My backyard

[Everglades W68]

The cocunut palms have only a few coconuts this year due to the extremely cold winter and dry spring. The fronds still show some of the damage.

[Everglades W68]

Re: My backyard



Resurrection ferns growing on a sabal palm in the front yard. The other big green leaf visible is a selloum philodendron.

[Everglades W68]

Re: My backyard

This is a normal amount of coconuts on a tree.

[Everglades W68]

Re: My backyard

I cut down some limbs from the bottle brush trees on the side of the house. They'll grow back within three months. Bottle brush trees are weak and can damage the house if the big branches fall on the house in a storm. Therefore, we keep cutting them back each year near the beginning of hurricane season. I was a little late in doing the cutting this year.

The neighbor's grass is getting tall because he has abandoned his house.

[96RS Alex]

Re: My backyard

Doing weed control today. My backyard facing the northeast:



Facing south:



Facing west, jacuzzi spa with live waterfall action ;)

[Everglades W68]

Re: My backyard

Nice pool, alex. You need some plants / trees!

[Everglades W68]

Re: My backyard

The trees after Hurricane Wilma:

[Everglades W68]

Re: My backyard

After Wilma


Now

[sac2165]

Re: My backyard

Looks like some Miami Vice action going on there.. :tup:

[Everglades W68]

Re: My backyard

Lubber grasshopper


Obligatory photo of Firebird in my driveway:

[espey_16]

Re: My backyard

Need a roommate? Nice place!

[2.8 Bird]

Re: My backyard

You have a nice house. Nice property.

[96RS Alex]

Re: My backyard

Nice pool, alex. You need some plants / trees!

I'll take the trees and plants minus the grasshopper as it won't live long under the watch of these wild birds that take residence around here. That sucker is huge and probably will win in a fight maybe haha!

The damage from Wilma is stunning I see, I was about to ask what that abandoned house would go for on the market since I'm throwing too much money here in decadent Connecticut, I just want the BEST return of my money ya know?

I have surfed the realty sites near places like yours. Weston is gorgeous. I also like Ft Lauderdale too. Someday I'll be a snowbird and fly to check out Boca Raton's million dollar homes. I easily got swept up with your real estate opportunities there. I don't have kids, I have 4 Camaros plus 1 Trans Am so I'd look for large garage space as well.

The first rule of real estate: Location, Location, Location. Congrats on a beautiful home Everglades.

[Everglades W68]

Re: My backyard

I was about to ask what that abandoned house would go for on the market since I'm throwing too much money here in decadent Connecticut, I just want the BEST return of my money ya know?

The house next door is probably valued at about $300,000 right now. It is a 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom house with a pool, about 2700 square feet plus the two car garage. The interior is in horrible condition - you'd need to do at least $30,000 worth of fix-up to make it livable. To bring it up ot the level of most other houses in the neighborhood, you're looking at a total of $50-$100K. There are no "upgrades" or anything right now. It looks like there might be mold in the ventilation system - so that could easily add another $10-$20K more in repair costs. The pool is a relatively small free-form shape with an elevated jacuzzi. It is totally dark green right now. The one thing the owner did do was add a decent amount of lnadscaping to the lot. The are about a dozen nice ornamental palms around the yard. If the house was in decent condition, you could sell the house for $375,000.

Most houses in this area had their roof tiles replaced after Wilma; however, this one has not been replaced.

The owner bought the bouse for $590,000. When he moved in, he told me what a "great deal" he got. The house has mortgages totalling $585,000 on it plus homeowner association liens for over a year's worth of unpaid dues (the total to cure that would be at least $5000).The homeowner's association mows the lawn about once a month, so I'm sure that's getting added to the balance due also.

From the outside, the house looks OK - and the HOA is doing their part by keeping the lawn reasonably under control, so it is not a big ugly mess from our point of view.

I have not seen the banks (Chase and Citibank) take any action yet, so it must be lost in their paperwork shuffle for now. Citibank holds the second mortgage, so they are completely SOL.

Bottom line is, I'd say you are looking at $305,000 to buy the house plus at least $30-40K to make it decent. New roof tiles are about $30K more. But - that's a big IF Chase (or whoever owns the mortgage now) is willing to take their loss and sell the house.

[VF1Skullangel]

Re: My backyard

To think I might be florida bound soon :)