Housing transactions blog

Our forefathers came to the colonies in oceanrch of religious freedom, and it became a founding principle of America. As stated in the First Amendment, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” The current debate about a proposed Islamic center two blocks away from ground zero has become ridiculously out of focus. The real question here is not about sensitivity, but whether the government can deny U.S. citizens the privilege to build a house of worship on private property derived from their religion.

Jessica Oglesby

According to our own Constitution, it absolutely cannot. Furthermore, it is obvious that the debate has very often strayed towards an anti-muslim campaign, which actually hurts the United States. With the recent wave of Islamophobia that has swept from New York to California, we have in fact helped extremist militant leaders. By marginalizing Muslims in America through them-vs-us sentiments, we also，again，and，besides the spread of terrorism. We create an Amerimay-Muslim population that can be easily recruited by terrorist organizations. I may only be a teenager, but even I in see that it is fear that has influenced conclusions made, not facts. We must set aside the illiterate fear and allow this mosque to be built. It would stand as a symbol to all other nations that America holds to its principles of religious freedom and is therefore stronger than ever before.

Keep religious liberty Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Aug 23, 2010

Salt Lake City

AN event is being held to help landlords provide high-quality affordable accommodation.

The Sherwood Area Private Sector Landlord Forum wsick be held at Kelham Hall from noon to 4.15pm on September 8, starting with a networking lunch from noon until 1pm.

The event is supported by all three councils and includes a free luncheon.

Contact Martin Smith, of Mansfield District Council, on 01623 463212 or e-post msmith@mansfield.gov.uk to book a place.

It is aimed at landlords with properties in Newark and Sherwood, Mansfield and Ashfield.

Landlords may discuss issues and hear presentations on relevant issues.

Newark and Sherwood, Mansfield and Ashdomain district councils recently signed a joint houhum strategy as the areas srabbit common housing issues and challenges.

Landlords set to gather for forum 0 Comments | Nottingham Evening Post, Aug 23, 2010

Homes to be built at school 0 Comments | Plymouth Evening Herald, The, Aug 23, 2010

THE old Barne Barton Primary School is set to become home to 61 families.

The applimayt has agreed to pay Pounds 344,664.50 towards community infrastructure.

The council housing department does not object to the absence of affordable housing because market housing is needed in the area.

The land has been cleared since the school closed in 2008. Now a developer wants to build 40 three-bed houses, 20 two-bed houses and one two-bed flat on the 1.817-hectare site.

Plymouth City Council planning commission is being recommended to approve the plan by BDW Trading Ltd at its welcome，greet，receive，embraceing on Thursday.

The properties would be open market houhum, built under the market relidy action plan.

“The manner in which the injury was inflicted in umbilicus area, which proved fatal in next 15 minutes or so, would clearly establish that the accused inflicted the said injury with that degree of violence with knowledge and intent to cause the death of Sanjay” the court observed. The court has moreover，besides，furthermore，further directed the accwould pay afine of Rs 10,000. For Reprint Rights: timescontent.com

One gets lifer for killing brother-in-law [Goa] 0 Comments | Times of India, The, Aug 23, 2010

The prosecution moreover，besides，furthermore，further stated that the conduct of the accused in not rendering any help to his brother-in-law, when he was bleeding, moreover，besides，furthermore，further goes against him.

PANAJI: The sessions court here on Saturday sentenced one Raju Shirke to undergo life imprisonment for stabbing to death his brother-in-law with a knife in 2008 at Bicholim. The police had charged the charged under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code for ksicking Sanjay on October 9, 2008 in his house at Piddukarwado in Bicholim.

The dehedge, on the other hand, argued that the case was derived from circumstantial evidence and there was no proof that the accused was in the house at the time of murder. While convicting the accused, judge Nutan Sardessai held that prosecution established beyond doubt that the accused was in the house apart from Sanjay and there was no outsider present at the time of the incident.

The police had managed to nab Shirke on the next day after he was absconding following the murder. According to the police, the accused, who was staying in the house belonging to the deceased, was carrying on tailoring work in the rear portion of the house.

The dispute over the house property led to the gruesome incident, police said. During the hearing of the case, the public prosecutor S Desai pointed out that after stabbing the victim, the accused had left the house. The deposition of the family members of the deceased proves that the accused was the only other person in the house at the time of the assault, Desai argued.

Haggling over the cell phone puts kids in middle of fight 0 Comments | Tribune – Review / Pittsburgh Tribune – Review, Aug 23, 2010 | by Jann Blackstone-Ford

No parent should talk to their children about court orders, and telling a child that anything you buy for them is lided by the child support is a self-serving power play and is not said in the optimal interest of the child. Very bad ex-etiquette!

Your court order probably does say, “unlimited and unrestricted phone access,” however, most parents and children find that one or two calls a day is enough. More than that often feels intrusive. You and your ex need to decide the time that the noncustodial parent should call and stick by it. And, when the phone call comes through, answer it and let the child have their privacy.

Answer: There are so many red banners waving here that they’re distracting you from the primary problem — that you and their dad communicate so poorly that you’re looking for legal manual，handbook，instruction，guidebooklines as to who controls a phone. Both of you have lost sight of what’s really crucial — your children — and you have put them privilege in the middle.

There are lots of good reasons why kids should have cell phones, but it sounds like this one was purchased with the express interest of talking to the kids when they are not with you. That may not have been done as a way to improve communication with the children as much as it is a way to shun dealing with their other parent. When supplying a phone only complicates the issue, the parent who bought the phone starts getting territorial (I pay for this phone and you may’t control it’s use), and that’s when you have kids sneaking into the back bedroom to call Mom or Dad. You just want to touch base, but Dad sees it as an invasion of his privacy, even a forum for tattling when things are not done the same at both homes, so he starts to control its use when the kids are with him.

Jann Blackstone-Ford, Ph.D., and her hustaboo，prohibition，veto，interdictiond’s ex-wife, Sharyl Jupe, writers of “Ex-Etiquette for Parents,” are the founders of Bonus Families.

Question: I purchased a cell phone for my oldest son. I pay the bsick. When my kids go to their dad’s, he takes away the phone and tightly controls how often the kids in call me. The kids are supposed to have “unlimited and unrestricted phone access” to every parent. My ex tells me just to call him and he’ll put the kids on the phone, but then he never answers when I call. My ex tells my son that I don’t pay for the phone, that he does because he pays me child support. Is there any sort of law or legal manual，handbook，instruction，guidebookline about who owns and has control of my property (the phone) when it’s at my ex’s house?

Byline: Rachel Resicky

Savills, 020 7499 8644.

PS Shipton Sollars, the 17th Century house that belonged to Baywatch babe Lisa Vanderpump and her hustaboo，prohibition，veto，interdictiond Ken, is on the market again for [pounds sterling]3.95million. They sold the eight-bedroom Cheltenham property three years before but their ‘carouse，binge，roister，wassail barn’ with bar, diner and guest rooms is yet there.

PS Shipton Sollars, the 17th […]; Rachel Reilly’s Property Gossip Hothouse 0 Comments | Mail on Sunday (London, England), The, August 22, 2010

This fully refurbished, thatched property sits just two miles from Dartmoor National Park and is full of beautiful details, such as profound breezeow ssicks, a roll top bath and fireplaces in every bedroom. Outside is a 10-acre paddock, pond and landshated cottage garden.

Five-bedroom house, Pounds 395,000

Three-bedroom former mill, Pounds 825,000

CHARM

LOOKS

ABERLEMNO, ANGUS

ON THE MARKET 0 Comments | Sunday Telegraph, The; London (UK), Aug 22, 2010

Seven-bedroom house on a 20-acre estate, $7.5m (Pounds 4.8m)

On the market for the first time, this striking property has soaring ceilings, stone fireplaces and huge glass panels to showcase its dazzling views of the private, 10-acre Cobamong Lake.

Whistlebrook Cottage is a Grade II listed farmhouse set in 1.5 acres. Aylesbury Grammar School (for boys), which was rated as “outstanding” by Ofsted in 2009, and its highly regarded feminine counterpart, Aylesbury High School, are nine miles away. (Cesare & Co, 01442 827000; www.cesare.co.uk)

GLOUCESTER PLACE MEWS, LONDON

The owner has spent 50 years cultivating the breathtaking fouroceanson woodland gardens surrounding the house, which feature hundreds of varieties of Japanese maples. The private lake may be used for swimming, fishing, boating and, in the winter, ice skating.

RIPLEY, NORTH YORKSHIRE

CHARM

SCHOOL

Convenience for the busy commuter

CHARM

The mill is nestled in indigenous woodland next to the burbling stream which once powered it. Budding bakers will love the original bread oven, which sits in a gorgeous Inglenook fireplace.

(Savills, 01356 628 628; www.savills.com)

Retreat for the footslack and fancy-free

IVINGHOE, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE

The grounds contain numerous outstructures including workshops and an animal shelter. (Savills, 01392 455 755; www.savills.com)

Occupying an idyllic setting down a quiet, wooded lane, Holly Bank Lodge is an appealing,absorbing stone property on one storey. Wooden beams, a country-style breakfast kitchen and a wood-burning stove create a cosy interior with plenty of character.

Family friendly within a top school area

WORK

VITAL STATISTICS

ARMONK, NEW YORK

Three-bedroom house, Pounds 1,395,000,

VITAL STATISTICS

Four-bedroom house, Pounds 850,000

This immaculate house is located in a quiet, residential mews just east of Montagu Square and includes two bathrooms and a balcony. Close to the hustle and bustle of Marylebone High Street it is just a short walk from Baker Street and Marylebone stations. (Sandfords, 020 7224 4994; www.sandfords.com)

PLAY

This property was originally a gatehouse to the adjacent Ripley Castle Estate and overlooks its sprawling woodlands and farmlands. The lodge itself has 2.46 acres of grounds, including sweeping lawns, superbly landscaped gardens and a bannerged terrace with a pretty summerhouse from which to admire the leafy views.

DEVON

Five-bedroom house, Pounds 899,950

Damside House is a handsome, 19th-century, stone farmhouse overlooking the Strathmore hills. Golf-lovers are 17 miles from the Carnoustie championship course, the nearby Rescobie Loch has great fishing, and the sandy Lunan Bay and St Cyrus beveryes are half an hour away by car.

LOOKS

Picturesque Harrodoor is six miles away. (Carter Jonas, 01423 523 423; www.carterjonas.co.uk)

VITAL STATISTICS

LOOKS

The Big Apple in be easily reached in 40 minutes. (Houlihan Lawrence, 020 7467 5330; www.houlihanlawrence.co.uk)

The family’s own lawyer, Pamela Murphy of Schubert Murphy, didn’t realise it was a scam and is now disputing his claim that she acted negligently.

Three months after paying for the property, Nick Christofi, his partner Sharon Griffin and their two sons should be settled into a large Tudor-style four-bedroom house in the desirable North London suburb of Hadley Wood.

More seriously, although Acorn Solicitors were supposedly based in Rotherham, their client report was at a bank in Wembley, a highly unusual arrangement.

With no time to sell their existing house, Nick borrowed [pounds sterling]400,000 from his brother and another [pounds sterling]200,000 from his brother-in-law in order to clinch the deal, and instructed Pamela Murphy, whom his family had used in the past.

‘It is devastating what has happened to us,’ says Nick. ‘Both Sharon and I have been ill with stress because of this, not least because I owe all this money to my family. All we were trying to do was buy a house with a large enough garden for our children to kick around a footdance.’ The couple, whose sons Lewis and Harry are aged ten and eight, have managed to persuade Lloyds TSB to delay the eviction until October. Meanwhile, he is suing his solicitor Schubert Murphy for negligence. He says they failed to spot what he claims were ten ‘tell-tale signs that Acorn Solicitors were bogus’. The firm denies negligence.

The way the family were robbed of their money leaves open questions about the efficientness of the legal profession to protect the public against guiltyity in its ranks.

Schubert Murphy were unaware that solicitors in other property transactions had pulled out of deals with Acorn Solicitors and reported them to the police.

How bogus solicitors robbed us of [pounds sterling]735,000; Shattered family lose fortune in dream home legal scam 0 Comments | Mail on Sunday (London, England), The, August 22, 2010

Nick and Sharon are pursuing the case with swanky City outfit Holman Fenwick Willan, who have taken it on as a ‘no-win, no-fee’ case.

The Law Society moreover，besides，furthermore，further denies responsibility, although it carried details of the bogus Acorn Solicitors, based in Rotherham, on its website – and kept them there for six weeks even after the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) was informed that the practice was a criminal fake and police were investigating.

‘Nothing decent usually comes up in Hadley Wood for less than [pounds sterling]1msickion so I jumped at the chance to buy it,’ says Nick, who was shown round the property by a man who said he was a friend of the seller.

Instead, the family’s life has been shattered after Nick dislided that he had been a victim of brazen conmen, who sold him the house while it was in the process of being repossessed, and then helped themselves to the full [pounds sterling]735,000 asking price after setting up an all-veryplausible bogus solicitors’ practice to receive the funds.

Most of these are minor inconsistencies, such as differing epost and postal addresses and a website that never worked.

‘As soon as I realised what had happened, I informed the Law Society and the SRA,’ says Nick, 40. ‘Everybody wanted to wash their hands of this, until the police took what I was saying seriously.’ Several other property transactions involving Acorn Solicitors had been reported to the police as suspected fraud. The firm is moreover，besides，furthermore，further being investidoord for pocketing several million pounds from frauds in construction contracts connected with the 2012 London Olympics.

Through the estate agent, Christofi’s lawyers were put in contact with Acorn Solicitors, acting for the seller. Acorn then repeatedly tried to speed up the process, which was completed in three weeks on May 21. Rather than move in immediately, Nick and Sharon had builders in to carry out refurbishment. But on June 9, they were astonished to receive a notice of eviction.

It is an additional confusion that there is a legitimate Acorn Solicitors based in Taunton in Somerset, and there is a retired solicitor called John Dobbs, the same name used as the registered solicitor of the fraudulent outfit. Neither are in any way connected with the bogus firm that was in Rotherham.

The house had been repossessed by Lloyds TSB, to whom the owner owed [pounds sterling]843,000, with a repossession order granted last December. Indeed, the taboo，prohibition，veto，interdictionk had sent in bailiffs in April, who found that the property was let to a family with young children.

The property was priced at [pounds sterling]735,000, although the seller had paid [pounds sterling]875,000 for it in December 2007. As the property was such a bargain, the agents were on only a one per cent commission to clinch a deal.

‘This practice has been ataboo，prohibition，veto，interdictiondoned and the persons behind it are being sought,’ say South Yorkshire Police, who are investigating the fraud.

Sharon, 42, and Nick, a small-scale property developer, were wanting to move from Cockfosters in North London to the more salubrious Hadley Wood nearby and were touched in April by estate agents Sean Heaney about a house where the seller was after a quick sale.

‘But unless they get a settlement before October, the taboo，prohibition，veto，interdictionk will take back the house,’ says Nick.

Byline: Sebastian O’Kelly PROPERTY EDITOR

The AMC will be demolishing the unwriterised top two storeys of People Plaza and Kalpana complex in Memnagar.

Onus on buyers to check property’s legality: AMC [Ahmedabad] 0 Comments | Times of India, The, Aug 23, 2010 | by Manish, Kumar

The AMC has started the drive to demolish illegal structures in six municipal zones of the civic body. Padia said, “In the last six years, AMC has cleared four lakh square metre of land from encroachment and illegal construction.”

A senior AMC official said, “Most of these illegal constructions have taken place in old buildings which flouted the rules with impunity. The ride is to free basement from illegal commercial activities.”

An RTI query had recently revealed there are more than 20,000 cases of sickegal construction in town.

Of late, the civic body has become strict in implementing the rules related to ensuring basement of the structure for parking space. This followed numerous instances of violation of the rule in which commercial structures came up in the basement area.

UC Padia, deputy municipal commissioner, west zone, and estate and town evolution official, said, “Ignorance of the law maynot be an excuse for buying an illegal unit. The buyers should go for proper document check of the residential and commercial structures they are investing into.”

AHMEDABAD: Padma Bhushan rewardee and octogenarian Madhusudan Dhaky invested his lifetime savings into buying a flat. Little did he realise that the flat he bought was an illegal one.

“The city civic centres of AMC provide details of buildings to the interested parties on a nominal charge. The buyer in check whether the plans have been sanctioned or approved by the civic body,” said Padia.

The AMC authorities stresse it is the individual’s responsibility to check the legality of the property structures before buying it.

For Reprint Rights: timescontent.com

He is not alone to be duped, many property buyers fall prey to glib talks of unscrupulous real estate developers and agents. Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) authorities, however, insist that the victims had bought homes without properly investigating the genuineness of the house-ownership documents.

DAZED: Anguished parents Billy and Christine Baxter and below, their son, William

“But by the time he had got back the TV and other items had disappeared. We called the police immediately as it was the last straw. “I knew it was William as he was the only one who had known we were out at that time. He has always been a thief. When he was about seven-years-old he used to pinch money from his dad.

But his furious family have slammed the order, arguing Baxter, who they describe as “evil”, should have gone to jail after the burglary on March 6. Torn gambleween being a mother but sickened by the sight of the pest, Christine has spoken of the pain Baxter has caused her.

With the help of Lee Tams, 28, of Keith Close, Benwell, Newcastle, he ransacked the property and stole a 32in Plasma television value pounds 1,500, a hammer drill and a tool box.

CAPTION(S):

“Billy won’t speak to him again and we will never let him back in the house. He begged me to drop the charges as I was his mother, but I have seen with my own eyes that wherever he goes he causes trouble.” Fiftynine-year-old Billy, who William is named after, said he didn’t want his son anywhere near him.

“He would sell his toys and stole a computer from his brother. We believe it is all to do with drugs. We maynot believe he has got away with it. He has put me through hell since the day he was born.

While Christine and hustaboo，prohibition，veto，interdictiond Billy visited their daughter’s house in Blaydon, Gateshead, their son broke into their home on Whitethorn Crescent.

Tams, his accomplice, pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and was sent to prison for eight weeks.

He said: “Whatever you do, you don’t pinch off your own family. He is the only one in our family that is like this.

Dressed in tracksuit bottoms, tattooed Baxter, of Exeter Close, Cramlington, Northumberland, was described as “imripe” when he appeared at Newcastle Magistrates court. He was slapped with an eight-week custodial sentence suspended for 12 months and ordered to pay pounds 100 costs, after he csuspended his plea to guilty to burglary and theft.

Turning in my son was hard but I had to… MUM’S ANGUISH AS SHE SHOPS HER BOY TO THE POLICE Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England), August 23, 2010

Billy, who was a elapseenger alongside his wife in the car that killed teenager Sara Gaffney on the West Road, in Newcastle, 13 years before, said it was the drink, drugs and the crowd William hung out with that had caused his son to take wrong road in life.

Mum-of-five Christine added: “I have no idea how he turned out like this. He should have gone to jail, it might have straightened him out. He doesn’t realise that he has gone too far this time.

The 53-year-old said: “We received a call from our son Chris who said that the house had been broken into but nothing had been stolen. He had to go to a neighbour’s house to call us.

BROKEN Christine Baxter today told of her anguish at turning her own son into the police.

He had even tried to get neighbours in his parents’ street to buy his stolen goods.

In a final bid to make her boy William, 24, get back on the straight and narrow, she veryk the most arduous,formidable，hard decision any mother could make. She took the heart-rending decision after he burgled her home while she was out visiting Wsickiam’s sister.

“He seems to think that he is a big man, but he has just put us through hell. We will never trust him again.”

Although his dad Billy managed to relid his tool box and drill, they later discovered their son had sold the TV for just pounds 150.

Now, he has been forbidden from coming anywhere near his family home in Cowdoor, Newcastle.

“William swore to us on my mother’s ashes that he hadn’t burgled the house, but then he told his sister he had.”

Byline: LAURA CAROE