Abandoned houses - a vent

[Anonymous]

Can anything be done to encourage owners to sell? I live in a NoVa neighborhood with at least a few of these eyesores. It seems like the owners are in long-term (like more than 15 years) care situations or the houses are part of an inherited estate where the new owners have no interest in dealing with them. One has been empty (outside of a family of raccoons) for 20 years. Houses in this neighborhood, when not occupied by wildlife, sell for well over a million. I know, I know . . . MYOB. But it seems like such a waste!

[Anonymous]

Is it labeled vacant and taxed as such? Not sure what VA local tax laws are, but if it's not on record as taxed as vacant, then you should report. Also go to your local council or rep and make a complaint.

[Anonymous]

If the older owners are in long-term care, it could be that they didn't plan properly and no one is legally able to do anything about it. That was the situation n the house next door to me when we moved in. I think that her caretaker (with whom she lived, but before that was her in-home caretaker) extra-legally rented the house to a friend of hers. The friend was a wonderful neighbor, so we didn't care. When the owner passed away, her heirs sold the house. But they didn't care enough to establish a conservatorship, or maybe they had legitimate concerns about going that route.

You can report anything remiss (a tree that looks like it needs attention, overgrown grass) to the municipality who will then contact them. Maybe after enough such instances, they will get frustrated enough to sell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the older owners are in long-term care, it could be that they didn't plan properly and no one is legally able to do anything about it. That was the situation n the house next door to me when we moved in. I think that her caretaker (with whom she lived, but before that was her in-home caretaker) extra-legally rented the house to a friend of hers. The friend was a wonderful neighbor, so we didn't care. When the owner passed away, her heirs sold the house. But they didn't care enough to establish a conservatorship, or maybe they had legitimate concerns about going that route.

You can report anything remiss (a tree that looks like it needs attention, overgrown grass) to the municipality who will then contact them. Maybe after enough such instances, they will get frustrated enough to sell.

This is good advice - thank you!

[Anonymous]

Perhaps the heirs are waiting for a stepped up basis.

[Anonymous]

I have one in my arlington like this. I wish the ridiculous boomers would take their $1m so a builder can build a $3m house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have one in my arlington like this. I wish the ridiculous boomers would take their $1m so a builder can build a $3m house.

This just happened to the empty house next door to us and they've put up a 7k sq ft monstrosity 8 feet from my kitchen window. Sigh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have one in my arlington like this. I wish the ridiculous boomers would take their $1m so a builder can build a $3m house.

This just happened to the empty house next door to us and they've put up a 7k sq ft monstrosity 8 feet from my kitchen window. Sigh.

better than a 7k sq ft 6-plex 8 feet from your kitchen window. count yourself lucky

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have one in my arlington like this. I wish the ridiculous boomers would take their $1m so a builder can build a $3m house.

This just happened to the empty house next door to us and they've put up a 7k sq ft monstrosity 8 feet from my kitchen window. Sigh.

better than a 7k sq ft 6-plex 8 feet from your kitchen window. count yourself lucky

This!!! At least you don’t have 18 garbage cans on your curb and 12 ancient Hondas and Toyotas on the block.

[Anonymous]

I think vacant homes are a blight! They should be taxed extra high to help it get sold quicker. There’s no excuse for a place to sit vacant 6m+. The townhouse next to us was vacant for the entire 5 years we lived there. The occupant was in assisted living and didn’t want to sell I guess? Something happened to the heat and it stopped working, so then pipes burst and flooded everything. We called the fire department who broke the door down. Someone patched the door up poorly. Then in the summer absolutely everything molded from all the damp drywall. Hundreds of mice lived there and we could see them scurrying in and out. Loudoun county taxes weren’t being paid and notices were taped all over the door.

I’m not sure what it takes to get a place foreclosed on in loudoun county, but it must be the hardest thing on earth. Health dept didn’t give AF when we complained.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have one in my arlington like this. I wish the ridiculous boomers would take their $1m so a builder can build a $3m house.

This just happened to the empty house next door to us and they've put up a 7k sq ft monstrosity 8 feet from my kitchen window. Sigh.

better than a 7k sq ft 6-plex 8 feet from your kitchen window. count yourself lucky

Really good point! They actually tried but couldn't based on the weird lot shape, but you're still right. And I still hope the ghost of the guy who died in the house haunts the buyer...

[Anonymous]

Perhaps mow the lawn, help neighbor be nice instead of reporting them

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps mow the lawn, help neighbor be nice instead of reporting them

I don’t have neighbors. The house has been empty and uncared for for more than a decade

[Anonymous]

Call the city/county and say you see rats and snakes. Vermin is a health issue. We had similar problem and kids wouldn’t stay out of it, no matter their age. When a vermin complaint was made FINALLY someone did something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have one in my arlington like this. I wish the ridiculous boomers would take their $1m so a builder can build a $3m house.

This just happened to the empty house next door to us and they've put up a 7k sq ft monstrosity 8 feet from my kitchen window. Sigh.

better than a 7k sq ft 6-plex 8 feet from your kitchen window. count yourself lucky

This!!! At least you don’t have 18 garbage cans on your curb and 12 ancient Hondas and Toyotas on the block.

This must be the cliche that is going around the Arlington neighborhoods. We are building six plexes and have gotten the same nonsense from people who want to interfere in private property rights and what they voted for in Arlington. We have told them we are happy to buy their houses and build more six plexes but they are horrified at leaving "their neighborhood." Well more people can now live in their neighborhood. It won't be as nice as it once was, but they are free to sell and move.