local code enforcement repository and article of agreement houses

The first thing I looked at when thinking of buying a house was how much I could afford to spend.

As I drove around town or to and from work I would notice different houses that appeared empty and I wrote down the addresses. There was a house behind me that had been empty for about five years so I went to the tax assessor's office to find out who owned it and I was going to see how much the owner wanted. I found out that the original owners had lost the house because of back taxes and the property was now owned by the local government. I asked who I would have to talk to about buying the house and I was sent to the local tax claim office.

When I went to the tax claim office, which is usually in the courthouse or some other government center, I was told that the house had been up for auction, four times, and had not sold so I could buy that property, or any other that was listed, from the tax claim office that day. I was also informed that I could either buy a list or look at the list of properties there. I looked at the list at the tax claim office and wrote down the addresses of the properties that might interest me.

The cost was $500.00 plus $180.00 for the paperwork to transfer the property into my name. The property taxes would start the day I bought the property and I would not have to pay any of the taxes that the previous owners owed. The tax claim person told me it was a "free and clear" sale. When I asked "why so cheap?" I was informed that this is a way for the government to get the properties, that are abandoned or lost by owners for not paying taxes, back on the active tax roles so the local government would have money from the property tax revenue.

I was also informed that there was no guarantee on what shape or condition the property would be in. I was told to go look at the property before I bought it because if you buy it first than look at it you are still responsible for the property taxes.

My brother and I went through the house and talked about what needed done and tried to figure, roughly, how much it would cost to make the place livable. My brother informed me that, if I bought the place, he would help as much as his health would permit. I decided to buy the property and when I bought the property I asked "is there any other department I need to talk to or am I going to have problems with the former owners?" I was told "no, you saw us and the former owners know the property is no longer theirs. All the paperwork is in order and your receipt is all you need to prove ownership until you receive your deed in the mail." I rented a dumpster and my brother started to clean the trash out of the house. We worked on the house for about three years before I had it in good enough shape to move into it.

When I hired a certified electrician to upgrade my electrical panel he informed me that he had to have his electrical work inspected by an licensed electrical inspector who would inform the electric company that the electrical work was up code. He also informed me that there was an electrical code standard that had to be met when I was rewiring the house, so I bought a manual of the electrical code to make sure I met or exceeded the code. About a year after I moved in code enforcement stopped and informed me that they would have to inspect the house and it would cost me $120.00. I explained to them about asking the tax claim office if there was anything or any other department I needed to be in touch with and I was told "no". I also informed them that the certified electrician had informed me of an electrical code and I had gotten the manual to make sure I was within the code. The code enforcement officer told me that the tax claim office didn't know what they were talking about and if I would not let him inspect the code enforcement office still wanted the $120.00 inspection fee. I told him to "kiss off" my taxes were paid and I would not let code enforcement inspect and I would not pay the inspection fee. I had gone through the proper channels and it was not my fault that the different government departments did not communicate with each other.

I talked to the head of code enforcement and he said that since it was the tax claim offices fault, and I had been living in the house for over a year, there was nothing code enforcement could do but he would make sure that City Council updated the local ordinance so that in the future code enforcement could inspect properties and get its fee. The City Council went overboard and passed an ordinance that states something like anytime a property is transferred or rented code enforcement must inspect the property to make sure it is up to code. So now if I decide to buy a rental property code enforcement has to inspect it when I buy it ($120.00) than inspect it before I rent it to someone ($120.00) and if the tenant moves or is evicted code enforcement has to inspect it before I can rent it again ($120.00). Even if a tenant only lived at the property for a month it still needs to be reinspected by code enforcement.

If I transfer the property to someone, like one of my children, code enforcement has to inspect the property ($120.00) and if I sale the property to someone not related to me ($120.00). The ordinance may have been written to protect people but it seems to be more of a way for the local government to gouge people and try to make up for lost revenue because of all the foreclosures. If anything these type of ordinances will drive people into other cities and communities that are not so restrictive.

I am buying another house on article of agreement and code enforcement has to inspect the house before I can work on it ($120.00) so they can give me a list of things that need to be fixed or brought up to code. One person who was going to buy the house before me had already paid code enforcement the $120.00 inspection fee and had a list of what needed done. When they decided not to buy and I decided to buy code enforcement wanted me to pay another $120.00 for another inspection even though the first person had decided not to buy the place and it was less than a week later when I decided to buy. After I complete their list and before I can move in code enforcement has to inspect again ($120.00) to make sure the listed items are up to code. If you want to buy from your local repository or on an article of agreement make sure you check with your local government to see if there is a code enforcement office and if there are any hoops you have to jump through.