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Permalink Reply by Margy Meath on August 29, 2009 at 8:42am

wow only 19,000..... does this mean that the owner didn't have insurance?? or chose not to use it to rehab the house??

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Permalink Reply by Shawn on August 29, 2009 at 12:27pm

I know right? It is owned by CMC PROPERTIES OF ROCH LLC as per the City of Rochester property tax website. The assessed value before the fire was 64,700. The land value is valued at 5,700. So depending on what it would take to rehab the place, it could be a bargain. But if the place was torn down, then 19,000 is way to much. A search of the City's tax site shows that they also own 2 other pr.... 112 - 114 Gillette St. and 46 - 48 Pioneer St. It looks like the three units were taken care of pretty well. I know 303 Penhurst never stood out.

It looks like it's a case of the owner would not be able to make any money after investing in rehabbing the place. That's the problem when homes become a business interest instead of owner occupied. They look out for their money first, and not the best interest of the community and neighborhood. It's sad really.

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Permalink Reply by Marian Boutet on September 7, 2009 at 12:33am

We have a similar situation next door to us. The house at 266 Melrose had a fire that burned the basement and kitchen, and caused extensive smoke damage throughout. The owner's insurance company wouldn't pay for the kind of restoration that would put it back to its original condition, so after six months of negotiating with them she gave up and bought another house. She put this one up for sale, and it drew several offers within a few days, one of which she accepted.

We had similar concerns about it's being neglected or repaired by the lowest bidder, so we brought the neighbors together to discuss the situation and decide what to do (we had formed a block club about 6 months ago, so everyone already knew each other). We stayed in close contact with the real estate agent and the owner, let them know of our concerns, and just last week found out who the new owner is. We know that he owns 8-10 other properties in the 19th Ward, so we're very concerned that he'll turn this one into something other than what we'd like to see. We've also heard that he currently lives on Genesee Park Blvd., but intends to move into this house when it's repaired, so when the sale closes, we'll invite him to a block club meeting to say "Hello" and welcome him. Of course, we'll watch the property like hawks!

So, that would be our advice: stay in touch with the seller's agent and the seller. Keep your collective eye on the property. Report anything that looks iffy to Kristin and 911. Contact the new owner when it sells and let him know what you expect.

Good luck!

Marian

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Permalink Reply by Mark Sweetland on September 7, 2009 at 1:43am

Marian,

What excellent advice, and key is neighbor involvement. Block clubs are the way to have some solidarity, and I know Shawn is working on that.

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