This destroyed car that seemingly comes free with this property may or may not have been the cause of the huge fire which melted the siding off of this property. Yikes.
Nearby Houses:
None yet photographed. Please take a picture if you see one.
52 Sussex St.
- July 17th, 2009
- Photog: Funsickle
- Category: residential
I knew the family that lived in that house back in the 1970’s and 1980’s. It belonged to the Albanese family. My family owned the house at 38 Cheshire St.
The whole real estate run up makes me so angry. These were beautiful properties back in the day.
That house looks quite fixable. Additionally it is single story which makes the job almost do it yourself. The vinyl siding damage, by itself, is a nothing problem. Color matching might be. I understand there is now Sherwin WIlliams paint for vinyl siding. If you get crazy, you could re-side the entire thing with HardiePlank (sp?) and have a beeter job.
Yes it does look repairable. I looked it up on Provplan, last owner was a Gabriel Soto, paid $260,000 for it in 2005. Bought it from Olga Albanese. I remember Olga – I believe she was Joe Albanese’s wife. I think he passed away a few years back.
At last valuation in 2007 the city pegged it at $257,000. Property values have sunk about 40% or more since then so you could probably get this for $150,000 or less considering the damage.
I’m not sure how the neighborhood is though. It was great growing up there in the 1970’s but it’s changed a hell of a lot since then.
RE: the $257,000. I think we should simply forget those old values, that house was never “worth” 267K. It seeems to have credibilty because it was valued by the assessor. Assessors, who are “profit centers”, are not uninterested parties.
A real concern is economic forecasts. It is predicted that RI will be the last New England state to recover. That means as new jobs open, they will be in other states. Since it is acknowledged that RI population has stabilized because there is no place to go, it would be expected that nearby recovery will result in a net outflow of population. Has anyone heard stories of the Alaska Pipeline in the 70’s? Skilled construction labor disappeared from New England.
“fire which melted the siding off of this property. Yikes.” Melted siding is quite common. One of the reason owners will rarely permit tenants to use outdoor grilles is that they will melt the siding.
Since I have recommended cement sidings a few times, I felt obligated to post this article I came across. This is not to say that every form of siding does not have its drawbacks and I have never personally encountered the problem sited here. The Western portion of Oregon is considerably “wetter” than most parts of the U.S.:
Fiber-Cement
Another siding option on the rise is fiber-cement, which is easy-to-install but toxic to breath while cutting. Fiber-cement affordably compares to other sidings. It is a blend of Portland cement, ground sand and cellulose fiber mixed with water and formed into siding products. Fiber-cement siding is pest-resistant and noncombustible, and many of these products are offered with 50-year warranties.
A wide array of wood-grain appearances is available, ranging from deep cedar grain to a traditional smooth finish. Fiber-cement siding systems are available in panels, planks or shingles, and many builders are turning to these products because of their comparatively low cost and projected longevity. (It should be noted that despite the 50-year warranties, the material is too new to have existing track records verifying this projected longevity.)
According to Michael J. Watson, an inspector for Oregon-based Siding Solutions, the downfall of cement products is that they’re not water-resistant unless properly primed on all sides — more than the factory provides — and every cut, nail or fastener is sealed. He says otherwise fiber-cement products, although somewhat resistant to deterioration due to water absorption, will absorb more water than any other product and faster. This moisture is then passed into and through the back of the siding to the inner wall cavity of your home’s exterior walls. Watson notes that in Oregon there are several complaints of failures of fiber-cement. He anticipates another class-action suit to take place regarding these products, as seen in recent years with a number of building materials.
Fire lit up the house on April 23, 2009.
The question then is, how quickly to an insurance claim—and fix, or to market?