Inconsiderate Realtor

Jaybird180 said:
OP here:

Did anyone notice where I said the tree trunk split and is still attached? The part that fell stretches onto my property.

If I cut it I'd have to go onto that property and cut it at the trunk, otherwise, I'd have leaves everywhere! Problem with that is that I'd have to trespass to do it.

If I leave it, well that's the original problem.....that and the realtor not picking up the telephone to call me to say someone will take care of it, which I would have gladly accepted.
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Hate to tell ya, but you're going to have leaves everywhere no matter how you cut it up. Haven't you done this before on your side of the fence? Welcome to happy Harry Homeowner crap if not. :)

Grab a rake or a blower to go along with whatever you choose to cut with, if you don't already have these implements for your own messes.

Don't think it's going to get any better sitting around waiting on phone calls. Only way the realtor cares is if you file the aforementioned mechanic's lien. Then you're into their pocket.

But that's about money. Money and cleaning up your property are two different battles.
 
JoseCuervo said:
We all had to learn to run a chainsaw the first time..... Why deny the OP a chance to inhale 2-stroke exhaust while making little pieces of wood out of big pieces of wood?

There has to be plenty of "Here, hold my beer....." videos on YouTube that will teach you what not to do with a chainsaw.


I vote "BUY" the chainsaw....

:goofy:
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Jaybird180 said:
Chainsaw isnt even running
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I have a saw similar to the one shown; it is amazing how fast you can cut through green wood with a good saw - without breaking a sweat (unless you are really out of shape.) Actually better to saw at an easy pace than a mad cutting speed.

Sadly, over the course of several years we've had a cherry tree, a plum tree, and an apple tree topple or otherwise come to grief. In a fair number of cases I only needed the hand saw - chain saw got used only when sheer amount of branches was too many and I was in a hurry, or only on trunks or branches larger than about 6 inches in diameter.

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I've used a pretty solid bow saw on branches with good results. Can be sometimes tough to get the right leverage though.

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jesse said:
This is an opportunity to go buy a nice chainsaw and tell the wife you're doing it to save money. Take advantage of such opportunities!
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I was going to suggest the same thing. Get a good saw. STIHL or something. Not any of the crap from Home Depot.

My dad bought a good saw in 96' after hurricane Fran and it's dismantled a few oak trees since then


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I'll lose my man card for this. About 40 years ago my dad bought an electric chainsaw. I still have it. It is the best chainsaw I have ever owned and used for around the house. From Montgomery Wards.
 
Zeldman said:
I'll lose my man card for this. About 40 years ago my dad bought an electric chainsaw. I still have it. It is the best chainsaw I have ever owned and used for around the house. From Montgomery Wards.
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I have my granddad's homelite XL1, all steel, built much better than a Stihl or Echo is today. Still runs good. Has to be 40+ years old. I've also got Poulan (That's had the nick name "Michael Jackson" for a decade because it only "fondles" the wood). And a Husky that I use for day to day stuff. Living in the woods, I have a tree drop once or twice a month.
 
Zeldman said:
I'll lose my man card for this. About 40 years ago my dad bought an electric chainsaw. I still have it. It is the best chainsaw I have ever owned and used for around the house. From Montgomery Wards.
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Don't see a problem at all - proper usage still requires same safety precautions: using chaps, gloves, helmet, proper shoes, followed by proper cutting technique (mostly ways not to cut.)
 
I do have a bit of experience with this, as we had one split last fall. First off, by the time a Bradford, or any other variety of callery pear splits, it's a pretty big tree. After mine split, it two of us two hours to chop up and stack the split part, and that was a small part of the tree. It took me probably 15 - 18 hours to chop and stack the remaining branches over the next few weeks. Next on the agenda is a chain saw. You will need one of these. Pear wood is tough. Do not fear the chain saw, as you have control over it. Do fear the falling part of the branch. All of us being pilots, we know that gravity is a stone cold *****. Dropping a decent sized branch on you foot will make a mess of it, and it will cost far more in medical care to get your foot fixed than it would have to hire a tree service. If you're not wanting to buy a chain saw, you can get a tree service to remove the fallen branch for not much more.

About the flammable liquid suggestions: Dry pear wood is hard to ignite, it makes for pretty good smoking wood. Wet pear wood is damn near impossible to burn. Trying to preserve one's grass by burning tree branches off of it falls under the category of stupid human tricks. Your grass won't survive, your house may not either, and you might get cited by the authorities for reckless conduct as well.

Either get a chain saw and chop it up, or hire a tree service or landscaper to do same. Depending on your local law, you may have a claim against the homeowner. Having a claim and collecting on it are two different things. About 10 years ago, I had a tree from the yard behind ours pretty much explode during a microburst and cover our driveway. I cleaned it up and moved on. I'd suggest you do the same.
 
Henning said:
:confused: When I did Cat adjusting on wind storms, all the trees were uprooted never saw one broken except the one with the lightning strike and the trunk exploded.
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These do split, it doesn't even take much of a storm. The day mine split the wind was not more than 15 mph. The branches grow against each other and at some point one of them just falls.

It would take a tornado to uproot one but they split in virtually no wind.
 
I am a realtor and have listed 200+ bank owned properties. In most cases we have little to no control to make a quick decision. For any repair I need to submit 3 quotes and wait for on to get approved which usually takes a few days to a week depending on cost. At that pount I pay thr contractor, and get reimbursed 60 days later.


They aren't bs'ing you if two weeks from now they finally got approval to remove the tree!
 
dell30rb said:
I was going to suggest the same thing. Get a good saw. STIHL or something. Not any of the crap from Home Depot.

My dad bought a good saw in 96' after hurricane Fran and it's dismantled a few oak trees since then
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Meh, the average homeowner is best served by buying a decent electric in the 12"-16" range. They really do work very well and have no long term storage issues like a gas powered ones. This is a typical homeowner use, clean up some fallen debris every few years, not felling mighty oaks or 100+' conifers all day for a living. To buy a good Stihl for a project like this is bordering on the ridiculous.
 
Henning said:
Meh, the average homeowner is best served by buying a decent electric in the 12"-16" range. They really do work very well and have no long term storage issues like a gas powered ones. This is a typical homeowner use, clean up some fallen debris every few years, not felling mighty oaks or 100+' conifers all day for a living. To buy a good Stihl for a project like this is bordering on the ridiculous.
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Around here having a good running gas chainsaw ready to roll is almost a requirement. Storms come and knock down trees all the time it seems. Gotta be prepared! Then again I'm a little weird that way, I watch "Dooms Day Peppers". :lol:
 
Jaybird180 said:
The house next door is up for sale, a foreclosure (sort of)

The tree in the front yard fell last night and is in my yard. I wanted to cut my grass.

I called and emailed the realtor. An hour later a crew was there to cut the lawn and I asked them if they were going to remove the tree. They refused and said they hadn't been cleared to do so. They guy said on their way over the realtor called and asked them to photograph the tree, so she got my message. She didn't return my call. They guy said she was on vacation to which I retorted that she's obviously working and it was the courteous thing to do to call me back. He said it would likely be a week before anything happens with the tree.

And get this....one of the guys is her boyfriend. So it's a high degree of certainty that he'd get paid.:mad2:

How much rent do I charge?
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Sooooo...

What is the latest with the downed tree in your yard?:dunno::dunno:......:confused:
 
Geico266 said:
Around here having a good running gas chainsaw ready to roll is almost a requirement. Storms come and knock down trees all the time it seems. Gotta be prepared! Then again I'm a little weird that way, I watch "Dooms Day Peppers". :lol:
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Doomsday comes and you're gonna use a chainsaw for what? Zombie patrol? What are you going to fuel it with?:dunno: Come doomsday you need an axe, a wedge, a sledge, and a good 2 man bucking saw. Nothing with any type of motor will be able to be relied upon.

Now if we had a hydrogen infrastructure, it could be kept alive rather easily.:D
 
Henning said:
Doomsday comes and you're gonna use a chainsaw for what? Zombie patrol? What are you going to fuel it with?:dunno: Come doomsday you need an axe, a wedge, a sledge, and a good 2 man bucking saw. Nothing with any type of motor will be able to be relied upon.

Now if we had a hydrogen infrastructure, it could be kept alive rather easily.:D
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Take if from the zombie killing master, Bruce Campbell: "You know Jeff, I've gotten a lot of use out of chainsaws over the years. Killed a lot a zombies, saved a lot of lives, but at the end of the day when push comes to shove... they're just too damn heavy."

He prefers his boom-stick.
 
Latest???

We had another storm lastnight. In fact, it burst a water main in the north county.

No further movement of the tree (dangit) but I lost a roof gable flashing as can be seen in photo #2.
 

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Geico266 said:
Around here having a good running gas chainsaw ready to roll is almost a requirement. Storms come and knock down trees all the time it seems. Gotta be prepared! Then again I'm a little weird that way, I watch "Dooms Day Peppers". :lol:
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The problem with an electric chain saw is that you need some rather industrial strength extension cords if the fallen tree is any distance from electricity. The smaller gauge cords will create too much of a voltage drop.

I bought a 14 inch Echo saw, it was about $200. I also got a bottle of chain oil and a one gallon fuel can, plus an additional bottle of two stroke oil. At the end of the season, you do need to drain the fuel and run the engine dry, then fog the engine with a little bit of oil and clean the saw. Then you can put it away. I'd also pour the remaining gasoline into your car. Next time you need the saw, just mix up the second bottle of two stroke oil with a fresh gallon of gasoline, and the saw should start right up. Too many guys just put the saw away as is, and the next time they need it the gasoline has jelled up in the carburetor and it won't start.
 
Jaybird180 said:
Latest???

We had another storm lastnight. In fact, it burst a water main in the north county.

No further movement of the tree (dangit) but I lost a roof gable flashing as can be seen in photo #2.
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So, you're still looking for someone else to be responsible for cleaning it up off your property, when plenty of folks have made clear that the responsibility is yours.

Not everything is someone else's job to fix.
 
FormerHangie said:
The problem with an electric chain saw is that you need some rather industrial strength extension cords if the fallen tree is any distance from electricity. The smaller gauge cords will create too much of a voltage drop.

I bought a 14 inch Echo saw, it was about $200. I also got a bottle of chain oil and a one gallon fuel can, plus an additional bottle of two stroke oil. At the end of the season, you do need to drain the fuel and run the engine dry, then fog the engine with a little bit of oil and clean the saw. Then you can put it away. I'd also pour the remaining gasoline into your car. Next time you need the saw, just mix up the second bottle of two stroke oil with a fresh gallon of gasoline, and the saw should start right up. Too many guys just put the saw away as is, and the next time they need it the gasoline has jelled up in the carburetor and it won't start.
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Not keeping track of which poster is which, but for the tree pictured, irritated neighbor would be well served with a cordless SawzAll from Lowes and about 5 minutes of time.

Cordless recip will have other uses around the house.
 
Jaybird180 said:
Latest???

We had another storm lastnight. In fact, it burst a water main in the north county.

No further movement of the tree (dangit) but I lost a roof gable flashing as can be seen in photo #2.
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Well, now you can combine the call to your insurance guy, I don't know why you're not calling them, that is what you are supposed to be doing.:dunno:
 
Henning said:
Well, now you can combine the call to your insurance guy, I don't know why you're not calling them, that is what you are supposed to be doing.:dunno:
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Doesn't want the Realtor to get a busy signal?
 
Henning said:
Well, now you can combine the call to your insurance guy, I don't know why you're not calling them, that is what you are supposed to be doing.:dunno:
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I doubt the costs will meet my deductible. I waiting for my Home Improvement contractor to call me back. I'll have him do the work and be done with that.

As for the tree, I called the HOA, as it's a joint problem. I'm not really making as much as big deal over it, but it is unsightly.
 
JeffDG said:
So, you're still looking for someone else to be responsible for cleaning it up off your property, when plenty of folks have made clear that the responsibility is yours.

Not everything is someone else's job to fix.
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Yeah, This!
 
I can't help but laugh.... suburbia is such a different world from the one I live in.

If a neighbor's tree fell on my property I probably wouldn't even see it for a week or two at which point the only potential argument might be who gets to keep the firewood. Actually there are a number of trees down right now as there are every year... soon as the weather cools down a little more I'll be chopping them up for firewood.

And at this point I think more time has been spent calling people and worrying about the issue than it would have taken me to just one of my chainsaws out and take care of it myself.
 
JoseCuervo said:
Not keeping track of which poster is which, but for the tree pictured, irritated neighbor would be well served with a cordless SawzAll from Lowes and about 5 minutes of time.

Cordless recip will have other uses around the house.
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I suspect if you have to cut it up with a cordless recipro saw you'll be doing a lot of recharging. That branch is bigger than you think.

If you only have to cut it into a few big pieces and have a couple of guys to help load it into a truck, that's not much cutting. If you have to cut into small enough pieces for curbside pickup, that's rather a lot.

If the OP doesn't want to deal with it himself I suspect a tree service would charge somewhere around $150 - $200 to deal with it, maybe less if they're in the neighborhood.
 
FormerHangie said:
I suspect if you have to cut it up with a cordless recipro saw you'll be doing a lot of recharging. That branch is bigger than you think.

If you only have to cut it into a few big pieces and have a couple of guys to help load it into a truck, that's not much cutting. If you have to cut into small enough pieces for curbside pickup, that's rather a lot.

If the OP doesn't want to deal with it himself I suspect a tree service would charge somewhere around $150 - $200 to deal with it, maybe less if they're in the neighborhood.
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County pickup requires that it is no more than 4feet in length and bundled using twine. Not to mention the stump is still on the other property, not mine.
 
cowman said:
I can't help but laugh.... suburbia is such a different world from the one I live in.

If a neighbor's tree fell on my property I probably wouldn't even see it for a week or two at which point the only potential argument might be who gets to keep the firewood. Actually there are a number of trees down right now as there are every year... soon as the weather cools down a little more I'll be chopping them up for firewood.

And at this point I think more time has been spent calling people and worrying about the issue than it would have taken me to just one of my chainsaws out and take care of it myself.
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I have a tree or three fall on my property each month. It's usually a welcome addition to the firewood pile. Most of the time my wife get's her Poulan out and does the deed. On a couple of ocassions getting to work has required use of a chainsaw in the highway.

I would have had that sucker on the firewood pile in about half an hour.

When I lived in the 'burbs 2 large oaks fell from my neighbors yard and destoryed the fence. I told them I'd chop em up if they let me keep the wood. They wanted to keep it for themselves. :D
 
Jaybird180 said:
County pickup requires that it is no more than 4feet in length and bundled using twine. Not to mention the stump is still on the other property, not mine.
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I assume you're only dealing with the fallen branch. If you don't own a chainsaw, get a quote from a tree service, it may very well be less than the cost of the saw. If you have to cut that branch up into four foot pieces, that's a lot of cutting.
 
Jaybird180 said:
I doubt the costs will meet my deductible. I waiting for my Home Improvement contractor to call me back. I'll have him do the work and be done with that.

As for the tree, I called the HOA, as it's a joint problem. I'm not really making as much as big deal over it, but it is unsightly.
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You still report them as it applies to your deductible, also it's in your policy that you're supposed to inform them of damages to the insured property.
 
Henning said:
You still report them as it applies to your deductible, also it's in your policy that you're supposed to inform them of damages to the insured property.
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I'm sure there's a threshold for reporting. I haven't read the policy in awhile, but it would be silly to report every incident.
 
cowman said:
I can't help but laugh.... suburbia is such a different world from the one I live in.

If a neighbor's tree fell on my property I probably wouldn't even see it for a week or two at which point the only potential argument might be who gets to keep the firewood. Actually there are a number of trees down right now as there are every year... soon as the weather cools down a little more I'll be chopping them up for firewood.

And at this point I think more time has been spent calling people and worrying about the issue than it would have taken me to just one of my chainsaws out and take care of it myself.
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:yeahthat:
 
Henning said:
Like I said, they all apply to your annual deductible.
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And they contribute to your increased premiums, or they contribute to having your insurance cancelled.
Insurance companies suck.
 
JOhnH said:
And they contribute to your increased premiums, or they contribute to having your insurance cancelled.
Insurance companies suck.
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As an independent adjuster who has trained and worked storms for Allstate, State Farm, & Liberty Mutual, I see it differently. I see companies that dictate excellent customer service reviews (your file manager calls them all, and people do get thrown out) and spend a lot of money to keep business. Unfortunately you live in a market that many insurers want to get out of. The Actuaries believe in Global Warming and ocean rise regardless what Fox says. Insurance companies have entire departments dedicated to improving customer loyalty.

Also I will say for Allstate, they pull out all the stops for their little old ladies, they were the only files where I was allowed to get involved with the contractors directly and actually get the property repaired rather than hand the insured a check.

Rates have more to do with market performance than claims.
 
FormerHangie said:
I suspect if you have to cut it up with a cordless recipro saw you'll be doing a lot of recharging. That branch is bigger than you think.

If you only have to cut it into a few big pieces and have a couple of guys to help load it into a truck, that's not much cutting. If you have to cut into small enough pieces for curbside pickup, that's rather a lot.

If the OP doesn't want to deal with it himself I suspect a tree service would charge somewhere around $150 - $200 to deal with it, maybe less if they're in the neighborhood.
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I would only cut it into small enough pieces that I could move them back to the lawn where they came from. I am pretty sure the bank is not going to complain that you returned their tree to their property.

As for recharging, the batteries will recharge in the amount of time it takes to drink a beer. If that isn't long enough, buy 16oz beers instead of the 12Oz beers.

And, for the $150-200, he can buy a nice 20V Dewalt Cordless with a couple of batteries and some blades that he will use for years to come.

I never pass up an opportunity to go buy new tools, especially if I can justify them by not hiring a simple task done.
 
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