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Mike Coslo · July 17th 08, 04:18 AM posted to rec.radio.amateur.moderated

wrote in news:ada680e6-7277-4ad6-80c7-7ff2cd39d8d7
@m44g2000hsc.googlegroups.com:

On Jul 16, 3:30 pm, Michael Coslo wrote:

snippage

As I peruse through the real estate guides, I'm struck by the number of
homes that are available that do not have restrictive covenants. Even
the village that I live in does not have ban antennas. So I have a nice
woodsey atmosphere, and can do most of the things I want. I wasn't
allowed to set up my still to make corn squeezins! hehe

But my point is that if people are looking for a house, there are
options. It's also very important to read all that boring stuff. I
wonder how many Hams who live in a place that prohibits antennas read
the fineprint.

There are plenty of unrestricted places on the market *now*, because
of the RE market slump and the mortgage crisis.

But not so long ago, it was a different game. At least around here,
houses would often be sold the afternoon they went on the market. It was
not unusual for a house to have multiple offers above the asking price
with a preapproved mortgage and no conditions on the offer.

I can't make too many excuses for those who are in large part
responsible for the terrible mess we are in today.

When we bought our house, we told the RE agent what we were going to
pay, what we were going to accept, and what we weren't. Given that we
planned on buying a house for about 60 percent of the Max amount that the
bank would loan us, the Real Estate people were always trying to push us up
into a higher price range. We fired 2 agents before we landed a good one.

The rest we invested very conservatively. And the real estate agents
and many friends condsidered me an idiot - until recently

In such a market, simply finding out if a place was antenna-restricted
is a real problem. There are deed restrictions on my 1950-built house
(none address antennas) but to find them out my RE lawyer had to go to the
county courthouse and ask the right person for them.

Yup, that's what you have to do

You can only buy a house that is for sale at the time you are looking
to buy. If you happen to need to move at a time when the market is hot,
you're at a distinct disadvantage.

A sound piece of financial advice is never ever buy a house under duress!
Liv in an apartment or rental house for a while if need be, but never buy
because you think you have to. There will be a lot of time to repent at
leisure.

Another tactic is to ask if you can put up an antenna, and if the answer
is no, then politely say, "Too bad-see you later!". If the real estate
agent loses a few sales for something silly like that, then they will
start looking into it.

Yes and no.

For one thing, *NEVER* take a verbal response as binding in such a
situation. Just because the seller or the agent says "yes" or "we can get
that changed" does NOT mean there are no restrictions! You and your RE
attorney need to see the actual documents themselves and go over every
word to make sure there are no restrictions.

Agreed! Our attorney is great, and he worked for the money we paid him.
Checked out all the restrictions and everything else. (as s side note, he
refused to participate in any of the wacky mortgages that have been going
around.

For example, the word "antenna" may not appear anywhere. But there may
be
a restriction that says "No structure may exceed a height of 35
feet" (or whatever). A tower
may be considered a structure in that situation, so if you want a 50
foot tower, you're out
of luck.

Deed covenants and restrictions are usually designed so that they
cannot easily be removed even if all parties want to remove them. The
usual way it works is that each buyer agrees, when
buying the property, to pass them on to the next buyer. So the seller,
and the seller's agent,may not have the right to remove them even if s/he
wants to!

For me it is pretty simple. I don't buy unless the glove fits my hand. If I
want to put up an antenna, I'm going to make sure that I can.

I'd have to respectfully say that too many people seem to think that they
have to buy the house, whatever is offered. I walked away from several
houses when I was looking. It isn't my responsibility to buy the house.

Once the sale is done and you've moved in, it's too late.

IMHO, one of the biggest mistakes many people make is assuming that
because they've read the Constitution, they don't need a lawyer for
things like buying a house. In many situations that's a sure-fire path to
problems.

Never looked at it that way Jim, but that's the truth! We had our lawyer in
the picture from the start - and he was worth every cent we paid him.

Some other problems:

1) A considerable number of hams today were not hams when they moved
into their current homes. Antennas weren't an issue when the moved - now
they are.

2) Considerations such as cost and location are not the same
everywhere. "Move to the country" isn't always an option if doing so
means one or both spouses'jobs are going to be at the end of a long and
expensive commute. School district and access to various services (like
health care) are considerations too.

As a counterpoint, in the central PA area, if your not an academic or well
heeled staff, you can't afford to live near the city. Probably 60 percent
of the people who work here don't live here. It's a well known problem that
we don't have what is called "affordable housing".

snippage

A few years back, a WW2 veteran in his '80s put up a flagpole in his
yard. Every morning he'd raise Old Glory, every night he'd take it down.
He had two grandkids on active duty in Iraq. The HOA went after him
because freestanding flagpoles were specifically prohibited in the rules.
Being in the paper and on TV did not faze them; the rules said no
flagpoles and they were going to enforce those rules.

I think the WW2 vet moved.

Arrgh, I can feel my blood pressure going up.........

MOving was his best solution. No one should live near jerks like that.

Most multiband verticals can be tilted over with kits sold for that
purpose. Maybe that can be hid though the day.

This is a very good idea. While it may not be fun to go outside and
install the antenna before each operating session, it's a solution.

One homebrew way would be to bury a pipe vertically in the ground and
cut it off at the surface. A cap would keep debris out when not in use.

That is how I mount my Vertical. I don't have to take it down, but it is
convenient for tuning the antenna, which has to be don every so often.

The antenna assembly consists of the vertical and a piece of pipe that
will just fit in the
buried pipe. Quick connections to the coax and radial system (both
buried) complete it.

To go on the air, the cap is removed, the antenna assembly raised and
the bottom end put in the hole,
and the connections made.

If the house has plastic gutters, run a wire around them. I'm sure that
is part of a defrosting system - Really, it could be!

The trick is to make the setup so that it is easy to set up in the dark.

And take down.

However even such solutions may not work in some areas. The Gladys
Kravitz factor looms large in them.

Did you see the videos about the housing development where some neighbors
were complaining about the fellow who had a Steppir beam on a nice tower?
Turned out in that development they couldn't do a thing about it.

Personally the antenna and tower was a thing of beauty AFAIAC, certainly
more attractive than those who were complaining about it. Nice house, nice
yard, nice antenna. If you didn't see it, I'll try to find the link.

- 73 de Mike N3LI -