How would you handle this neighbor issue?

[Robert_in_NY]

This..........

Survey

Fence

Avoid

Visible Sidearm (I think people seeing you legally well armed on your property is one of the best things any landowner can do.....cuts down on bullies, theft, trespass, etc.)




We do a ton of land trading/dealings and never approach neighbors unless they approach us....... no contact=no conflict.

I have a pistol permit and do occasionally carry but I don't like having a visible sidearm when I am around other people and definitely not around people who may be sue happy or slightly off of their mental state. I never want to be in a postition where I need to draw a weapon on another human but my biggest fear is that even if I don't draw my weapon all they need to say is that I did and then I have to defend myself and prove I didn't. That can lead to a huge problem for me, loss of my pistol permit and more importantly it could impact my custody situation of my daughter. Currently I have full custody and her mom has nothing to do with us. But we stay off the radar and out of sight so I prefer it that way as its easier to maintain the status quo if I am not getting my name in the paper for weapons related charges. Get accused of drawing a weapon on someone and that gets used against you in child custody case and its just not worth it to me. If I fear for my safety or physical well being I know how to call the police and I also know how to keep myself out of those situations. I get myself out of the situation before anything escalates and if the situation warrants it I then contact the police and file an incident report and let them handle the situation for me. Its only happend twice and both times the officers contacted the other person who started the conflict and talked to them and the situation went away.

 

[bcp]

I really don't want to put up any fence since it would serve no purpose other then to cut the wind which isn't always a good thing. Air flow in and around the vineyards is very beneficial. That is why I removed the trees along the road, putting up other trees or physical barriers doesn't really help my long term goal. I will mark the boundry with posts and keep it posted though.

Three strands of barbed wire or field fence won't stop much wind and makes a lot better boundary than a few posts.

Bruce

 

[Robert_in_NY]

In all honesty we have in a similar situation all I can say is just do your research and make sure what you do land you in trouble and if they try something as long as everything you have is straight forward your good to go, id also have the surveyor come in and make sure it accurate and put a fence faster than you can blink

I won't put up a fence but I will set post every 100 feet and post the boundry. I do not believe things will escalate as I have no intentions of doing anything to their property. But once I know where the boundry is I will make sure they know it too and I will kill off the grass close enough to the boundry but just far enough away that I don't damage theirs. I already kill all the grass on the headland so it should only be a few more feet. That would discourage him from crossing the boundry to mow my side if theres nothing to mow.

 

[chkntrktr]

Sounds to me like the wife runs things. She probably told him not to talk to you. I bet he got a pat on the head and a "good boy" when he went home and told her what he did to you.
I hope it works out for you. It sounds like they have a good neighbor and don't realize it. BTW I believe I would leave those trees, if they really want to see them they can drive closer.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Three strands of barbed wire or field fence won't stop much wind and makes a lot better boundary than a few posts.

Bruce

That is true, the wind comment was to another poster who mentioned putting up a privacy fence.

Three strands of barbed wire will just cost me more money for no purpose. I really don't care if they cross the boundry as long as their not damaging anything. I just didn't want to cause problems by assuming the boundry was somewhere which is what started this situation, I tried to talk to the neighbor to ask him. Its like night and day on this property. These people are mine mine mine and dont appear to have much money. The other side they have plenty of money and are a "borrow anything you need" type. I went from talking to one neighbor for an hour today and having a great time to attempting to talk to another neighbor and getting upset.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Sounds to me like the wife runs things. She probably told him not to talk to you. I bet he got a pat on the head and a "good boy" when he went home and told her what he did to you.
I hope it works out for you. It sounds like they have a good neighbor and don't realize it. BTW I believe I would leave those trees, if they really want to see them they can drive closer.

I have been leaning towards leaving the trees as well. Its mostly locust and cherry. The locust will get cut to make posts for the vineyard as needed and the cherry will most likely go to firewood for my grandfather as needed (the locust tops will go to firewood to another friend). I just don't need to clear cut it right now as it will just keep replenishing my post pile and even though it can't keep up with my demand it will save me around $4 for every post I cut. Plus the larger the locust tree is then I use them for end posts. I have a couple 10" round solid locust posts all peeled and planted for end posts already with a bunch of 7-9" posts ready for replacing other end posts as needed. Those posts won't be going anywhere for a very, very long time :laughing:

 

[newbury]

I gotta tell ya... very few people can afford to "have a lawyer". In fact, it's rarely done these days. 'Having' a lawyer means you have him on retainer. You're paying all the time to keep his attention. If they mean they 'have the name of a lawyer' well... we all do. It's called the phone book.

I have a lawyer, on call 24/7. She also cooks and does laundry for me and bore 3 children by me. I believe everybody in her immediate family considers that they "have a lawyer" - her. There are also people who "have a lawyer" because they frequently get in trouble and need one.

That neighbor sounds suspicious, almost as if they have been using a strip of the OP's property and are worried about being "found out".

Surveys should be done BEFORE the property is signed sealed and delivered. If a property has not had a formal registered survey recorded there is no telling what the boundaries are. We just bought a piece that was supposed to be 70 acres and turned out to be 67, but we knew that before we signed.

Conversely the house we bought just before that (and is surrounded by the 67 acre plot) was advertised as on 2.5 acres, and it's actually 3.5.

 

[edlegault]

Robert_in_NY:

1. You DO need to be worried about neighbor crossing over onto your property. This website is full of bad stories.

2. Run (don't walk) to the local courthouse (or where ever the property records are kept) and look up both the legal description of your property and the legal description of your neighbor's property. Try to find any history of past legal surveys.

3. If you don't have a legal survey with legal markers, then nobody knows where the property boundaries are.

(sigh) For anyone else contemplating buying property... make sure you know beforehand where the legal boundaries are located. Do not rely on seller's or neighbors' verbal description ("runs right over thar...")

 

[joshuabardwell]

I just didn't want to cause problems by assuming the boundry was somewhere which is what started this situation, I tried to talk to the neighbor to ask him.

As much as it stinks to have to shell out for a survey, it's my policy to always make sure I have valid survey results before doing any construction anywhere near a property line. Even if me and the neighbor both agree on where the property line is, what if we're both wrong? I'd hate to give up any property that was legally mine. And, even worse, what if I put up a fence or dig a ditch or what-have-you, and years from now it turns out the neighbor decides the property is actually his, and the survey turns out to validate him? Too much of a risk to take, IMO. Even if you're on good terms with your neighbors, they may die or move away, and whoever replaces them may be a nightmare. If a survey wasn't done before the property was purchased, my policy is to have a survey done, pins set and/or marked, and so forth. Then, it doesn't matter what my neighbor thinks--I know I won't be moving a fence line three feet to the left a year from now.

Sorry your neighbors seem to be so rude. Best of luck dealing with them--or not.

 

[koamfps]

Hatfields and McCoys Sounds like a gun fight might erupt:drink:

That is one headache I would never want!