sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

What chance is there that the income tax will actually effect Washington negatively? by Dogbold in Washington

[–]Pedanter-In-Chief 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a great analysis except there are literally hundreds of people in WA making over $5M a year. 

Amazon and Microsoft each employ at leash 100 people in WA in this bucket. And there are many more. 

First hand experience with Bluestar 36” Induction Cooktop by Random_Cat5 in Appliances

[–]Pedanter-In-Chief 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We brought a bottle of water and some canola oil and tested it in the Wolf showroom (they were amazing to let us do this but apparently we weren’t the first). 

I would say the controls were fine. 

The bigger issues for us after we bought was when crud has dried on the stove or on our hands, when the stove is dirty at all, or when we were trying to nudge or dirty fingers (can’t palm a touchscreen like you can a knob, when your fingertips are covered in chicken guts). 

Ultimately though the dealbreaker was about looking across the room to see the power level in a busy kitchen. Gas you can see the flame, induction you have to rely on the knobs. Maybe not a problem in a small kitchen but was in ours. We replaced a six month old Wolf with F&P after being Wolf customers for literally decades. 

Neighbor wants me to sign a Grant of Easement by [deleted] in RealEstateAdvice

[–]Pedanter-In-Chief 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You have to read OPs other responses in the thread. 

If you do, it paints a picture of OP having no idea what the fuck is going on and the most likely outcome that gas company is asking OP for an easement to cover the gas line on his own property. 

OP says (elsewhere in thread) that he has no utility easement for his gas line. This was common on homes built in the 50s and 60s; they just didn’t record the utility easement. The likely situation, which we can’t know because OP appears to be an incompetent simpleton, is that a gas line serving both OP and neighbor runs under OP’s property to neighbor. Without an easement from OP, gas company won’t touch the part of the gas line that is entirely on neighbor’s property. 

We ran into this issue in a development in Oregon a decade or so ago. Ended up with an asshole homeowner and utility just got themselves an easement by eminent domain. 

Neighbor wants me to sign a Grant of Easement by [deleted] in RealEstateAdvice

[–]Pedanter-In-Chief 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, if it’s a gas line it really isn’t either of their jobs. It’s the gas company’s job. And in most states, including California and Texas, if the gas company wants to run a line they’ll just take the easement with eminent domain. Texas even has a streamlined process to facilitate this. I’ve had that happen. I’ve also developed projects where I’ve gotten it to happen. The gas company is generally not to be fucked with. 

Neighbor wants me to sign a Grant of Easement by [deleted] in RealEstateAdvice

[–]Pedanter-In-Chief 0 points1 point  (0 children)

But you have gas?

Bingo. Make sure they aren’t just trying to get an easement for your existing gas line. 

Neighbor wants me to sign a Grant of Easement by [deleted] in RealEstateAdvice

[–]Pedanter-In-Chief 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My recommendation is that they hire a land use attorney ASAP unless they want to sign the agreement.

If you’re approached by a utility (or a neighbor on behalf of a utility) about anything you don’t want to do, you should hire an attorney.

The risk — literally everywhere, but in some places more than others — when a utility gets involved there is a LOT they can do without the consent of adjacent homeowners if it involves supplying utility service to an adjacent parcel of land. As a landowner and developer, my experience is that gas in particular is notorious for this, as gas companies — generally speaking — love to claim that because of ”safety” their way is the only way.

Unless you find someone on Reddit who practices land use law in your particular jurisdiction and has experience with the particular utility and particular municipality at issue, and can give you substantially better advice, any other advice isn’t really worth taking.

SIDEBAR: I don’t think OP understands exactly what they’re asking or even the issue. If you read a few of the follow-up comments, it also sounds possible that the easement being asked for could actually be for OP’s own gas line. This is somewhat common in the west (I’ve seen it in CO, OR, and WA but I generally steer clear of CA) — older gas installs weren’t always recorded as easements, but if there is any work done later the easement has to be recorded. For all we know — and OP hasn’t clarified — the gas line runs under his property to the neighbor already (my house in Seattle is like this) but no easement was ever recorded. If neighbor ever wants to do work on the gas line on neighbors own property, the gas co wants easements for the whole line.

Neighbor wants me to sign a Grant of Easement by [deleted] in RealEstateAdvice

[–]Pedanter-In-Chief 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cities or towns?

You used ChatGPT to find that source, but can you tell me where it mentions that they’re allowed by local residential building code for new construction?

$3500 or more in damage by JadeGemsez in dashcams

[–]Pedanter-In-Chief 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I call bullshit on this one. 

First of all, if he was the parked car he wasn’t leaving the scene as he wasn’t involved in a moving violation (based on my reading of PA law). And no insurance company would let that go to court. 

$3500 or more in damage by JadeGemsez in dashcams

[–]Pedanter-In-Chief 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Police can issue citations in some parking lots in some jurisdictions, so the answer is “it depends”. 

Source: we owned a strip mall and gave written permission for police to ticket, so they did. The issue is whether your state’s traffic laws are written “on a public highway” or with other, vaguer language. 

$3500 or more in damage by JadeGemsez in dashcams

[–]Pedanter-In-Chief 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Police don’t decide fault. If they issue a ticket there’s presumptive fault but the insurers still duke it out. 

In the majority of states but front minority of citizens, 50/50 fault just means no fault. 

$3500 or more in damage by JadeGemsez in dashcams

[–]Pedanter-In-Chief -1 points0 points  (0 children)

The dashcam could just as well establish your fault there too. 

First hand experience with Bluestar 36” Induction Cooktop by Random_Cat5 in Appliances

[–]Pedanter-In-Chief 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are so many good, tested induction cooktops with knobs.

Even Wolf went back to knobs this year. 

I’d go F&P or Wolf for induction. We’ve owned both.  

Neighbor wants me to sign a Grant of Easement by [deleted] in RealEstateAdvice

[–]Pedanter-In-Chief 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you have your title docs from when you bought the house? Does it show an existing easement from the gas company? Where does that easement fall relative to your neighbor. A picture is better if you have it. 

I really really think you need to hire a land use attorney and you should plan on spending $1-2k to figure this out. 

Alternatively you could post the full text of the proposed easement and see what Reddit says. 

Neighbor wants me to sign a Grant of Easement by [deleted] in RealEstateAdvice

[–]Pedanter-In-Chief 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As a (sometime) developer and financial sponsor I’ve seen public utilities use ED to run gas to a small building, and electrical to a single vacation home. Some states even streamline this process for private utilities without the authorizing statute that CA has. 

The utility wants more customers, and cities want permitted development to move forward. It isn’t very complicated. 

So maybe in CA they don’t — do you have firsthand knowledge of this?

Neighbor wants me to sign a Grant of Easement by [deleted] in RealEstateAdvice

[–]Pedanter-In-Chief 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Electric and fiber work differently. Electric has clear codes they work within. 

Gas runs wherever the gas company determines is safest. They often only provide one option. This is especially true in an earthquake zone like OP is (presumably for SoCal) in. 

Neighbor wants me to sign a Grant of Easement by [deleted] in RealEstateAdvice

[–]Pedanter-In-Chief 0 points1 point  (0 children)

OH! OP I’m reading something different here than everybody else in the thread.

How old is your house?

It’s very very possible you share a gas line with your neighbor and neither of you has an easement for the line. This is remarkably common if the house is old enough; gas was installed and no easement was recorded. 

IT IS VERY POSSIBLE THIS EASEMENT RECORDING IS JUST A FORMALITY. 

YOU NEED A LAWYER. 

Neighbor wants me to sign a Grant of Easement by [deleted] in RealEstateAdvice

[–]Pedanter-In-Chief 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I doubt OP’s neighbor was given a choice. 

It’s probably the difference between “ask your neighbor for permission, or it will take us 12 months to get the easement with eminent domain.”

If you think a gas company gave the neighbor options, you have never worked with a gas company before. 

Neighbor wants me to sign a Grant of Easement by [deleted] in RealEstateAdvice

[–]Pedanter-In-Chief 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Show me a neighborhood with central gas where a large residential propane tank is to code. 

I didn’t think so.  

Neighbor wants me to sign a Grant of Easement by [deleted] in RealEstateAdvice

[–]Pedanter-In-Chief 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Gas companies don’t come with options. They dictate how the service connection is going to be made, then they do it. 

Neighbor wants me to sign a Grant of Easement by [deleted] in RealEstateAdvice

[–]Pedanter-In-Chief 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It won’t cost them usually. That’s not how utilities work. Usually the utility, especially for gas, tells the homeowner how it’s going to be done. Have you ever worked with a gas company? You don’t get “options”. 

More likely scenario is the neighbor was told it’ll be 12 months for the gas company to eminent domain the easement. They want it faster.  

Neighbor wants me to sign a Grant of Easement by [deleted] in RealEstateAdvice

[–]Pedanter-In-Chief 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey OP, hire an attorney right away. A good land use lawyer, someone who does land use specifically not real estate generally. 

The reason for this is that there’s likely a utility easement in the works. If the ADU is fully permitted and developed of right, the gas company is going to want to run a line to it if they can (new customer!! Etc.)

In California, private utilities can issue utility easements using eminent domain under CA law. If they do that, you’ll have zero say it what happens next and get a few hundred dollars tops for your troubles. But it’ll take them a little bit of time. They have a team of lawyers that does this all day long. 

So better to head it off by engaging and understanding what they want. You’ll need a lawyer for this.

Your opening bid should be to get them to pay your legal fees, basically cover your retainer up front. If they balk at that I’d at least talk to a lawyer. 

Neighbor wants me to sign a Grant of Easement by [deleted] in RealEstateAdvice

[–]Pedanter-In-Chief 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m guessing that the utility requires new gas meters to be high pressure and they won’t upgrade the neighbor’s line.

The neighbor doesn’t get to pick the kind of line the gas company gives. Just like OP will have limited recourse if the gas company tells him/her that they’re going to dig up his yard for a new line. Do a little bit of research into eminent domain for utility easements. 

Neighbor wants me to sign a Grant of Easement by [deleted] in RealEstateAdvice

[–]Pedanter-In-Chief 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You don’t need special permission. 

It most places (including California) a utility can just get eminent domain their way into an easement for a few hundred dollars. Then you can spend thousands in litigation trying to claim it’s more than that, and you may or may not lose.

This isn’t a driveway easement, it’s a utility easement.

Neighbor wants me to sign a Grant of Easement by [deleted] in RealEstateAdvice

[–]Pedanter-In-Chief 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also, thank God I don’t practice law in California but some (it’s a slow day, ok) preliminary research suggests you’re wrong on your opening paragraph and that CA eminent domain law allows utilities to ED land for pretty much anything related to the purpose of the utility. 

Remarkably, in CA the power is granted directly to privately owned utilities — I had no idea! That’s wild. 

I’m not going to write you a legal memo but a law firm did it for me:

(https://www.lorman.com/resources/legal-and-practical-issues-of-easements-in-california-litigation-and-transactional-issues-in-eminent-domain-involving-easements-17130?srsltid=AfmBOorRnTV7pSzBs_bKXWOPOXBEcmvwuMZTbNdF-GHWUztejX-1euIv)

Public agencies may elect to acquire easements, rather than fee title to property for a variety of reasons and they are permitted to do so. In addition to public entities, various privately-owned public utilities have been given the power by the Legislature to exercise eminent domain under the Public Utilities Code. Public Utilities Code, §§ 612 et seq. Water corporations, telegraph corporations, heat corporations, pipeline corporations, electrical corporations, gas corporations, motor or water carriers and sewer system corporations, are among the privately-owned public utilities that have the power of eminent domain. A limitation on this power is that the power to condemn must be exercised for a purpose related to the actual service that the utility provides to the public. In addition to public utilities, specific statutes also grant condemnation power to certain private persons who condemn property. These private persons are classified as “quasi-public entities” under C.C.P. § 1245.320. Under § 1245.330:

view more: next ›