Who is responsible for boundary fences and trees?

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A: Most properties have three property lines setting the common boundaries with adjacent properties owned by others. A fourth property line usually sets the frontage on a public right of way, such as a street.

The location of the common property lines is typically represented by common boundary improvements such as shrubbery or trees. When setting up, maintaining or removing common boundary improvements, the
adjacent property owners’ rights depend on the type of improvement.

Common boundary improvements, other than trees, located on a property line between adjacent properties are called party walls. Types of party walls
include:

• boundary fences;
• driveways; and
• ditches.

Owners of adjoining properties are presumed to benefit equally from boundary fences. Under this legal presumption, all adjoining owners are equally responsible for constructing, maintaining and replacing
boundary fences.

The responsibility for constructing, maintaining or replacing boundary fences may be altered or removed only by:

• a written agreement between all affected owners; or
• an adjoining owner’s judicial petition to remove or alter their responsibility.

When trees mark a common boundary, each tree’s ownership is determined by the location of its trunk. Solely owned trees belong to the owner of the property on which the entire trunk is growing. Trees growing on government-owned parcels, such as a right of way for streets and sidewalks, belong to the local government, and thus the government is responsible for maintenance.

However, shrubbery or trees whose trunks stand partly on the land of two adjacent property owners belong to both adjacent owners. These trees are called line trees or common boundary trees.

Similar to maintaining a boundary fence, adjacent owners who own line trees are jointly responsible for maintaining the trees and, unless they agree to an alternate arrangement, share equal costs. To avoid disputes, adjacent property owners need to consider entering into an agreement detailing how they will handle the maintenance of boundary trees.

Thinking about selling your home or you just want an easy way to keep tabs on your home’s value?

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Hi folks,
If you are going to be selling your home in the near future or are just curious about its value in today’s market, give me a call or use the button below. I will email you a comprehensive market analysis of your home. There is no obligation on your part and it is totally free.

My phone number is 760.476.9560.

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Home Value Update March 2024

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U.S. existing-home sales improved for the second month in a row, jumping 9.5% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.38 million units, exceeding economists’ expectations and marking the largest monthly gain in a year, according to the National Association of REALTORS®(NAR). The rebound in home sales comes amid fluctuating mortgage rates and elevated sales prices, indicating there is plenty of buyer demand heading into the spring selling season.

  • Closed Sales decreased 18.3 percent for Detached homes and 7.3 percent for Attached homes.
  • Pending Sales increased 4.0 percent for Detached homes but decreased 8.5 percent for Attached homes.
  • The Median Sales Price was up 18.0 percent to $1,180,351 for Detached homes and 7.9 percent to $749,995 for Attached homes.
  • Days on Market decreased 30.6 percent for Detached homes and 26.7 percent for Attached homes.
  • Supply decreased 11.1 percent for Detached homes but increased 7.7 percent for Attached homes.

The recent surge in home sales was likely due to a dip in mortgage rates in December and an increase in housing supply nationwide. According to NAR, total inventory grew 5.9% month-over-month and 10.3% year-over-year to 1.07 million units, for a 2.9 months’ supply at the current sales pace. Buyer demand remains robust, and the limited supply of inventory helped push the median existing-home sales price up 5.7% year-over-year to $384,500, the eighth consecutive month of annual price increases.

The Numbers by City:

These #’s are for Single Family Detached homes and do not include Attached Homes, aka condos and townhomes.
DOM = Days on Market
% List Price = Percentage of the original list price that the home sold for.

Carlsbad

MonthAvg
Sold $		ChgDOMChgSold HomesChgActive ListingsChg% List PriceYoY Chg
03/24$1,960,000-3%24-4%14221%795%100.1%18.3%
02/24$2,024,0001%25-14%11717%75-12%99.4%27.0%
01/24$2,005,000-0%2912%100-2%85-6%97.7%25.5%
12/23$2,013,00012%26-4%102-20%90-10%96.9%24.0%
11/23$1,795,0001%2723%128-15%1004%97.2%13.1%
10/23$1,778,0001%2216%151-19%96-5%98.3%10.2%
09/23$1,759,000-3%1927%186-3%101-3%98.5%3.3%
08/23$1,815,000-2%157%1917%1041%99.6%0.7%
07/23$1,861,000-3%140%17915%1036%100.0%2.2%
06/23$1,920,0001%14-26%156-3%9723%100.3%3.0%
05/23$1,900,0006%19-17%16115%7922%100.0%2.4%
04/23$1,793,0008%23-26%1409%655%98.4%-0.8%
03/23$1,657,0004%310%12835%62-2%96.9%0.8%
02/23$1,594,000-0%3111%95-17%63-19%95.5%5.1%
01/23$1,598,000-2%280%114-10%78-21%95.9%4.1%
12/22$1,623,0002%28-7%127-19%99-14%94.4%4.9%
11/22$1,587,000-2%300%156-4%115-9%94.0%3.1%
10/22$1,614,000-5%3025%162-14%127-16%94.9%5.0%
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The Correct Price is the First Priority in Selling a Home  

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Price is important, and it needs to be right from the first day.

When a home first comes on the market, it gets a lot of attention. If it’s priced right, it will get showings. But if it’s overpriced, buyers’ agents will skip over it – and may not even notice if the price is reduced later.

And, even if a buyer is found at a seriously inflated price, the sale could fail as a result of an appraisal.

That’s why it’s more important than ever to price a home right from the very start. As a listing agent, my job is to give you the most up to date information and recommend a price that will sell in today’s market – even if it isn’t what you want to hear.

If you’re ready to see what your home is worth in today’s market, get in touch. I’ll be happy to prepare a no-obligation market analysis to help you in making a decision about selling.

    If you have questions on this property or would like to see it let me know.
    Call me directly at 760.476.9560

    or email:

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    Easter Sunday

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    Icon of the Resurrection, with Christ having kicked down the gates of Hades and pulling Adam and Eve out of the tombs. Christ is flanked by saints, and Satan—depicted as an old man—is bound and chained.

    Easter, also called Pascha (Greek, Latin) or Resurrection Sunday,  is a festival and holiday  celebrating the  resurrection of Jesus  from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day of his burial after his crucifixion by the Romans at Calvary c. 30 AD.  It is the culmination of the Passion of Jesus, preceded by Lent (or Great Lent), a forty-day period of fasting, prayer, and  penance.

    Most Christians refer to the week before Easter as “Holy Week“—it contains the days of the Easter Triduum, including  Maundy Thursday, commemorating the Maundy and  Last Supper, as well as  Good Friday, commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus. In Western Christianity,  Eastertide, or the Easter Season, begins on Easter Sunday and lasts seven weeks, ending with the coming of the fiftieth day,  Pentecost Sunday. In Eastern Christianity, the season of Pascha begins on Pascha and ends with the coming of the fortieth day, the Feast of the Ascension.

    Easter and the holidays that are related to it are moveable feasts which do not fall on a fixed date in the Gregorian or Julian calendars which follow only the cycle of the sun; rather, its date is determined on a lunisolar calendar similar to the Hebrew calendar. The First Council of Nicaea (325) established two rules, independence of the Jewish calendar and worldwide uniformity, which were the only rules for Easter explicitly laid down by the council. No details for the computation were specified; these were worked out in practice, a process that took centuries and generated a number of controversies. It has come to be the first Sunday after the ecclesiastical full moon that occurs on or soonest after 21 March, but calculations vary.

    Easter customs  vary across the Christian world, and include sunrise services, exclaiming the Paschal greeting, clipping the church,  and decorating  Easter eggs  (symbols of the empty tomb).  The Easter lily, a symbol of the resurrection, traditionally decorates the chancel area of churches on this day and for the rest of Eastertide. Additional customs that have become associated with Easter and are observed by both Christians and some non-Christians include egg hunting, the Easter Bunny, and Easter parades.  There are also various traditional Easter foods that vary regionally.

    Home Value Update February 2024

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    U.S. existing-home sales grew 3.1% month-over-month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.00 million, exceeding economists’ expectations and marking the strongest sales pace since August 2023, according to the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). Falling interest rates late last year, coupled with a recent uptick in inventory, helped existing-home sales to climb following last month’s decline, with monthly gains reported in the Midwest, South, and West regions.

    • Closed Sales increased 9.9 percent for Detached homes and 24.9 percent for Attached homes.
    • Pending Sales decreased 6.4 percent for Detached homes and 11.2 percent for Attached homes.
    • The Median Sales Price was up 18.2 percent to $1,122,500 for Detached homes and 9.6 percent to $740,000 for Attached homes.
    • Days on Market decreased 37.2 percent for Detached homes and 30.6 percent for Attached homes.
    • Supply decreased 11.8 percent for Detached homes but remained flat for Attached homes.

    Total inventory heading into February stood at 1.01 million units, a 2% increase from the previous month and a 3.1% increase from the same time last year, for a 3 months’ supply at the current sales pace, according to NAR.

    Although buyers may find additional options in their home search, inventory remains below the 5-6 months’ supply of a balanced market, and demand is exceeding supply. As a result, existing-home sales prices have continued to rise, climbing 5.1% year-over-year to $379,100.

    The numbers by city:
    These numbers are for Single Family Detached homes and do not include Attached Homes, aka condos and townhomes.
    % List Price = Percentage of the original list price that the home sold for.

    Carlsbad

    MonthAvg
    Sold $    		ChgDOMChgSold HomesChgAct. ListingsChg% List PriceYoY Chg
    02/24$2,024,0001%25-14%11717%75-12%99.4%27.0%
    01/24$2,005,000-0%2912%100-2%85-6%97.7%25.5%
    12/23$2,013,00012%26-4%102-20%90-10%96.9%24.0%
    11/23$1,795,0001%2723%128-15%1004%97.2%13.1%
    10/23$1,778,0001%2216%151-19%96-5%98.3%10.2%
    09/23$1,759,000-3%1927%186-3%101-3%98.5%3.3%
    08/23$1,815,000-2%157%1917%1041%99.6%0.7%
    07/23$1,861,000-3%140%17915%1036%100.0%2.2%
    06/23$1,920,0001%14-26%156-3%9723%100.3%3.0%
    05/23$1,900,0006%19-17%16115%7922%100.0%2.4%
    04/23$1,793,0008%23-26%1409%655%98.4%-0.8%
    03/23$1,657,0004%310%12835%62-2%96.9%0.8%
    02/23$1,594,000-0%3111%95-17%63-19%95.5%5.1%
    01/23$1,598,000-2%280%114-10%78-21%95.9%4.1%
    12/22$1,623,0002%28-7%127-19%99-14%94.4%4.9%
    11/22$1,587,000-2%300%156-4%115-9%94.0%3.1%
    10/22$1,614,000-5%3025%162-14%127-16%94.9%5.0%
    09/22$1,703,600-5%2441%188-12%151-11%95.8%14.3%
    08/22$1,802,279-1%1742%213-4%1691%98.9%22.4%
    07/22$1,821,026-2%1220%223-4%16719%102.8%27.6%
    06/22$1,863,6240%100%2334%14037%106.7%29.5%
    05/22$1,855,9693%10-17%2236%10236%109.4%26.2%
    04/22$1,807,47110%12-20%21012%759%109.5%23.3%
    03/22$1,643,4658%15-12%187-6%69-5%107.4%16.1%
    02/22$1,516,065-1%176%198-14%73-17%104.4%20.7%
    01/22$1,535,059-1%160%231-17%88-15%103.0%30.4%
    Continue reading →

    Veterans Day

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    Veterans Day is an official United States public holiday, observed annually on November 11, that honors military veterans, that is, persons who served in the United States Armed Forces. It coincides with other holidays, including  Armistice Day and  Remembrance Day, celebrated in other countries that mark the anniversary of the end of  World War I; major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. The United States previously observed Armistice Day. The U.S. holiday was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.

    Veterans Day is not to be confused with Memorial Day; Veterans Day celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans, while Memorial Day honors those who  died while in military service.

    Home Value Update: October 2023

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    U.S. sales of existing homes recently fell to a 13-year low, dropping 2.0% month-over-month and 15.4% year-over-year as of last measure, according to the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), as surging interest rates and elevated sales prices continue to make homeownership unaffordable for many prospective buyers. Purchase activity is down significantly compared to this time last year, but rising interest rates are also keeping many current homeowners from selling, causing inventory to remain at historically low levels nationwide.

    • Closed Sales decreased 7.5 percent for Detached homes but increased 10.8 percent for Attached homes. Pending Sales decreased 10.2 percent for Detached homes but increased 28.7 percent for Attached homes.
    • The Median Sales Price was up 18.6 percent to $1,150,000 for Detached homes and 13.1 percent to $735,000 for Attached homes.
    • Days on Market decreased 16.7 percent for Detached homes and 36.7 percent for Attached homes.
    • Supply decreased 28.0 percent for Detached homes and 36.4 percent for Attached homes

    Total housing inventory going into October was at 1.13 million units, up 2.7% from the previous month but down 8.1% compared to the same time last year, for a 3.4 months’ supply at the current sales pace, according to NAR. The shortage of homes for sale is making it harder for buyers to find a home to purchase while at the same time pushing sales prices higher nationwide, with the median existing-home sales price rising 2.8% annually to $394,300, the third consecutive month of year-over-year price increases.

    The numbers by cities:

    Carlsbad

    MonthAvg
    Sold $    		ChgDOMChgSold HomesChgAct. ListingsChg% List PriceYoY Chg
    10/23$1,778,0001%2216%151-19%96-5%98.3%10.2%
    09/23$1,759,000-3%1927%186-3%101-3%98.5%3.3%
    08/23$1,815,000-2%157%1917%1041%99.6%0.7%
    07/23$1,861,000-3%140%17915%1036%100.0%2.2%
    06/23$1,920,0001%14-26%156-3%9723%100.3%3.0%
    05/23$1,900,0006%19-17%16115%7922%100.0%2.4%
    04/23$1,793,0008%23-26%1409%655%98.4%-0.8%
    03/23$1,657,0004%310%12835%62-2%96.9%0.8%
    02/23$1,594,000-0%3111%95-17%63-19%95.5%5.1%
    01/23$1,598,000-2%280%114-10%78-21%95.9%4.1%
    12/22$1,623,0002%28-7%127-19%99-14%94.4%4.9%
    11/22$1,587,000-2%300%156-4%115-9%94.0%3.1%
    10/22$1,614,000-5%3025%162-14%127-16%94.9%5.0%
    09/22$1,703,600-5%2441%188-12%151-11%95.8%14.3%
    08/22$1,802,279-1%1742%213-4%1691%98.9%22.4%
    07/22$1,821,026-2%1220%223-4%16719%102.8%27.6%
    06/22$1,863,6240%100%2334%14037%106.7%29.5%
    05/22$1,855,9693%10-17%2236%10236%109.4%26.2%
    04/22$1,807,47110%12-20%21012%759%109.5%23.3%
    03/22$1,643,4658%15-12%187-6%69-5%107.4%16.1%
    02/22$1,516,065-1%176%198-14%73-17%104.4%20.7%
    01/22$1,535,059-1%160%231-17%88-15%103.0%30.4%
    Continue reading →