RadioBanter - View Single Post - Need info on antenna issues in Minneapolis area

April 19th 04, 10:03 PM

(Cathy James) wrote in message . com...
Greetings all,

I am planning to move to the western suburbs of Minneapolis soon, and
would like to know if there are any communities that I should
specifically "look at" or "avoid" due to restrictions on ham radio
antennas or other issues.

Even apart from ham radio issues, I prefer rural to urban, but commute
time to the areas on the west side of downtown is an issue preventing
me from being too far out. Mound is probably the western limit of
what I am willing to consider.

Right now I am looking at Mound, Champlin, and Maple Grove. My
realtor is generally helpful, but amateur radio is a mystery to her
and I do not think she is used to getting such requests.

Cathy:

First off, you need the services of a good *real estate* attorney. Not
just any lawyer will do; you need someone who does RE as a specialty
and who deals with CC&Rs (codes, covenants and restrictions) on a
daily basis. Make sure the attorney understands that his/her job is to
dig up any and all restrictions on any property you might be
interested in *before* you sign anything.

Second, require that you and your attorney be provided with a complete
and up-to-date set of the deed, title and all covenants and deed
restrictions *before* you make an offer, and read them thoroughly.
Sometimes they are part of the deed/title itself but often they are
not. States differ widely and you may need to be a bit insistent on
what you want to see. Almost all properties built in the past 40-50
years have some sort of restrictions, and those built in the last 30
years often have lots and lots of restrictions of various types. Note
that most restrictions are intentionally designed to be *impossible*
to change, and that by signing on the dotted line you agree to abide
by *all* of them.

Third, try to educate the realtor. Show her some typical amateur
antenna installations so she has a better idea of what it is you want
to put up. Terms like "antenna tower" mean different things to
different people.

Fourth, realize that most but not all of the people involved in a real
estate transaction only get paid if you actually buy a house. No sale
= no comission/fees/taxes.

In my case the realtor and attorney were able to get me a complete
copy of the restrictions fairly easily. They were *not* part of the
deed/title documents - instead, those documents referred to the
restrictions, which had to be retrieved from the county courthouse
records. I had to ask specifically to see them early on in the
transaction - if I hadn't insisted, I would never have seen them at
all. Until somebody complained.

Even though my house is over 50 years old and there has never been any
sort of home owner's association, there were a page and a half of
restrictions. Most of them seem a bit comical today (no raising
livestock on a property that is 60 x 120 feet) or have been superseded
by more-restrictive township ordinances (setbacks, advertising
signage, noise). No mention of antennas but I can't have a
freestanding tower (or a shed) with a concrete base because that would
constitute a "structure" and only the house and garage structures are
permitted.
Doesn't matter to me because there's no room for a tower anyway but
that's the sort of thing to look for.

Good luck!

73 de Jim, N2EY