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Published by Happenings Magazine, 2019-08-01 16:48:26

Homes Plus 071119

Homes Plus 071119

Keywords: Homes Plus,Happenings,Kenosha Magazine

FREE

July 11th - August 14th, 2019
Volume 19 - Issue 7

For all your real estate needs,
contact Michael Gniot of
Shorewest Realtors

The truth about paying your For the potential homeowner looking for
association dues ......page 4 something private, surrounded by lush wildlife

Tenants broke their lease! and a Great Lake, take a closer look at this
What’s the next step for the three-bedroom Carol Beach ranch home
homeowner? ...........page 6
PLUS • Area Property Listings
The key to removing those • Monthly Mortgage Calculator
hard water stains .....page 7 • Kenosha County Home Sales
• Financial Q&A
When it comes to making
timely mortgage payments,
learn the benefits of
automatic payment...page 8

It takes more than just a
hammer and nails to make a
safe deck..............page 10

Escape to your own private lakeside cottage

for a vacation each and every day

might think you have Lake Michigan all prairies and woods, or taking a dip in

to yourself. Lake Michigan off of the small beach.

With the Chiwaukee Prairie nestling After a long day, they would take the
up to the property, this home has short drive into town for a special treat.

plenty of space surrounding it with no “A drive to the Spot for root beer and

chance of development — no houses to a hamburger was often done,” she said.

the north, no houses to the west, and “A trip to the outdoor movie theater on

plenty of the beautiful Lake Michigan Sheridan Road was always an

to the east. adventure. Watching the fireworks from

The Carol Beach neighborhood traces This home, built in 1954, was downtown Kenosha was an annual
purchased by John Murray in the early event. So many great memories. This
1970s. Living in Chicago, Murray place is magical and special and I hope
purchased this property as a vacation a new family can create equally
home to share with his family. beautiful memories.”

its roots to 1924, the year that Edith Although Murray never married, he did The property is lush with greenery

Rockefeller McCormick of Chicago, the have seven nieces and nephews and he and wildlife, but stepping inside the

daughter of John D. Rockefeller and welcomed them to the property as often home, one is welcomed to a cozy and

daughter-in-law of reaper inventor as possible. comfortable atmosphere. The home

Cyrus McCormick, purchased a 1,554- contains over 1500 square feet with

acre land parcel to start a new 3 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms and

community which was to have its its own fireplace. Included is a

own business district, golf course and small mother-in-law suite with its

playground, and its homes were to be own small kitchen and private

constructed in the Tudor style. A bathroom - a perfect place for a

street network was installed, with family member to stay when they

Lake Shore Drive as the main come to visit.

thoroughfare. If you are in the need of

When the Great Depression struck, something bigger, this property has

McCormick's debts mounted and the huge potential. And of course, the

project collapsed. The curbs and buyer will be able to do whatever

streets leading nowhere were the only he or she chooses. The

visible reminders of the failed project With over 200 feet of lake frontage on over a half acre of neighborhood of Carol Beach is
until 1946, when local real-estate land, the next home owner can enjoy daily sunrises. well known for being an advocate

investor and developer Joseph of land preservation and with this

Shaffron bought it and renamed it One of his nieces, Anne Egan, has home being only a few on this dead end

"Carol Beach" for his young daughter. very fond memories of what their road, you will feel safe knowing you

The area is one of the most significant family simply referred to as “the won’t have any big construction

wetland areas in the United States and cottage.” happening next door.

was largely protected through a “It is amazing that such a humble This home is currently listed at

compromise land use agreement. Today cottage could represent so many happy $599,000. For a closer look, call

many of the areas that can be times with loved ones,” she told Homes Michael Gniot of Shorewest Realtors at

developed have been, and the state of Plus magazine. “At night, a magnificent 262-748-0258.

Wisconsin and the Nature conservancy sunset and a raging bonfire presented a By Jason Hedman
continue to buy remaining properties wonderful nightcap to the day. I loved

for prairie land preservation. Carol waking up to a beautiful sunrise over

Beach is now a neighborhood in the the water, washing the entire cottage in

Village of Pleasant Prairie. It’s homes a glow.”

exemplify the rich and eccentric history If you are looking for your own
of the neighborhood with homes personal oasis to escape from the
ranging in nearly any reasonable price everyday life, take a closer look at this
range. home. The privacy it offers cannot be

This month’s home, located at 11725 beat, and it remains close enough to the

Lakeshore Drive, is a cozy home on a city to be able to enjoy all the perks of

grand piece of property with a million society. Anne recalls taking advantage

dollar view. With over 200 feet of lake of the area growing up, spending the

frontage on over half acre of land, you day exploring the property and nearby

Page 2 JULY 11 - AUGUST 15, 2019 HOMESPLUS HP

An early retirement led Michael
Gniot to a new passion in real estate

After a career at

International Freight

Forwarding led to a

beneficial early

retirement, Michael Gniot

was not quite ready to

spend his days sitting at

home. Five years ago, he

looked into the world of

real estate as it has

always been interesting

to him. A younger Gniot

experienced with being a

real estate tester, a sort of

Michael Gniot 'secret shopper' for the

real estate field, and that

interest in real estate never subsided.

In April of 2018, Gniot was installed as a Real Estate
Ninja, but don't expect him to brandish nunchakus
and throwing stars. The Ninja program is an
extensive and impactful real estate training program
which takes great real estate agents and makes them
spectacular.

In a recent interview with Homes Plus, Gniot MONTHLY MORTGAGE CALCULATOR
looked at the current market in a very positive light,
"The market is very strong in the Kenosha area, both With this chart it’s easy to compute what your monthly mortgage payment would
in the city and out in the county. It slowed a bit be. Multiply the factor by the number of thousands in the loan amount to calcu-
late the monthly payment.
from August to January, but has come back strong For Example:
30-year mortgage of $80,000 at 7.0%, multiply 6.66 x 80 = $532.80
this spring making it a great time to sell now!
Intrst Rt 30 Yrs 15 Yrs 10 Yrs
Kenosha is growing, jobs keep moving here, and
3.00% $3.37 $5.52 $7.72
people need a place to live." 3.25% $3.48 $5.62 $7.81
3.50% $4.49 $7.14 $9.88
As a team member at Shorewest, Gniot and his 3.75% $4.63 $7.27 $10.00
4.00% $4.77 $7.39 $10.12
team provide the very best in support and team 4.25% $4.91 $7.52 $10.24
4.50% $5.06 $7.64 $10.36
building. Michael couldn't imagine being happier 4.75% $5.21 $7.77 $10.48
5.00% $5.38 $7.91 $10.61
with any other group. "Not only are we a team," he 5.25% $5.52 $8.04 $10.73
5.50% $5.68 $8.17 $10.85
said. "But we have a special office that is overseen 5.75% $5.84 $8.03 $10.98
by the effervescent Alicia Chovan. She is keen on 6.00% $6.00 $8.44 $11.11
what makes everyone tick and is always on the
lookout to make us better." JULY 11 - AUGUST 15, 2019 HOMESPLUS Page 3

Gniot said that working in the real estate field has
given him multiple opportunities to meet new and
interesting people, through Shorewest, Southshore
Realtors, the Kenosha Chamber of Commerce, and
numerous real estate events.

When he is not busy helping people with any and
all of their real estate needs, Gniot enjoys playing in
a successful local rock and roll band and spending
time with his lovely girlfriend soon to be wife.

For all your real estate needs, call Michael Gniot at
262-748-0258, or visit his website at,
mgniot.shorewest.com

By Jason Hedman & Michael Gniot

HP

Association fees don't always seem fair,
but they might be

Ilyce Glink Q: I live in a homeowner's association that
is aggressive. We have around 250
homes, and some of the homes are on a
lake that the association maintains. But homes

that are not on the lake do not have access to it.
Should the association dues be different for
homes that are on the lake and restricted by

private property? We all pay the same annual
association dues of about $500.

A: Good question. Here's the bottom line:
When you live in an association, some
things aren't fair.
Samuel J. Tamkin Usually, the association documents set up the
fee structure and the developer of the association

has some discretion about how to set up the documentation and
how the fees will get paid. Your question poses an interesting
issue: You are considering the lake as an amenity that only

benefits the homeowners that live along the lake.

You should know that for many developments, lakes and other As a separate issue, the developer can also create a fee structure
water detention or retention areas are necessary for the proper for certain uses that result in additional fees for the association
drainage of water for the entire community. From this point of members. For instance, if the homeowners on the lake have boats
and those boats create additional expenses for the association, the
view, any maintenance to the water drainage systems would be association can charge a fee for having boats or using boats in the
necessary for the benefit of the whole development. We can see lake. Having said that, and given that your annual dues are around
how a developer would cause the association to have the
see FEES on page 15 for more
responsibility of caring for those water features and have every
homeowner share in that expense equally.

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Page 4 JULY 11 - AUGUST 15, 2019 HOMESPLUS

Margaret Jacobson

Broker Associate, GRI, CRS, ABR,
SRES, CDPE, AHWD
Cell 262 496-1212
Email [email protected]

Asistente que habla español!
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262 925-3012

6905 Green Bay Road, Alexander Feuker
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Sales Associate-Buyer Agent
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Click on I am an SRES® tab for more information. Email [email protected]

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11203 61st Avenue 512 10th Street
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CERTIFIED Solving the
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HP JULY 11 - AUGUST 15, 2019 HOMESPLUS Page 5

Tenants broke a six-month lease only a
few days into the rental agreement

Ilyce Glink Q: I have tenants who signed a six-month
lease last month. A few days after they
signed, they informed me that they just
bought a house and would like to move in a few
weeks. We informed them that unless they found
replacement tenants, leaving the apartment like
this would be breaking the lease.

They ignored our repetitive reminders, and just
moved out yesterday and handed back us the
keys. I wonder if in this situation we can
hold/deduct their deposit and even demand more
compensation for the loss due to the breach of the
Samuel J. Tamkin lease.

A: You said that these tenants signed a
lease with you. The first thing you
should do is figure out what your
remedies are under the lease. Most residential leases have a
paragraph that details what a landlord can do when a tenant
defaults under their lease. Sometimes the paragraph states that the
landlord can sue the tenant for unpaid rent, can apply any security
deposit toward rent owed, or can re-rent the apartment and sue
the tenant for the loss if the landlord loses money on the new
lease.

Once you read your lease and see what it says, you can decide
how to proceed. You may be entitled to apply the security deposit
toward any rent that goes unpaid, but we caution you that you
need to make sure that you abide by the terms of your lease and
also abide by any municipal ordinances or state laws that may
regulate leases and security deposits.

Some states have laws that are quite tenant-friendly. When a reports can put a serious ding on a buyer's plans to buy a home.
tenant leaves the rental property and hands over the keys, the Negative information given to a credit reporting bureau can lower
landlord has a certain amount time to either claim the security a prospective home buyer's credit score and affect that person's
deposit or return the deposit to the tenant. In some instances, you ability to get a mortgage loan.
must notify the tenant of the reasons why you are not returning
the security deposit. Likewise, filing suit for a debt owed may also get picked up by
credit reporting bureaus and can affect a home buyer's ability to
Furthermore, some states require landlord to mitigate their close on a new home. We're sorry your former tenants weren't
damages -- that means that a landlord must minimize whatever more upfront about their plans. Some tenants negotiate an "out"
damages he or she has. In your situation, this means that you clause in a lease with a landlord upfront. They will ask the
must try to re-rent the rental property. As you try to re-rent the landlord if they can pay a month or two penalty to get out of their
property, you need to keep a careful tab on all of your expenses lease early. With that information, you can decide if a lease to that
that you'll want to get reimbursed by your former tenant. You may tenant is worth your while. If it is and they cancel early, you can
have costs to advertise the apartment, broker's fees, and other prepare for that.
expenses to bring in a new tenant into the property.
Sam has a rental property that is currently being rented by a
If you are successful in re-renting the place quickly or you have member of the armed forces. His lease gives the tenant the right
already done that, your only issue is to compute your damages. If to terminate the lease if he is called to active duty. When deciding
the security deposit is sufficient to cover those expenses, you have to lease the property, Sam knew the risk and could decide whether
been made whole and can move on with your life and with these to take it or not. Being upfront about these issues can help solve
new tenants. On the other hand, if you have not been able to rent or lessen problems down the line. If you decide to sue the former
the property, you may want to hire an attorney and sue your tenants, they will learn a hard lesson if the suit impacts their
former tenants for any rent lost. ability to close on their new home.

As an aside, it's quite foolish for a prospective buyer to rent a Ilyce Glink is the author of 100 Questions Every First-Time Home
place and break a lease. Ilyce thinks that's one of the top mistakes Buyer Should Ask (4th Edition). She is also the CEO of Best
first-time home buyers make because they will often wind up
paying rent and mortgage, which most first-time buyers can ill- Money Moves, an app that employers provide to employees to
afford. measure and dial down financial stress. Samuel J. Tamkin is a
Chicago-based real estate attorney. Contact Ilyce and Sam through
In addition, some landlords have the ability to report the non-
payment of rent under a lease to credit reporting bureaus and can
also report amounts owed and delinquent under the lease. Those

Page 6 JULY 11 - AUGUST 15, 2019 HOMESPLUS HP

Ask The Builder

All you need to clean hard water

Tim Carter stains is vinegar and time

DEAR TIM: I'll admit it. I'm not the best housekeeper and I'm you press tiny dirt particles into the fresh mineral crystals. When
frazzled. My tile shower floor is filthy with hard water stains. I you get out of the shower and the water on the floor dries, another
don't like using harsh chemicals for a number of reasons, and layer of new crystals locks in the last layer plus the new dirt. Can
because the stains are so hard to clean, I've neglected the floor. Is you see what happens if you do this for months on end? You end
there an easy way to clean hard water stains from tile? Or do I up with a layer cake of hard water deposits and dirt.
have to rip out the tile and start over? Is there a way to prevent
the hard water stains once I get the tile clean again? --Tom Y., I'd like you to now recall some of your high school chemistry.
Tampa, Fla. The hard water deposits are alkaline in nature. This means they
have a pH greater than 7. If you pour an acid which has a pH less
DEAR TOM: Many people place a low priority on cleaning their than 7 onto the hard water deposits, they'll soften and start to
homes for any number of reasons. Some are unable to do it, some dissolve.
are just too busy, and some may not even see the dirt. The good
r news is that with minimal effort and a bottle of something you But as you indicated, you don't want to use harsh chemicals,
s likely already have in your kitchen pantry, you'll have gleaming and many acids are harsh. Guess what? Common white vinegar
and clean tile in less than a day! that you use to cook with and put into your body is a mild acid.
It's safe and nontoxic.
y Before I tell you how to clean the hard water stains from your
o tile floor, allow me to explain how they form. Once you Here's all you need to do to remove the hard water stains from
t understand this, you'll realize how easy it is to prevent them from your shower tile floor. For real impact I only want you to do this
on half the floor. Make sure the tile floor is dry. Put a double layer
happening in the future. of dry paper towels on half the tile. Saturate the towels with pure
white vinegar. Really soak the paper towels with the vinegar.
e In many places, the water coming from wells and municipal
r water pipes has dissolved minerals in it. The most common Allow the vinegar to sit on the tile for at least eight hours. At the
t elements in these minerals are calcium and magnesium. These end of the wait period, squeeze out the paper towels and throw
n can make the water "hard" as opposed to "soft." Soft water feels them away. Take a shower and the action of your feet moving
about on the tile where the vinegar worked should show a
slippery when you rub your hands together. You don't have this remarkable transformation. The tile might look like new -- or at
a sensation with hard water, thus the descriptor. least there should be far fewer hard water deposits.
t The hardness of water is measured in grains, with one grain
g equal to one seven-thousandth of a pound. (Apparently, it takes If there's a great improvement but the tile doesn't look like new,
r about 7,000 grains of wheat to equal a pound. But I digress.) you just have to repeat the process to get the tile looking perfect.
e When hard water containing the calcium and magnesium There's no need to scrub the tile with a harsh abrasive cleaner
r evaporates, the water component goes into the air as a vapor, that can scratch the fine, clear glaze on the tile.
r leaving an ultra-thin coating, often invisible, of the calcium and
Do NOT do this with any marble surface without carefully
magnesium on the surface. You can test this easily if you have a testing with a cotton swab. Marble is alkaline, and the vinegar
e dark countertop or piece of dark plastic. Allow a drop of water to might etch and remove some of the polish from marble. Carefully
t dry and you may see a very faint white ring of the crystals test using any acid on marble. Apply a drop of vinegar in a place
o marking the outline of the drop as it shrinks and evaporates. not too noticeable and let it set for hours. Rinse and see if the
a If you don't clean off these deposits on a regular basis in a finish of the marble has changed.
h shower floor, each time you get into the shower with dirty feet,
To keep your tile looking like new from now on is easy. Buy a
high-quality squeegee with a good rubber blade. After each
shower use the squeegee to remove all the water from the walls
and floors. Get as much water as possible into the drain. If there's
no water to evaporate on the tile, there will be no hard water
deposits.

I'd also just get in the habit of using the vinegar every two weeks
to keep ahead of any minor deposits that may develop because
you can't get all the water off the tile. Let me know what happens.
Actually, I already know that you'll succeed, but I'd still like to
read your joyful email!

By Tim Carter
Subscribe to Tim's FREE newsletter and listen to his new
podcasts. Go to: https://www.AsktheBuilder.com. To hear more
from Carter, tune in to Happenings Q&A Monday, July 15th at

1:30 p.m. when he returns to
the show - find us on your

radio dial at AM1050 WLIP or
streaming live at
www.wlip.com.

HP JULY 11 - AUGUST 15, 2019 HOMESPLUS Page 7

It's best to make mortgage payments to
loan servicer through auto-debit

Ilyce Glink Q: Is it possible to change my loan servicer? then paid on the phone (to stay current) and was advised that it
My refinance was done by a national would take 20 days to investigate the problem.
mortgage lender. They immediately
transferred it to a well-known loan servicer. The last two calls postulated a variety of suggestions about how
However, my monthly payments from my bank this went wrong, including how the bank might have made an
error (which I think is what happened) or the suggestion that I
were returned. might have incorrectly used a bad loan number, or had the wrong
P.O. Box number on the payments.
I had three conversations with the servicer's
customer service representatives, and we tried to Other than the suggestion that they made a mistake, none of this
figure out why the payments were returned. The makes any sense. I'd appreciate hearing about your experiences
and any of your insights as to whether I can change servicers, or
letter I received from the loan servicer from my how I can rectify this experience.
closing gave me an address where I should send
my payments, but I was told there was a closer A: No, you can't choose your loan servicer. The loan
servicer is chosen by the lender that holds your loan and
Samuel J. Tamkin address that I should use. despite the ordeal ahead, you must deal with them and
My first payment to them was returned, and their forms to get your loan paid on time.

after discussing this with them I asked if I could resend it and it At one time, Sam was a firm believer in making payments
through his bank to the mortgage company. But in the last year,
was posted. All subsequent payments were sent back, which I he's decided to set up direct payment though the party receiving
the payment. That's because stories like yours are rampant.

Your best bet is to call the loan servicer and have them auto-
debit your account directly. What will happen is the servicer will
pull the funds from your account automatically and you won't
have to worry about any post office delivery issues, wrong address
issues, or other processing issues on the servicer's end.

Bank checks have a way of drifting off course. Sam recently sent
out a payment from his online bank account for a sizeable sum
only to have that bill pay check diverted (i.e. stolen), altered and
cashed by the thief. It took four months to get that money back
into his account and in the meantime he had to pay that creditor
separately for the amount owed. Now he pays them via an auto
debit.

see PAYMENT on page 15 for more

Page 8 JULY 11 - AUGUST 15, 2019 HOMESPLUS HP

HP071119

HP JULY 11 - AUGUST 15, 2019 HOMESPLUS Page 9

Ask The Builder

Proper tools and techniques are

Tim Carter crucial to avoid deck collapse

Q: Tim, I really need or a large post can be notched to
your help. My accept the beam. Through bolts then
husband is making a connect the beam to the post.
mess of a deck extension
project. I'm concerned he's Special tape should be used on top of
using the wrong-sized lumber the joists before the decking is applied
and the connections between to prevent joist rot and to ensure the
pieces of lumber don't appear nails and screws holding down the
to be secure to me. Are you able decking don't pull out.
to share deck construction
basics so my kids and I don't I've got countless deck construction
tumble to the ground below? -- articles and videos at my
Tricia P., Osceola, Iowa AsktheBuilder.com website to help
you understand what needs to be done
A: All you need to do is to be safe. I urge you to go there and
spend a few minutes read all my past work about deck
searching the internet construction.
about collapsed decks and
you'll discover local news Q: Tim, I've got a few interior
websites are littered with doors at my home that are
stories of these calamities. You driving me crazy. One of the
can even watch videos of decks doors wants to slowly close on its own.
collapsing with people on I'm convinced it's a ghost. Another
them. Deck construction is door has started to rub up at the top of
serious business and you need the door where it touches the door
to make sure everything is done frame. Help this single mom who's
correctly. handy but has no money. --Sara B.,
Corona, Calif.
Entire books have been
written on the subject, and it's A: I have the ghost door issue at
impossible for me to give you my own home with my master
precise, detailed advice. That bathroom door. She Who
said, you should start your Must Be Obeyed has instructed me that
education at the nadra.org it will be fixed this weekend.
website. The North American
Deck and Railing Association The ghost is really gravity. The hinge
owns this website, and it has quite a few helpful documents and pins are so well machined, fitted and
checklists that will get you up to speed on some of the best oiled that if the door is just slightly out
practices of deck construction. of plumb, gravity will pull it closed. The fix for this is so easy
you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner.
It's important to realize that treated lumber must be used
outdoors. The treated lumber sold now in the USA has a high All you have to do is grab a few shims or something to shove
copper content. When the lumber gets wet and the copper leaches under the bottom tip of the door under the handle. Be sure the
from the lumber, this solution can become highly corrosive to any door is open so you can get outside once you do the next step.
hardware, framing connectors, screws and nails that are not rated
for this very destructive brew. Half-inch diameter bolts can be Use a hammer and screwdriver to remove one of the hinge pins.
reduced to withered, rusted rods in just a few years in certain Take the hinge pin outdoors and put it on a piece of lumber and
conditions. strike the center of the pin with your hammer to put a slight bend
in the pin. The bend will create enough friction in the hinge to
Another key point is flashings. If the deck connects to your stop the door from closing on its own.
house, any board bolted to the side of the house needs to be
flashed so water doesn't rot out the side wall of the house. There The rubbing door problem is almost always traced to hinge
are all sorts of methods and materials to employ, but you need to screws on the upper hinge that have come loose. Tighten them
be skilled to succeed. and see if the problem disappears instantly. If the rubbing is less,
but not gone, then you may have to use a wood chisel to deepen
Deck railing posts are a major concern because many carpenters the upper hinge mortise on the door or the door frame.
and DIY homeowner warriors get this aspect completely wrong.
There are special metal connectors that should be used in Tim Carter can call you on the phone for FREE to solve your
conjunction with through bolts, not lag bolts. problem. Go to his website and fill out the form on this page:
https://www.askthebuilder.com. To hear more from Carter, tune
Beams that are supported by columns need to be attached in to Happenings Q&A Monday, July 15th at 1:30 p.m. when he
correctly. There are special pieces of approved hardware to do this returns to the show - find us on your radio dial at AM1050 WLIP

or streaming live at www.wlip.com.

Page 10 JULY 11 - AUGUST 15, 2019 HOMESPLUS HP

Buyer's remorse puts homeowner in a
compromising situation

Ilyce Glink Q: Four years ago, as a first-time You just don't like living where you are. Fair enough, but if you
homeowner, I bought a single family rent out a room for the next year, you might save the cash and use
home in the D.C. metro area. I hate to those funds toward covering the mortgage payoff once you do sell.
admit this, but I failed at the due diligence portion
We don't know whether real estate values will continue to
of buying a house. increase in the D.C. metro area. Prices in the D.C. area held up
quite well during the Great Recession and have continued to
As it turns out, I don't want to live in the increase since then. With Amazon moving into the area, you
area/community in which I bought my house. I might find that real estate prices continue to increase; as they do,
also bought too much house for me to live in, and you might be able to recoup all of your expenses in the next year
or so.
the commute to work is unbearable. I desperately
want to sell the house! So sell, you say. I would, Nothing with real estate generally happens fast. That's why we
but the price I'd get for the house would not cover talk about having a five- to seven-year plan (at a minimum) when
you buy your home. Since you want to sell now, just four years
the mortgage payoff; and I don't have the funds to after you bought the home, the costs of sale (brokerage fees,
Samuel J. Tamkin cover the shortfall/sellers' cost. Any suggestions? transfer taxes, etc.) will likely eat up any appreciation in value
your property has earned.
A: You're right; one of the options we'd
suggest to you is to sell the home. Since Say you purchased your home for $500,000 and took out a
it sounds like you're underwater $475,000 loan. You might have paid that loan down to $465,000,
(unusual for the D.C. area, where prices have gone up and are but if you sell your home for what you paid for it, you might still
have to pay a real estate broker $25,000 and many several
rising further, now that the Amazon HQ2 will locate thousand dollars more in closing costs. But, as we see it, if you are
approximately another 25,000 workers in the metro), selling is within $10,000 to get it all done, you might want to figure out
apparently costly. whether you should get that money elsewhere now to get out of a
situation that you appear to hate or wait a couple of years until the
Another option might be to rent the home for a while if rental
story continues on page 15
prices are high enough to pay all of your expenses. While we don't
know where your home is in the D.C. metro area, we suspect that
in some areas rental properties go pretty fast and at good rates.

Your issue doesn't appear to be that you can't afford to live there.

HP JULY 11 - AUGUST 15, 2019 HOMESPLUS Page 11

Ask The Builder

When things go south

Tim Carter with your builder

Yesterday I did a 30-minute phone consultation with a gentleman HP061319 it's referred to as discovery. Both parties to the lawsuit might
who lives in New Jersey. It was a grim call because he was submit questions to the other side and ask for documents and
thinking about suing his builder. I started helping this man over a other paperwork that relate to the facts.
year ago as he started to build his dream home. Unfortunately, he
signed a contract with a dishonest builder and didn't discover it Experts are then hired to produce a report about what they see
until it was too late. and what might actually be wrong. The best experts look more for
building code violations than subjective quality issues. It's also a
I've done expert testimony in building defect lawsuits for nearly good idea to see if products were installed exactly as the
20 years. A recent case had me crawling all over the roof of the manufacturer states in its written instructions.
Brazilian ambassador's home in Antigua. You may be a
homeowner who's been violated by a bad builder and your first Once the expert reports are submitted, depositions might take
instinct is to extract justice using the legal system. place. The attorneys, in the presence of a court reporter or
stenographer, ask questions of the parties, witnesses, experts, etc.,
I'll share what's involved, based on my experience, and offer under oath. Any testimony may be used in a courtroom should
advice on how to avoid legal snafus that can suck the life force out you take the issue that far.
of you as well as drain your savings account.
All of the above requires countless hours, much of it billed at an
I'm not an attorney, nor am I offering you legal advice. I'm hourly rate in excess of $175 or $200 per hour. Costs can shoot up
simply sharing what might happen if you decide to jump into the faster than Fourth of July bottle rocket.
fray at your county courthouse.
At this point, the attorneys, who typically have not been
Here's a very condensed timeline of what usually happens. The personally involved in your case, start to reach out to one another
process could vary in your state depending on your laws. The first to see if a settlement can be reached. The expert reports are often
step is for you to meet with an attorney to discuss what happened. like a winning hand at the $500 blackjack table. If your expert has
She or he may then advise you to file a claim or suit against your pages of proof that your builder really goofed up, then the builder
builder. usually folds. Very few lawsuits actually go to trial.

The next phase of the process involves fact-finding. Sometimes However, let's assume you decide not to settle. You want your
day in court. The costs continue to mount. And there's no
FOR 3.75%! guarantee you'll win. Even if you do win, in almost all states you
don't get any money that day. You'll probably be granted a
Steve Simonovic judgment against the builder. You then have to spend more money
to try to get the money called for in the judgment. And the builder
LIC #:50511-094 may not have any money to get.
[email protected]
My advice to you, if you are bent on reprisal, is to meet with
CALL TODAY (262) 620-3107 your attorney and ask all the right questions in less than an hour.
Forget about the builder and just ask all the questions about what
it might cost to stroll down the legal pathway, how long it will
take, what does the typical settlement look like, and what are the
chances of getting any money from the builder. Gather the hard
data and determine if you should just lick your wounds and spend
the money you'd give to your attorney and experts on repairing
the defects in your new home.

You can avoid misery like this with great plans and
specifications. You also need itemized bids from your builder so
you know how much everything costs. This allows you to only
give as much money to the builder as he deserves as the project
unfolds. Always have enough money to finish the project if things
go south.

A professional builder that's well capitalized will rarely object to
getting paid within 30 days for work he's completed. He knows
he's going to satisfy you. He's got charge accounts and he doesn't
pay his workers or subs in advance.

Dishonest or under-capitalized builders tend to want money in
advance and they can get ahead of you if you give them too much
money, as did the homeowner in New Jersey. He's going to spend
an additional $70,000 to fix all the mistakes and unfinished work.
Don't let this happen to you.

Subscribe to Tim's FREE newsletter and listen to his new
podcasts. Go to: https://www.AsktheBuilder.com.

Page 12 JULY 11 - AUGUST 15, 2019 HOMESPLUS HP

Most would agree that the real estate market has come

IF ONLY SELLINGout of hibernation in a big way.
A HOME
Multiple offers have made this a sellers market but selling a home
with relative ease still requires the assistance of a seasoned professional. WERE THIS
EASY
Before you make that decision to list, you owe it to yourself and your family to
consult with Melissa, it could end up making your life so much more bearable.

$139,900 Money Maker $299,000 Gorgeous Lake $334,900 Hunters Ridge Condo
• Oversized 3 Frontage on Lake • Largest Model
$369,900 Shangrila • 3-4 Bedrooms /
Bedroom Duplex • One Family Owned
• Separate Utilities 3 Full Bath
• Large 2.5 Car for Several • Entertainment/Beverage
Generations
Garage • 3 Bed/ 2 Bath Center • Gas Fireplace
• Long Term • Den, Deck Fireplace • Formal Dining
• Newer Large 2.75 • Huge Loft Master with
Tenants Car Garage 2 W-I Closets + Jetted Tub
• Located South and Tiled Shower
• Private Patio
Side of Kenosha
50 Acre Lake
Gorgeous Impeccable $499,000 • Pleasant Prairie
Ranch Salem Lakes • Set for 21 Home
• 1.25 Acres
• 3 Bed / 2.5 Baths sites
• Granite and Hardwoods • Heavily Wooded
• Near Illinois
in Kitchen and Baths
• Finished Rec Room Border
• Flagstone Patio+ Deck

with Koi Pond

Melissa Roach - Zievers HP071119

KRA 2011 & 2012 Realtor of the Year

Office: 262-925-3091
Cell: 262-945-1018
Email: [email protected]

• Broker/Associate
• Sterling Group
• HUD Certified Agent

By Appointment Only

HP JULY 11 - AUGUST 15, 2019 HOMESPLUS Page 13

June 2019 Kenosha County Home Sales

Brighton $59,000:1913 62nd St $95,000:3312 75th St
$48,000:2417 53rd St $95,500:418 56th St 307
$520,500:21619 45th st $64,900:2311 38th Ave Lt $105,000:5015 29th Ave
$57,000:1906 50th St $96,500:6615 20th Ave
Bristol $65,000:4328 27th St $103,000:1431 28th Ct
$60,000:2014 62nd ST $115,000:7209 57th Ave 201
$634,900:11620 208th Ave $83,000:6905 67th St 109 $109,500:5129 22nd Ave
$418,000:6522 205th Ave $75,000:8601 52nd St $115,500:7102 30th Ave
$200,000:7747 128th Ave $79,500:7324 10th Ave $121,500:5418 39th Ave
$227,000:11728 212th ave $87,000:6519 51st Ave $135,000:1416 30th Ave
$102,900:6612 18th Ave $122,000:5302 32nd Ave
Kenosha $106,000:7202 98th Ave $125,900:318 57th St 108
$107,000:3616 28th St $132,000:4008 81st St 4D
$23,500:6021 48th Ave $107,000:1015 71st St $127,900:9036 16th Ave
$20,900:3712 11th Ave $132,000:2908 14 Ln #6
$42,300:40th Ave $140,000:6102 34th Ave
$53,900:Lt25 16th St $135,000:6401 49th Ave
$40,000:6322 24th Ave $138,000:7201 45th Ave
$134,900:7211 18th Ave
Small, Local, Family Run Business Since 1985 $134,900:6213 33rd Ave
$135,000:1506 75th St
• Quality Workmanship, Dependable & On Schedule $136,789:316 56th St 301
• Professional Preparation & Repair $132,000:7416 27th Ave
• All Aspects Of Interior/Exterior Painting & Staining $133,500:4704 23rd Ave
• Light Carpentry & Other Handyman Jobs $134,500:1519 24th Ave 27
$145,000:7939 17th Ave
Valuable Coupon HP061319 $150,000:7843 24th Ave
$145,000:5612 42nd Ave
10% OFFSSpuepceiralOUR ALREADY LOW RATES! $140,000:2317 19th Ave
Not valid with any other offer. Present coupon upon payment. Expires July 31st, 2019. $138,000:5327 52nd
$145,000:4028 10th Ave
References FREE Friendly Estimates Insured $143,700:4317 Harding RD $200,000:6013 51st Ave $310,000:6133 108th Ave
Available Salem, WI $137,200:1715 81st St $193,500:7311 98th Ave C $302,000:6125 114th Ave
262-843-4690 $142,000:1417 73rd St $194,000:2621 24th St $319,900:5210 33rd St
$144,900:7407 10th Ave $186,800:6100 69th $308,500:11420 65th
Hello, $150,000:8521 17th Ave St$202,000:7603 27th Ave St$315,000:00 18th St
$153,000:7107 98th Ave H $210,000:3047 24th St 8 $325,000:6107 114th Ave
Neighbor. $152,900:6523 18th Ave $205,000:6344 50th Ave $330,000:11317 61st St
$153,000:4809 34th Ave $204,000:9433 72nd St $341,000:4120 7th Ave
Rob Fleming, Agent $160,000:5802 40th Ave $210,000:3306 55th Ct 138 $350,000:407 68th St
$162,000:1927 87th Pl $221,000:7939 46th Ave $341,500:6319 94th Ave
3404 Roosevelt Road $160,000:5518 33rd Ave $235,000:2405 35th St $350,000:5425 5th Ave
Kenosha, Wi 53142 $160,400:2622 26th Ave $220,900:10226 63rd St $380,000:6816 152nd Ave
$172,000:3225 85th St D $221,500:6815 Pershing Blvd $380,000:7241 150th Ave
Bus: 262-656-1414 $165,000:6420 39th Ave $235,000:6737 102nd Ave $399,900:2818 16th Pl
$169,000:2019 73RD St $250,000:9224 74th Pl $473,000:217 69th St
[email protected] $165,000:4026 7th Ave $235,000:9304 74th Pl
Mon-Fri 9:00am to 5:00pm $169,900:1715 87th Pl $230,000:7325 2nd Ave Paddock Lake
other times by appointment $176,200:5221 42nd Ave $230,000:1253 39th Ave
$169,900:2003 30th St $250,000:6912 62nd Ave $389,000:6300 238th Ave
HP101118 $159,000:4725 Harding Rd $249,900:408 55th 408B $287,000:24113 60th St
$163,500:2534 82nd St $259,900:7912 31st Ave $230,000:6513 243rd Ct
APPLIANCE $171,000:5805 39th Ave $258,000:4901 56th St $235,000:24910 74th St
$170,000:7318 Sheridan Rd $274,000:5108 26th St $215,000:6926 238th Ave 8
PARTS• Washers • Ranges $170,000:2617 27th St $255,000:1309 22nd Ave $200,000:6908 250th Ave
$180,000:1506 84th St $245,000:8850 35th Ave $147,000:23510 65th St
• Dryers • Water $165,000:7211 41st Ave $267,000:4003 53rd Ave $112,875:6501 235th Ave
$177,000:4514 47th St $288,500:9700 64th St $65,000:6027 241st Ave
• Refrigeration Heaters $178,100:6530 42nd Ave $285,000:8010 57th Ave
$175,000:8741 37th Ave $279,900:5216 26th St Pleasant Prairie
• Furnaces • Air Conditioners $180,000:7410 35th Ave $300,000:6245 95th Ave
$190,000:2515 82nd St $299,000:10025 70th St $659,832:9465 46th Ct 45
Largest in Stock Selection In Town $178,000:5205 68th St $295,000:6022 92nd Ave $500,000:11009 47th Ave
$191,500:5712 35th Ave $299,900:6409 93rd Ave $500,000:10064 55th Ave
Normal Business Hours $194,900:5818 68th St $300,000:7320 97th AVE $510,000:9387 48th Ave
$160,000:5123 20th Ave $285,000:7731 6th Ave $476,000:8402 94th Ct
M-TH 8:30am 5:00pm F 8:30am-4:00pm S 8:30am-noon HP021H4P11901118 $190,000:1808 85th St $305,900:10825 61st St $395,000:9419 48th Ave
Call before you stop by $310,000:5308 33rd St $439,900:11489 14th Ave
$380,000:8042 East Ridge Dr
KENOSHA APPLIANCE PARTS $389,900:9803 11th Ave

262-657-7329

2601 ROOSEVELT RD.

www.kenoshaapplianceparts.com

The information contained herein is provided for general information purposes only. If any of the above information is material or being utilized to determine whether to pur-
chase the property, the buyer should personally verify same or have it confirmed by a qualified expert. The information to independently verify and confirm includes but is
not limited to total square footage formula, total square footage / acreage figures, land, building or room dimensions and all other measurements of any sort or type. Equal
housing opportunity listing. Copyright 2018 by Multiple Listing Service, Inc. Prepared by Southshore REALTORS Association, Inc.

Page 14 JULY 11 - AUGUST 15, 2019 HOMESPLUS HP

Fees Remorse Payment

continued from page 4 continued from page 11 continued from page 8

$500, we would think that the home value increases, you have

association is probably spending more savings or you've paid down If your bank has a way to electronically transfer funds to your

most of the money maintaining the mortgage enough to sell and pay loan servicer, you should check that out first. Otherwise, you

the lake for drainage purposes. everybody off. need to make sure that the information on the check going to

If your numbers are accurate, Having said all that, you should the loan servicer has all the information they need to credit
your homeowners association explore what it would take to rent your account correctly.

takes in around $125,000 a year. the home, what you would get out For starters, when you fill out a paper check, send that check

That doesn't seem like a lot of of the rental, how much time you'd to the loan servicer in the envelope they provide along with a

money, given that lakes and have to spend managing the rental copy of your statement. At a minimum, the information you

other drainage systems in and whether you'd benefit from need to have on the check sent out from your bank is the loan

developments often need annual renting to move on with your life. number, address for your home and the name of the borrower

maintenance and, in some years, Once your current home is rented, on the loan.

major maintenance to keep the you can find another home. Without all that information, the loan servicer may not be

water flowing properly through This time, you can do your proper able to correctly process the payment. Remember that some of

the development. due diligence on the location of your these lenders loan numbers start with a bunch of zeros at the

So, on balance, if the intended next home by renting there for a beginning. If you are missing a zero or fail to place the zeros,

need for the fees is for drainage while before buying. A couple of the machine readers at these loan servicers may bounce the

purposes, it's probably proper for years from now, you can sell this check if they don't recognize the sender.

the fees to be the same for all home and decide where to buy your If you're extremely careful, you can try again to make your

homes. And, if you live in a state next one. (And you might want to mortgage payment through your bank. Make sure you use the

where you pay property taxes, pick up a copy of Ilyce's book, "100 address listed in the payment coupon or monthly statement.

we'll assume that the homes on Questions Every First-Time Home Make sure the loan number is printed on the check along with

the lakes sell for more than other Buyer Should Ask" (4th Edition), so your name and address for the property. Usually you can add

homes and those homes will then that you don't make the same information to the bank autopay system that allows you to put

pay higher property taxes due to mistakes over again.) that information in the memo line.

their higher valuation. By Ilyce Glink & Samuel J. Tamkin But it's often safer to just call the loan servicer and set up

Ilyce Glink is the author of "100 Ilyce Glink's latest book 100 auto-debit with them so that they pull the funds from your bank

Questions Every First-Time Home Questions Every First-Time Home account on a certain date before the payment is delinquent.

Buyer Should Ask" (4th Edition). Buyer Should Ask, 4th edition, will Just be sure you'll have enough funds in the account to cover
She is also the CEO of Best be published in mid-February. She is the auto-debit, so that you don't wind up with an overdraft fee.

Money Moves, an app that also the CEO of Best Money Moves, By Ilyce Glink & Samuel J. Tamkin
employers provide to employees an app that employers provide to
employees to measure and dial Ilyce Glink's latest book 100 Questions Every First-Time Home
to measure and dial down down financial stress. Samuel J. Buyer Should Ask, 4th edition, will be published in mid-
financial stress. Samuel J. Tamkin is a Chicago-based real
Tamkin is a Chicago-based real estate attorney. Contact Ilyce and February. She is also the CEO of Best Money Moves, an app
estate attorney. Contact Ilyce and Sam through her website, that employers provide to employees to measure and dial down
Sam through her website, ThinkGlink.com.
financial stress. Samuel J. Tamkin is a Chicago-based real
ThinkGlink.com. estate attorney. Contact Ilyce and Sam through her website,

ThinkGlink.com.

Home Sales (continued)

$389,900:10212 82nd St $114,200:9042 39th Ave $119,000:11409 271st Ave $300,900:1844 Swallow Rd
$365,000:10974 14th Ct $110,000:8322 87th Ave $108,500:7509 313th Ave $285,000:2103 Haegele Dr
$352,000:4411 113th St $112,900:Lt21 Ridgeway Ct $58,000:Lot #4 221st Ave $289,900:372 Tindalls Nest 41
$342,000:8429 E Ridge Dr $99,900:Lt1 47th Ave $37,000:26825 106th St $275,000:00 360th Ave
$337,000:3401 98th Pl $60,000:Lt0 67th St $261,000:1916 Swallow Rd
$330,000:8908 lakeshore dr Silver Lake $251,000:529 Oakwood Trl
$324,900:8921 65th St Randall $250,000:410 Lower Horseshoe Dr
$299,900:8706 113th Ave $127,500:209 N 2nd St $257,000:3165 Howden Ave
$270,000:10209 32nd $480,000:39805 Lake Park Ct $195,000:311 N Lake Ave
$265,000:12124 43rd Ave $340,000:11808 336th Ave Somers $189,000:1517 Skinner Dr
$250,000:926 101st St $229,900:38905 92nd St $124,500:406 Park Ave
$236,000:8713 3rd Ave $600,000:805 12th St $119,900:637 Gatewood Dr
$240,000:10021 66th Ave 8 Salem $325,000:2340 2nd St $69,000:Lt2 E Lake Shore Dr Lt3
$232,000:910 91st Pl $308,600:6250 12th St $68,500:2343 Catherine Ave
$187,000:8115 Cooper Rd $647,500:21828 75th St $260,000:4526 18th St
$204,900:5322 82nd St $775,000:9016 225th Ave $285,000:6322 45th St 41 Wheatland
$206,026:6452 127th ST $495,000:8518 226th Ave $226,000:3607 96th Ave
$183,500:6551 Meadowlands Cir 4D $338,000:24626 121st Pl $200,000:6310 43rd St 93 $400,000:5808 352nd Ave
$165,000:12120 44th Ave $303,000:9942 272nd Ave $157,000:510 13th St $224,900:32805 48th St
$175,000:6805 102nd St 10C $312,900:22241 85th Pl $135,000:512 10th St $190,000:7563 335th Ave
$141,000:8060 Lexington Pl 6 $274,900:12135 220th Ave $189,900:6430 347th Ave
$142,000:8060 Lexington Pl 10 $197,000:26702 108th St Twin Lakes $133,000:8012 335th Ave
$137,000:24941 87th St 2 $25,000:Lt0 76th St
HP $158,500:27637 115th St $352,500:548 McCole Rd
$139,900:23634 124th St $375,000:1229 Winged Foot Dr JULY 11 - AUGUST 15, 2019 HOMESPLUS Page 15
$338,000:2207 Laurie Ct

HP071119

HOMESPLUS JUNE 13 - JULY 10, 2019


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