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Articles for April 2nd, 2009

Nagin’s Folly

So here’s the cute Frisco town home Ray Nagin is about to lose for $1500 — it’s up just north of Lebanon Parkway, a hefty stone’s throw from IKEA. The Mayor of New Orleans obviously doesn’t know that Texas has some of the strongest homestead laws in the country, which protects us from creditors, and sometimes spouses.  In 1837, in fact, a property could not be sold without both the husband’s and wife’s signature! There are five ways you can lose your home in the Lone Star state: Failure to pay taxes of any kind — federal income taxes, property taxes; mechanics liens, when you fail to pay a workman who has done work on your house provided he correctly files a mechanics lien; purchase money mortgages — in other words, failure to pay your mortgage; failure to pay homeowners maintenance fees, a topic hotly debated in Austin right now; and failure to pay home equity loans borrowed against the homestead. Unlike other states, Texans may only borrow up to 80% of the equity in their homes, another reason why our market is a heck of a lot healthier than most.

posted by Candy Evans | April 2nd, 2009 12:29am | filed under Celebrity Homes, I hate Homeowner Associations, restrictive covenants | 13 Comments »

Dallas Security Alarm Permits — What’s My Number?

This applies to new homeowners as well as those who have had a security alarm registered with the Dallas Police Department. In October, DPD changed computer systems, and the new system has changed all alarm permit numbers. This is significant because Dallas is a “No Valid Permit, No Response” city —  alarm companies must have the correct permit number when they try to dispatch an alarm. If they don’t, the police can refuse to respond. And if DPD has changed your permit number without your knowledge and your alarm goes off, well, too bad. Just hand over your valueables to the crooks.

A friend called DPS today (214-670-3438) and learned that her alarm permit number has indeed been changed – found it rather comical that the clerk asked for her old number to find the new one — then realized it was no longer in the system.  If you’ve just moved into a home or are considering a home with an alarm system, be sure you check on the permit number which you may want to change anyhow when the house changes ownership.

‘Course, as my son says, the very best alarm system is made by Smith & Wesson!

posted by Candy Evans | April 2nd, 2009 12:14am | filed under crime | 2 Comments »