Contributed photo xoxo and photo by John HoffBlog post by John Hoff
This should have been my weekend with my son, Alex, but an emergency with live cargo flew me on short notice to Tucson, Arizona. With the help of a strong work ethic and enormous amounts of caffeine, I drove back in time to salvage today, Sunday, for visitation.
So! With such a relatively short weekend, what kind of good quality father-son activity could we accomplish together? Taking a friend's dog for a walk around the Jordan pond, we spotted signs stuck in the grassy boulevards of our neighborhood, where they don't belong. The boulevards of NoMi are not...
...free advertising space for low-end flippers and wannabe slumlords. So about an hour ago, Alex and I went fishing and caught our limit. While walking, we waved cheefully to neighbors--Ann Yin with her husband and daugher, CC, as well as the Wagners at their new investment property on the Jordan Pond. Deb Wagner came to the door and we showed off our haul. She was elated and said she'd been planning to pull up the signs herself.
Of course, I thought, plenty more signs where those came from! We got six. Anybody care to get more and contribute a photo?
What will we do with the signs, you might ask? Answer: kindling for backyard bonfires as we eat, drink, and endlessly plot revitalization.
So! With such a relatively short weekend, what kind of good quality father-son activity could we accomplish together? Taking a friend's dog for a walk around the Jordan pond, we spotted signs stuck in the grassy boulevards of our neighborhood, where they don't belong. The boulevards of NoMi are not...
...free advertising space for low-end flippers and wannabe slumlords. So about an hour ago, Alex and I went fishing and caught our limit. While walking, we waved cheefully to neighbors--Ann Yin with her husband and daugher, CC, as well as the Wagners at their new investment property on the Jordan Pond. Deb Wagner came to the door and we showed off our haul. She was elated and said she'd been planning to pull up the signs herself.
Of course, I thought, plenty more signs where those came from! We got six. Anybody care to get more and contribute a photo?
What will we do with the signs, you might ask? Answer: kindling for backyard bonfires as we eat, drink, and endlessly plot revitalization.
I called 952-846-7455 and left a message with We Buy Houses. I'll let you know if they call back.
ReplyDeleteIs it illegal to place those signs where they were?
ReplyDeleteNice job picking up the signs. You've inspired me, and helped solve my kindling problem.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Yes! The boulevards are not free advertising space for anybody who comes along and puts signs there.
ReplyDeleteIf they were, wouldn't there already be dozens of signs on every boulevard?
The adjacent property owner is responsible for maintaining the boulevard--yes, mowing too!--so if property owners sometimes put yard sale signs or whatever there, it's often overlooked and tolerated.However, this was a case of somebody just coming in and planting a crop of signs on the boulevard like, oh, this space belongs to anybody who wants it. Well, I say the KINDLING WOOD belongs to anybody who wants it.
Plant your crappy signs on the boulevards of NoMi and they will be kindling wood.
advertising and political Signs are considered graffiti
ReplyDeletewhether they are on public or private land.
Hey We Buy Houses Hater,
ReplyDeleteDid you ever think for a minute or maybe two that the "we buy houses", signs were put out to save you or your fellow neighbors from foreclosure. Possibly to save them from living in a homeless shelter or worse on the streets or abandoned properties? Have you seen any boarded abandoned homes around the areas that the signs were posted? HMMMMM, Maybe it's not your so called slum lords that you refer to them as being. Hope you enjoyed your bonfire...........
I doubt it. And, yes, we're enjoying our bonfires very much and now our new game of sign pinata, check out the recent video posted on YouTube!
ReplyDeletethanks, I was looking for that number but somebody knocked the sign down.
ReplyDeleteDon't lament the vacant buildings all over the North Side if you hurt the industry that takes junk and makes it liveable again.
Gotta love anonymous' logic. Are we to believe that the only way to run a legitimate junk hauling service is to advertise illegally? Of course, the service is valuable. but that doesn't mean people should have to deal with illegal ads in their neighborhoods. There are plenty of ways to find out who hauls junk without illegal ads littering the neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteAnd, it's it a bit ironic to have junk haulers creating litter of their own?
I don't live in your area but I will tell you that the true real estate investors do help areas by revitalizing homes that the owners don't have the money to fix and no buyer can get financing for.
ReplyDeleteIf these type of homes are not bought and revitalized then they often become dilapidated boarded up homes that has to be bulldozed at taxpayer expense.
Many of these homes have been on the market for 2+ years and the only buyers that would buy them would be an investor.
I'll tell ya Chuck. With all the negative publicity this blog gives north Minneapolis, can see why a house would sit on the market for years. Why would anyone want to live in a gang infested, prostitute laden, slumlord managed community where all you see is crime scene tape and urban blight.
ReplyDeleteThis blog is the Realtors' nightmare.
Some jerky really could have said..
ReplyDeleteI don't live in your area but I will tell you that the slumlords do help areas by revitalizing homes that the previous slumlords don't have the money to fix and no buyer can get financing for due to declining property values, caused in part by mass foreclosures of previous slumlord investments.
(Missed this thought completely in your comment that could pass for a spam for slumlords post- I went ahead and added it.) In addition, slumlords often with the help of section 8, bring new blood into the hood, some of this new blood even ends up on the streets and sidewalks. Slumlord investment in residential properties has the strong support of local liquor license holders and the gun dealers.
(Back to the op's train of thought.)
If these type of homes are not bought and revitalized then they often become dilapidated boarded up homes that has to be bulldozed at taxpayer expense. The taxpayers pay for this because the slumlords took the money and ran!
Many of these slumlord owned homes have been on the market for 2+ years and the only buyers that would buy them would be another slumlord investor.
I hear Mitt R say that his business "buddies" can buy up these homes and RENT to the people.Sounds SLUMMY to me. Let the Serfs RENT. Unchain their hands so as to sign the SLUMMY agreement, eh? In the same breath he said "if he were elected Prez, he'll let WALL STREET FIX IT!" Really Mitt?
ReplyDeleteMONTANA