[StBernard] abandoned property

[Westley Annis]

I totally agree and you said it well. Many people who are staying are making
emotional decisions not based on anything solid.  Money and financial
investment in property matters. I will not waste my family's resources.

lm


>-----------------------------------------------------

>

>I agree with everything that you have said, Wesley. I sympathize with 

>those of you who have returned and want their neighborhoods to be 

>cleaned up, but the fact is that most property is just going to sit "as 

>is" until final decisions are made on things like which areas are not 

>recommended for rebuilding, which areas will be subject to a buyout, 

>how much homeowners will be offered for a buyout, etc.  My house is in 

>BVN, and I simply don't know yet what is going to happen with my 

>property.  If the Parish does not want rebuilding in that area, then 

>gutting is a waste of time and money. I am not inclined to pay someone 

>several thousand dollars to gut the house if there is going to be 

>little or no rebuilding in that area.  I do not want to put money into 

>a house if I can never sell it because the buyer can't get flood 

>insurance.  That would be throwing money away.  I would rather invest 

>my money in a house that will hold its value.  On the other hand, I may 

>take a buyout (and the house would be demolished), depending on what 

>terms are offered.  For example, if they deduct my insurance proceeds 

>(they don't know yet if that will be the case), a buyout may offer me 

>little or nothing in the way of compensation. If the buyout doesn't 

>come through, and if rebuilding is allowed in that area, it may be 

>worth it to gut and rebuild, or gut and sell. I just don't know yet, 

>and I am not willing to make a purely emotional decision.  I want to 

>make a decision that is financially sound for me and my family.  All my 

>options -- gutting, demolishing, or rebuilding -- take time and money, 

>and it doesn't make any sense for me to start spending that money until 

>I know what the final goal is.  I think that you won't see much action 

>in some neighborhoods until the $4.2 billion comes through for CBDG 

>money comes through, the terms of payments are finalized, and the 

>rebuilding plan is finalized.

>

>CK