Document text
Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 12, 2005 County weighs housing permit waivers By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Donna Beck had a sneaking suspicion permits hadn’t been pulled for an Eagle Point house that had exposed plumbing and an electrical panel in the living room. After making inquiries before buying it, she said, "The county said it had permits." Beck bought the two-bedroom, two-bath house. But when she wanted to make some improvements, the story changed. "I found out they didn’t have the permits," she said. Ten years later, Beck, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker in Medford, said problems like these continue to frustrate buyers and sellers when trying to resolve permit problems with the county. "They don’t want to be responsible for mistakes," she said. "They don’t care about the public." Advertisement Rick Harris, past president of the Oregon Association of Realtors, appealed to the county Board of Commissioners last week for some way to help these homeowners. Buyers, he said, "are understandably nervous if they don’t have evidence of a finalized permit. The county might want you to take that stuff down." Harris suggested the county grant waivers for properties built before 1990 when no permits can be found. Complicating the issue further, Harris said permits were handled by the state before the 1970s. Many of the records were lost in the transition to the county, he said. He said he wasn’t sure how widespread the problem is, but most Realtors he talks to share similar horror stories. In the case of Beck, she found out there had been permits taken to build the house, but they never had been finalized. To satisfy the county, Beck said she had to drill holes in the concrete foundation to run steel reinforcement rods even though there was no evidence of cracking. Far from an isolated problem with her, Beck said, "it happens all the time." Commissioner C.W. Smith said inadequate record keeping at the county is forcing residents to come up with a substantial amount of money. "It’s practically a form of extortion," he said at a commissioner meeting last week. However, Commissioner Jack Walker said the county used to throw away building permits after two years if there had been no activity and they hadn’t been finalized by building inspectors. Recently the county decided to keep the records for four years. Walker said the county needs to do something about the permit problem, but wasn’t sure about granting blanket waivers for buildings erected before 1990. He also stopped short of endorsing any kind of plan that involves the county in real estate transactions. "When government starts protecting people, it never stops," he said. Commissioner Dave Gilmour worried about the cost to the county for proving that a particular house was built according to the codes at the time of construction. "I’d hate to see that burden thrown on the government," he said. Other Realtors reported similar problems with the county over building permits. Stacey Boals, past president of the Rogue Valley Association of Realtors, said issues often arise near the end of a sale, leading to panicked buyers and sellers. A few years ago, she said, a seller had built a house on stilts near the river in Gold Hill so that it would be above floodwaters. "Afterwards, he enclosed it, but the code enforcement officer who lives out there saw it and goes back to the office and red-flags it," she said. In the midst of this, the seller died and the estate ended up spending thousands of dollars fixing the problem. After the work was completed, Boals said, the estate discovered there actually had been an approval for enclosing the bottom floor. "All they had to do was put in a garage door," she said. "In other words, they didn’t have to tear all that stuff out of there that cost the estate extra money." Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail County weighs housing permit waivers ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Student Loans Online Pharmacy tcg student loan consolidation Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Casino Gambling Sites Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Salvia Divinorum Advertisement s