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Q: Moving to 40 years old house..what to consider? ( Answered,   6 Comments )
Question  
Subject: Moving to 40 years old house..what to consider?
Category: Family and Home > Home
Asked by: lookingforoldhome-ga
List Price: $20.00
Posted: 26 Oct 2003 00:26 PDT
Expires: 24 Nov 2003 23:26 PST
Question ID: 269757
We live in California Bay area in an apartment complex with two kids.
I don't like apartment life and planning to rent a single family
house. We have seen few houses and my wife and I like this particular
one, a 40 yrs old single story house. It definitely meets our
requriements. However since this is the first time moving to a old
house I can't make up mind and have the following questions.

1. How do I know about the neighbours and neighbourhood. This is a
very important factor. Last thing I want is to move and find an
unruly, rude neighbour and not living next to a criminal. Where to
find the information If the neighbourhood is safe?

2. Any hidden surprises in the house since it's 40 yrs old. What
should I look for when inspecting the house (like plumbing, sewage,
water, electrical wiring etc..) to know there is no problem.

3. Though the climate in Bay area doesn't go to extremes this house
doesn't have any A/C but heaters are available. Can I live without A/C
in a single story home?

4. There is no alarm system in the house. If I travel my wife and kids
will be alone and if someone breaks in..that's a scary situation. The
landlord assures me that there is no problem in this area. I don't see
"Protected by" boards in the neighboring houses and assume they are
also in the same situation. If I decide to do it on my own is it worth
it? How expensive is to install alarms ( i mean get the security
company to do it).

5. When I sign the agreement is there a clause wherein the landlord
will have to fix any problem in the house within xx days at his/her
expense.

6. The tenant application asks for SSN, Driver license number, salary,
two credit references includig credit card number. Do I have to
provide those. I'm uncomfortable to share these information to an
unknown person. But I do have a credit report. Is it enough to give
the credit report or the landlord legally have rights to get these
information.

Clarification of Question by lookingforoldhome-ga on 27 Oct 2003 00:22 PST
Hello Chz-ga,

Thanks for your help.

For your question on the location of the house, it's located in
Fremont very near BART.
Answer  
Subject: Re: Moving to 40 years old house..what to consider?
Answered By: czh-ga on 02 Nov 2003 17:01 PST
 
Hello lookingforoldhome-ga,

Thank you for letting me know that you’re planning on moving to
Fremont. I’ve collected a wide variety of resources to help put your
mind at rest about your new community. Fremont is a very diverse,
highly-educated and very safe city. The links below will give you
specific information and statistics.

I’ve also collected links to the California laws and regulations
relating to tenant rights along with some resource sites that answer
frequently asked questions  on this topic. This will complement the
excellent general information you’ve received from the Comments on
your question.

I hope that the information I’ve collected will put your mind at rest
about your planned move.

I wish you well in your new home.

~ czh ~


=============================
FREMONT – GENERAL INFORMATION
=============================

http://homes.wsj.com/cityprofiles/fremont_ca.html
Real Estate Journal -- The Wall Street Journal Guide to Property
home > city profiles > fremont, ca
***** This is a terrific demographic profile of Fremont.

-----------------------------------------------------


http://www.abag.org
The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) is one of more than 560
regional planning agencies across the nation working to help solve
problems in areas such as land use, housing, environmental quality,
and economic development.

***** This is a wonderful site for researching the questions you
asked. The search capability is very useful.

-----------------------------------------------------


http://www.ci.fremont.ca.us/Business/default.htm
Fremont is a progressive and multi-culturally diverse city
(population: 209,000) centrally located in Silicon Valley.  It is the
4th largest City in the San Francisco Bay Area.

http://www.ci.fremont.ca.us/sitemap.htm
http://www.ci.fremont.ca.us/Business/MarketProfile/FremontCityFacts.htm
Fremont City Facts 
This City Facts publication provides a quick glance at Fremont's:
 -- Demographics 
 -- Location 
 -- Quality of Life 
 -- City contacts 

-----------------------------------------------------


http://realtytimes.com/rtmcrloc/California~Fremont
Market Conditions Summary for Fremont, California

These agents are in the field every day. Who knows the market better
than the people who work it on a regular basis? Click on the "MORE"
link after each summary to find out more about each agent and their
opinion of the Real Estate market for this community.

***** This is a collection of opinions from real estate agents
commenting on the housing market in Fremont. Although the comments
refer to homes for sale, the insights provided about the city and its
quality of life might be interesting to you.

-----------------------------------------------------


http://www.edab.org/
East Bay Economic Development Alliance for Business

***** This site offers a wide variety of resources for additional
information about the East Bay. The Information for Researchers tab
will take you to topics that are related to your question.


=====================
FREMONT NEIGHBORHOODS
=====================

http://www.ci.fremont.ca.us/Business/QualityOfLife/default.htm
Quality of Life

***** Be sure to explore the whole website. It is very comprehensive
and provides background information on all the concerns you have about
moving to Fremont. The Community and Recreation tabs on the home page
are especially helpful for evaluating the quality of life issues.

http://www.ci.fremont.ca.us/Business/MarketProfile/FremontCityFacts.htm
Fremont City Facts 

***** See Page 3 of the Fremont City Facts publication for information
about demographics and education level. Fremont’s population is
exceptionally diverse and well-educated.

http://www.ci.fremont.ca.us/AboutFremont/Demographics/default.htm
Fremont  -- Demographics 
With a population of more than 209,000 people, Fremont is the 4th
largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area.

***** Click on the links to get the tables by  Age, Educational
Levels, Ethnicity, Income, and Population.

http://www.ci.fremont.ca.us/Construction/Redevelopment/default.htm
Redevelopment 	

The City of Fremont Redevelopment Agency, which is housed in the
Office of Housing and Redevelopment, is dedicated to the
revitalization of the historic commercial centers of Centerville,
Irvington, and Niles and to affordable housing initiatives throughout
Fremont. Office of Housing and Redevelopment staff can provide site
selection, permit guidance, and demographic information to new or
existing businesses within the Redevelopment Project Areas.

***** You can download the 70-page Implementation Plan for the
Redevelopment Plan of the City of Fremont adopted June 10, 2003 and
find out about specific neighborhoods and their status in the
redevelopment plan.


============================
FREMONT HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS
============================

http://www.ci.fremont.ca.us/Construction/default.htm
http://www.ci.fremont.ca.us/Construction/BuildingInspection/Default.htm
Building Inspection 
Before the construction of a new building or the remodeling of or
addition to any existing structure in the City of Fremont, permits
must be obtained.

***** The contact numbers are listed for all the relevant planning and
permits departments.

http://usgovinfo.about.com/cs/consumer/a/aausrents.htm
June 16, 2003 -- Californians Pay Highest Median Rent: Census 

Think your rent is high? Try renting in Irvine, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara
or Fremont, California, where median gross rents all top $1,200 a
month according to a new report from the Census Bureau.
California cities claimed nine out-of-ten spots on Census 2000's list
of highest rents among large U.S. cities.


==============================
FREMONT CLIMATE CONSIDERATIONS
==============================

http://www.ci.fremont.ca.us/AboutFremont/Climate/default.htm
Fremont -- Climate 

Fremont has one of the mildest temperatures of any city in the Bay
Area.
See the charts below for Maximum and Minimum temperatures in Fremont.
All temperatures are in Fahrenheit.


http://www.wdc.ndin.net/fremont_climate.html
FREMONT, California -- CLIMATE SUMMARY


=======================================================
FREMONT CRIME RATES AND COMMUNITY SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS
=======================================================

http://www.fremontpolice.org/
Fremont Police Department

http://www.fremontpolice.org/ra/stats.html
These are the Crime Statistics for the City of Fremont. The catagories
correspond with The Federal Bureau of Investigations Crime Statistics
for Part I and Part II Crimes. If you are interested in looking at the
statistics in the neighborhood that you live within, just click the
hyper-link below.

***** In addition to reviewing the current Crime Statistics you can
also click through for additional information about your neighborhood.
Look for additional categories of public safety information under the
News & Helpful Information tab on the home page.

-----------------------------------------------------


http://www.ci.fremont.ca.us/PublicSafety/PoliceDepartment/default.htm
Police Department 
The Police Department is responsible for the safeguarding of citizens'
lives and property, the preservation of constitutional rights, and
neighborhood problem solving.

***** Follow the Quick Links for police department services.

-----------------------------------------------------


http://www.123freeinsurancequote.com/Auto-Insurance/Fremont.html
About Fremont , CA :-

Fremont is well known for its ethnically and culturally diverse family
oriented communities. Fremont has one of the lowest crime rates in the
country's 100 largest cities. The population of Fremont is over
188,000 individuals. Fremont is California's 5th largest city, with a
land mass of 92 square miles and is located south of San Francisco and
just north of San Jose. Due to its proximity to major universities,
shopping areas, recreational and cultural activities, major airports,
the Bay Area Rapid Transit system, Fremont captures modern day living
at its best. Fremont boasts 46 city parks, the San Francisco National
Wildlife Refuge, Coyote Hills Regional Park, and a large variety of
other various indoor and outdoor attractions make this an attractive
place in which to either live or play.


==============================================
CALIFORNIA TENANT RIGHTS AND RENTAL AGREEMENTS
==============================================

http://www.dca.ca.gov/legal/landlordbook/
State of California, Department of Consumer Affairs
California Tenants - A Guide to Residential Tenants' and Landlords'
Rights and Responsibilities - 2003 Edition

The California Tenants Guide, a leading, practical resource for both
tenants and landlords, has been updated with information on new state
laws for 2003. Readers will also find an expanded inventory checklist
and other helpful enhancements.

***** This is an 80-page document that should be able to provide
answers to your questions 5 and 6. See page 11 for Rental Agreements
and Leases and pages 24 – 32 for Repairs and Habitability.

-----------------------------------------------------


http://www.ci.fremont.ca.us/Community/Housing/LandlordTenant.htm
Landlord Tenant Advice 

The City of Fremont contracts with Project Sentinel to provide
information to tenants and landlords on their rights and
responsibilities.

-----------------------------------------------------


http://www.tenant.net/Other_Areas/Calif/
California Tenants Rights

A compilation of resources dealing with landlord-tenant laws in the
state of California. The information below is presented for ease of
accessibility. Links to original sites are provided if possible --
they may retain a copyright and may have more recent updates.

-----------------------------------------------------


http://directory.tenantsunion.org/california.html
California -- Resources for renters

-----------------------------------------------------


http://rental-housing.com/rental/tencredit.htm
Credit Reporting & Tenant's Rights

-----------------------------------------------------


http://www.cahomesforservice.org/incoming/legal.html
California Rental Primer

The landlord may ask you what kind of job you have, your monthly
income, and other information that shows your ability to pay the rent.
It is illegal for the landlord to ask you questions about your race,
color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation,
or age. It also is illegal for the landlord to ask whether you have
persons under the age of 18 living in your household, whether you are
married, or whether you have a disability.

The landlord or the landlord’s agent will probably use your rental
application to check your credit history and past landlord-tenant
relations. The landlord may obtain your credit report from a credit
reporting agency to help him or her decide whether to rent to you.
Credit reporting agencies (or "credit bureaus") keep records of
people’s credit histories, called "credit reports." Credit reports
state whether a person has been reported as being late in paying
bills, has been the subject of an unlawful detainer lawsuit, or has
filed bankruptcy.

When you submit a rental application, the landlord may charge you an
application screening fee. The landlord may charge up to $30, and may
use the fee to cover the cost of obtaining information about you, such
as checking your personal references and obtaining a credit report on
you.The application fee cannot legally be more than the landlord’s
actual out-of-pocket costs, and can never be more than $30.



===============
SEARCH STRATEGY
===============

Fremont California
fremont california houses for rent
california tenant rights credit reports
Comments  
Subject: Re: Moving to 40 years old house..what to consider?
From: tlspiegel-ga on 26 Oct 2003 00:50 PDT
 
hi lookingforoldhome,

I can offer a suggestion for:

 "Where to find the information If the neighbourhood is safe?"

What I did before purchasing my home was contact the police department
in my area.  I asked them to fax me a 5 year/5 mile grid of all
incidents within my area.  Within minutes I knew exact stats on crime
or the lack of it where I wanted to buy.  You can specify years and
distances for the grid.

This same information is available online for my city.  

Best regards and Good Luck on your move!
tlspiegel
Subject: Re: Moving to 40 years old house..what to consider?
From: knowledge_seeker-ga on 26 Oct 2003 08:23 PST
 
One thought regarding children - when you look at the house, check the
neighborhood for signs of children in the same age range as yours. If
it turns out that the neighborhood is primarily retired people, or if
your kids are teens and all the other residents are young couples with
small children, your kids will have trouble finding nearby friends to
play with and you're going to spend your life driving them places.

Also, you can get a good sense of a neighborhood by checking out the
quality of the local schools. Make an appointment with the principal
to visit the school your children would be attending.

Good luck with your move -

-K~
Subject: Re: Moving to 40 years old house..what to consider?
From: pinkfreud-ga on 26 Oct 2003 08:47 PST
 
When considering an older house, it's worthwhile to hire a
professional to check for termites. It is amazing how much damage
these insects can inflict upon a house before the damage becomes
visible to the casual observer. Termites can literally eat a house
from the inside out. By the time you notice them, all the wood in your
house may be hollow shells.
Subject: Re: Moving to 40 years old house..what to consider?
From: czh-ga on 26 Oct 2003 13:08 PST
 
Hello lookingforoldhome-ga,

I live on the Peninsula in a home that was built in the late sixties.
I chuckled when I read your question because I never considered my
home to be "old" even as I watched the neighborhood go through
genarational waves of kids growing up, neighbors retiring and now
watching a whole new generation of younger families moving in. My
perspective may be influenced by the fact that I'm still close to my
relatives in Europe and enjoy visits to my grandmother's house which
has been in the family for a couple of hundred years.

I don't think anyone can answer all your questions unless you give us
more information about where in the Bay Area you plan to live. After
all, we're famous for our microclimates. I don't have air conditioning
and would love to have it about 3 days per year. I usually don't turn
on the heater in the house until the beginning of December and turn it
off by the middle of April. On the other hand, my sister in Concord
deals with temperatures hovering near 100 most of the summer.

The demographics of the community where you live will determine the
answers to some of your other questions. Hillsborough, Piedmont, or
Danville are very different from San Bruno, Oakland or Pittsburg. How
rich the community is will have enormous bearing on the quality of the
schools and civic safety.

The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG)  http://www.abag.org
has a wonderful website that can help you explore many of these
issues. Check out the earthquake maps for fun.

Tell us more about the location of the house you're considering and
I'm sure someone will be able to help you. Without additional
information there are far too many variable to be able to give you a
satisfactory answer.

Good luck on your house hunt.

~ czh ~
Subject: Re: Moving to 40 years old house..what to consider?
From: punzel-ga on 27 Oct 2003 17:59 PST
 
i just re-read and see that you are RENTING, not buying.  that changes
what i was going to say to some degree, but i still have a few
suggestions which i hope will prove helpful:

1.  safety of neighborhood:    VISIT -- LOOK AROUND - - - visit the
neighbors first - knock on doors after work [not at suppertime tho],
tell them you're thinking of renting nearby and just ask them how they
like the area.  you can tell a lot about a neighborhood also by the
condition of the other houses - are they painted, kept up?  roofs,
siding, awnings, porches, fences in good repair?  are the lawns neatly
mowed, edged, etc.  - also toys in the yard tells you a lot abeout the
aged of chidren nearby -- and if they are left outside, most likely
the neighborhood doesn't get robbed a lot...   are flowers planted, or
not?  are there abandoned, broken or junk cars around?    ask the
landlord about turnover in the house - if lotsa people moving in/out
quickly, that may say something about the neighborhood OR the house
itself.   the posted comment about getting police crime reports is
excellent; usu. doesn't take long to get them & is a wonderful way to
find out about break-ins, etc.

2.  condition of home:   the owner/landlord has a DUTY under the laws
of most states to be sure the home is in good repair, safe and fit for
habitation.  you might check into what they are required to disclose
to renters, also.   you definitely want it to be safe for your family.
 the city has CODE ENFORCEMENT that requires owners to comply with
certain safety standards.  i would simply ASK THE LANDLORD/LEASING
AGENT - whoever you are working with - tell them you are concerned and
you want to know what was done & when.  are any other repairs planned?
 and if so, what & can they be done BEFORE you move in.   it is
usually a "rule" that walls are painted in between tenants.

2(a) -- plumbing, sewage, electrical:   unless you are a professional
plumber, heating/air repairman, or electrician, you are not going to
know just by looking if ANY of these items are in good repair or are
safe.   if you feel that the landlord/owner has not inspected
carefully & that there might be major problems, ask them when was the
last time a certified inspector checked over the house?  what repairs
have been done in the past 3 years on major items like plumbing or
electrical?  hiring an inspector on your own is expensive, but you may
feel it is worth the money and peace of mind.  in my area in the
southern U.S., a certified/qualified home inspector charges about $200
to do a complete top-to-bottom inspection.

3.   alarm system:  it is worth the money & time.   in my area most of
the home alarm security companies run specials where you pay for the
alarm installation & will get free monitoring for so many months, or
free system & you pay for monitoring.  at a minimum, you can have the
doors done & a keypad alarm for entering/exiting.   to be more secure,
clear away obstructions from around windows where burglars might be
able to hide - tall bushes, etc.  {you may need to get permission to
do major landscape alteration, however}.  HOME SAFETY is  also another
really good reason to get to know your neighbors -- they will know
when you're home or gone & can help watch out for strangers, and you
can do the same for them.

3.(a)   on this subject also - most cities REQUIRE that owners of
rental houses install SMOKE ALARMS -- make sure your house has these
in all the required places.   your local fire dept. probably has
pamphlets that show where they should be installed in all homes
[kitchen, near any fireplace or furnace, and outside all bedrooms].  
if they are already there, put NEW BATTERIES IN ALL OF THEM when you
move in, just to make sure they work, and TEST THEM once a month.

3.(b)   depending on the type of HEATING SYSTEM, you may also wish to
have CARBON-MONOXIDE detectors.  again, ask the leasing agent or
landlord or whoever you are dealing with about these.  it should be an
OWNER-paid item, probably a requirement of their insurance carrier
also.   either way, cheap investment in your family's safety, even if
you have to buy them yourself.

4.  list any repair items & time to fix them in agreement:   again, i
would inspect thoroughly, do a complete walk-through with landlord -
and put in WRITING anything you note that is broken, needs repair,
etc.   those things should be fixed BEFORE YOU move in.   this list
will protect you when your lease agreement is up/over - so that, if
the condition existed when you moved in, and was not corrected, you
will not be blamed for it and they will not be able to withhold any of
your security deposit.

5.  tenant application -- i would be surprised if you had not had to
provide all that info to rent the apartment where you now live.   it
is not at all unusual for any rental application to ask for all that &
much more.   providing them with a credit report will not suffice -
they will want to verify on their own, and they should do so.  also,
your credit report has most of that information on it anyway.  no
responsible landlord/leasing agent/homeowner would rent to anyone
without a good background check of employment, references, and a
current credit check.  in most states they have a right to this
information.  they also have a duty to protect the confidentiality of
your personal information, too.

6.  one last word on safety of your potential new neighbors:   most
states now have a law that requires all sex offenders to be registered
- the nearest police station to the house you are thinking to rent
will have a list WITH PHOTOGRAPHS of any registered sex offenders in
your neighborhood.  make it a point to drop by the local police
station and check this out, especially if you have small children.

good luck, and i hope you find what you are looking for.
Subject: Re: Moving to 40 years old house..what to consider?
From: safehome-ga on 25 Jan 2005 10:38 PST
 
SafeHome has just released a new Smoke Detector that Alerts your
Neighbors when it senses smoke in your home(www.safehome.net). I deal
for older homes.

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