you have bought in a tax sale? Seems less and less MLS buyers are bothering as they opt for title insurance. Methinks that in a re-sale you might be able to cut a corner here since th ebuyers aren't asking for it anyway.

12

Member Experiences / Re: Talking to the Owner

« on: November 03, 2009, 03:04:29 PM »

PFM,

The debaucle doesn't end there...

The "free" fill was frozen/waterlogged and as it dewaters/thaws it shifts. Now the hill has been declared unstable by the province and is strictly off-limits. No Grading equipment, no people, nothing is allowed near it until the soils settle out.

In order to help settle the soils, geotechs are putting together a dewatering program and compaction plan that may help it get needed approvals. Each of those plans/tests means more $$$$$$$$.

Meanwhile, back on the ranch...
The town has had to put up a steel fence to keep folks off the property for liability reasons. The fence was tendered at $30K. Due to whatever, the actual cost came in at $90K. Also in order to speed up the stabilization of the hill, dewatering equipment has been installed at the base of the hill ahead of the geotech's reports. The dewatering may or may not be helpin gth ehill get its approvals, no one knows how it was sized/installed/etc. and whether it is doing anything other than looking like the town is taking action. Every day the pumps are running it means more $$$$$$$ getting sucked down the pipes.

Of course, if the town admits they are in this over their heads, it means a loss of voter confidence, so... http://www.town.georgina.on.ca/PDF/the-hill.pdf They act like opening day is just around the corner. Crazy stuff.

BTW - if anyone is seriously interested in a lakefront resort in the area, I may have some info for you. PM me.

13

General Discussion / Re: Land wanted to buy

« on: November 03, 2009, 02:17:11 PM »

Roundup will beat the Poison Ivy. Roundup has also been banned in Ontario because it hurts frogs.

It doesn't take smoke inhallation to have PI kill you. The urishol (oils) in PI are an allergen, and th ereaction to it is as strong as shellfish or peanuts for some folks.

For others it has no effect at all. About 80% of the population will have a reaction ranging from reddening of the skin to a full-blown reation to death.

What a great post to start my day with...

14

Property Information / Re: Niagara Falls..Just taking out the Garbage again.

« on: November 02, 2009, 05:05:34 PM »

http://www.google.ca/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&q=Road+allowance&meta=lr%3D&aq=f&oq=

Amazing what comes up on google...

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Member Experiences / Re: Talking to the Owner

« on: November 02, 2009, 03:11:37 PM »

Respectfully PFM... A better source for Georgina mapping is the Region of york interactive mapping website, where for free - you can get property lines, development zoning, and built-up area designations.

Its at http://maps.york.ca/imf/imf.jsp?site=cpRegStruct

Be careful when bidding in Georgina. A very strong 'Old boys Network' exists up there, and firsthand experience says the fight to win your auction will only be the first of a series of fights once you own land. Als beware that buildable land is generally not stable if you are below glenwoods Ave and between Queensway and the bay. Had properties with mold, foundation shifts, and drainage issues due to the high water table, and the town's inability to clean out ditches (there's this thing called a backhoe...). If you are looking for something to flip, it might work, if you are thinking long term rental or new construction, you could have a load of hassles. They have been trying to get land to stop moving so they can build a Wal-Mart up there for about 5 years. So far no luck. Try Googling "Mount Grossi" for another great tale of engineering failure.

Having said that, well drained, high land away from the lake can be a bargain up that way if you are willing to deal with local politics and Lake Simcoe Cons. Agency.

BTW - Ravenshoe Road has been redeemed, I may attend this opening for kicks. Maybe drinks afterwards anyone?