Throwback Thursday – 208 Bates

The first picture was taken in 2016 when the City of St. Paul owned the property. They didn’t own it as an investment but bought it to keep it from being raised.  The second picture was taken last week and shows how the 1850’s building looks after undergoing renovations with the help of a $600,000 public subsidy with some strings attached that the units must be used as affordable rentals for the next 15 years.

Renovations were done by private owners in a partnership with Historic St. Paul preservation group. The building was open last spring for the home tour.

 

historic apartments
208 – 210 Bates
208 bates renovated
208 Bates Ave

Houses with lead based paint

Any house that was built before 1978 could have lead-based paint in it. Since about 80% of the houses in St. Paul were built before 1978 it is safe to assume unless proven otherwise most St. Paul houses have lead-based paint in them.

Lead is harmful to human beings, especially to children and Federal law requires that persons buying or renting a home that was built before 1978 receive a disclosure that states that the home could have lead-based paint in it. Homebuyers can have the paint tested for lead but they almost never do.

Buyers are given a pamphlet about how to protect their family from lead-based paint. 

Washing hands and covering chipped or peeling paint is recommended. Having paint tested before removing it is also recommended. Paint in my home has been tested in areas where new doors have bee installed. No lead was found probably because the door frames were built in the late 1980s.

One of my clients had a child who had an elevated level of lead in his system. Lead was found in the finish on an old built-in buffet in a home built in the late 1930s.

We are in a strong seller’s market and In multiple offer situations, sellers are likely to reject the offer in which the buyer plans to have the paint tested for lead.

Unless the homeowner has tests results that prove there is no lead-based paint in the home or the home was built after 1978 please assume that there is lead-based paint and take appropriate precautions.

Epa lead-based paint
From the EPA

Lead From Paint, Dust, and Soil Can Be Dangerous If Not Managed Properly

FACT: Lead exposure can harm young children and babies even before they are born.

FACT: Even children that seem healthy can have high levels of lead in their bodies.

FACT: People can get lead in their bodies by breathing or swallowing lead dust, or by eating soil or paint chips with lead in them.

FACT: People have many options for reducing lead hazards. In most cases, lead-based paint that is in good condition is not a hazard.

FACT: Removing lead-based paint improperly can increase the danger to your family.

Also, consider that if the exterior of a home is or was wood and it has been scraped and painted there could be lead in the soil. There is more but I think this is enough for now.

Information about lead-based paint testing

Also, get healthy home information from the Minnesota Department of Health. 

How real estate values are determined

gray siding yellow doors
Curb appeal and the front door

The price that was paid for a property isn’t a number that is used to determine the current value. Home improvements may add value to a home but the value does not go up a dollar for every dollar spent.

The value of real estate is determined by location, size, and condition. An appraiser determines the value by looking at three comparable properties that are close by, and similar to the subject property.

Ideally, the comparable properties have been sold in the last year and are similar in size and located nearby.

Since no two properties are exactly the same the appraiser makes adjustments. Adjustments are made for differences in the number of bathrooms, bedrooms, fireplaces, garage stalls and any other difference in the properties.

The overall condition of a property is important. Even landscaping and curb appeal counts.

A three-bedroom rambler with 1200 finished square feet of livable space that is in great condition with updated kitchen and baths can be worth twice as much in one St. Paul neighborhood than it is in another and won’t have the same value in Maplewood that it has in Mendota Heights.

Also see  Because mine has bigger nails and When do I need to get an appraisal?

Ramsey county 4R program

Reuse, Recycle and Renovate for Reinvestment Program – is what the Ramsey County 4R program is all about. I am very much in favor of saving old houses when possible and always in favor of keeping house parts and everything else out of landfills.

The program has been around since 2010 and is aimed at the tax forfeiture properties that the county becomes responsible for. Examples of the work that has already been done can be found on the Ramsey county web site.

Its mission is two-fold:

  1. Promote productive reuse of old building materials from deconstructed buildings in order to keep those materials out of landfills, thereby minimizing the effect on our natural resources and environment.
  2. Renovate dilapidated structures back to being appealing, taxable properties with an emphasis on using sustainable building practices and incorporating sustainable components in each renovation project.

The house in the picture has sat vacant for many years and is in the process of being renovated through the program. Eventually, it will be sold by public auction.  Revenue coming from the sale of tax-forfeited properties is used to replenish the fund for costs incurred and to use for future forfeited properties.

old house
735 Margaret Street – St. Paul, MN

 

Immigration – no going back

Immigration sculture
Sculpture in Hamm’s park

The sculpture is made up of suite cases, duffle bags, backpacks, and roller bags and is located in Hamm park on East 7th street a few blocks East of Maria street.  It is part of an art project around immigration. There are more details on the Indigenous Roots web site.

I know the East Side of St. Paul well it was where I grew up and went to school. At the time it was what people called a “working class” neighborhood and it was mostly white. The neighborhood is a lot more diverse these days partly because of immigration.

In my family, I am the third generation to be born in this country but the first generation came from Quebec, Poland, and Czechoslovakia.  I can understand and read some French but do not know any Polish and I know very little about Czechoslovakia.

I don’t think it would be very easy to go back to where I came from.  We are a country of immigrants, we invaded and took over from indigenous people, who also immigrated long, long ago.

If you haven’t seen the sculpture check it out. On the wall behind the suitcases, they have started putting up pictures of immigrants and some of their stories.

As advertised

It is Friday and Fridays are for fun. My husband loves trains so we went downtown to see “Big Boy No. 4014 Visits St. Paul”.  Event coordinators took advantage of the huge space outside the Union Depot and put the train a distance from the depot but set it up so that to see the big steam locomotive we had to go through the depot and stand in line.

The event was well attended.

Here is the picture that was used to market “Big Boy No. 4014 Visits St. Paul”

Big Boy No. 4014 Visits St. Paul

Here is what it looked like from an attendees view:

Big Boy No. 4014 Visits St. Paul
Big Boy No. 4014 Visits St. Paul

Well played! lining it up so that the stop sign helped obstruct some of the view that wasn’t already blocked by people and barriers.

Big Boy No. 4014 Visits St. Paul