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LoonyQT
Posts:931
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| 05/22/2008 11:49 AM |
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Brian - there was a good article in the SDUT about stealing metal - here it is for you (hopefully noone accuses me of copyright infringement!! ;-)
Thefts of metal rise in step with surge in prices
By J. Harry Jones
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
April 13, 2008
Just east of Oceanside, a thief is killed in early March, electrocuted while trying to cut live power lines in order to steal a few dollars' worth of copper.
JOHN GASTALDO / Union-Tribune
Sheriff's Detective Dan Laibach held pieces of a bronze statue, stolen from a private park in Fallbrook. He found them at a recycling center.
In Fallbrook, a 6-foot bronze statue of a hawk valued at $16,000 is stolen in February from a private park and sold for scrap metal for $198.
And more than 100 times since January 2007, power substations owned by San Diego Gas & Electric have been broken into and looted of grounding and transmission wiring.
Homes and businesses, some under construction, have had plumbing fixtures and pipes ripped from the walls and floors.
It goes on and on because prices for metals such as copper and bronze have risen dramatically in the past few years, spurred by demand in China and elsewhere in Asia.
“Almost nothing is sacred,” said sheriff's Lt. Alex Rodriguez, who heads the department's Fallbrook station. “They'll steal anything. Statues, memorial plaques, wire. It seems that people will go to great lengths to steal this metal.”
The theft of copper wiring and other metals – often by drug abusers looking for a quick buck, authorities say – has been rising steadily not just here but across the country.
Six years ago, those trying to sell used copper were getting about 75 cents per pound. Today, that price hovers around $3.50 per pound.
Although legislation aimed at making metal recyclers more accountable was introduced last year in Sacramento, the bill died before getting to a vote.
Under current law, scrap yard owners only have to ask if the material a seller comes in with is stolen.
The bill introduced last year by Assemblyman Tom Berryhill, R-Modesto, would have required junk-metal dealers and recyclers to pay sellers by check 10 days after the purchase of any metal, and to choose between obtaining a photograph of the seller and the metal or holding the metal for 15 days.
Berryhill, whose constituents include farmers hard hit by metal thieves, said the provisions were designed to make metal theft less appealing to those who steal it to obtain quick cash. Berryhill said lobbyists for the recycling industry were able to defeat the bill.
The incident east of Oceanside happened shortly after 1 a.m. March 6. Deputies were sent to check a report of a downed live power line along state Route 76 near Holly Lane in Bonsall.
What they found were two cut power lines and the body of Dennis Ray Daniels, 50. One of the live lines was in contact with his body. A ladder sat next to two utility poles, and several tools were nearby.
Officials believe Daniels and at least one other person had been cutting and removing the line for the copper inside. Because some of the cut line was missing and no vehicle was nearby, detectives believe at least one other person took off after Daniels was electrocuted.
His death appears to have been the first of its sort in the county, but others have occurred across the United States.
Rachel Laing, a spokeswoman for SDG&E, said theft of power-line wiring and break-ins at the company's substations have cost the utility about $360,000 in direct costs since January 2007.
Repair costs greatly outweigh the value of the stolen wire, Laing said. More important, the thefts create a major safety hazard. In many cases, the stolen wire provides the grounding for the substations that have been burglarized. Utility workers could be electrocuted just entering their work site, she said.
Construction sites and utility companies aren't the only targets. Sometimes it's far more personal.
In October, Madelynne Engle lost almost everything when the Rice Canyon fire burned into Fallbrook and took out her 2½-acre property. Engle's house, her artist studio – everything was torched. All that remained was her sculpture garden containing about 100 pieces she had created over many years.
Sometime between when the fire burned through and when she was allowed back home, thieves stole two sculptures, a 600-pound one Engle called The Unicorn and a 200-pound one that resembled a ship's sail.
The fire was one thing, the crime was another.
“It's a very different feeling when it's nature that causes a loss as opposed to when it's humans who have deliberately violated something you've created or something you love,” Engle said.
She said the theft reminded her of a line in a book about the Civil War that she had read. “A survivor had hidden in the woods and watched as thieves had come down the hill and stolen coins from the pockets of the dead.”
Engle said she has called foundries and scrap-metal yards hoping to find the lost art, without luck.
Sheriff's Detective Daniel Laibach said that after the October fires, many burned-out homes were pillaged for valuables, including copper piping.
In February, a 6-foot bronze sculpture of a hawk, valued at $16,000, was stolen from Palomares House and Park off Stagecoach Lane in Fallbrook.
Laibach found what was left of it at an Oceanside metal-recycling center. It had been cut into pieces, and Laibach had to have the artist identify them to confirm that they were from the sculpture.
A receipt showed that a Riverside man named Shawn Salley had been paid $198 for 110 pounds of bronze. Salley, 38, was arrested April 1 by Temecula police when he was seen siphoning gasoline out of cars, officials said. After Riverside County completes its case against him, Salley faces charges in the theft of the hawk sculpture.
The park in which it stood is owned by the Fallbrook Land Conservancy. Preserve manager Mike Peters said the theft is sad.
“We're looking into putting more security in,” Peters said. “There was a walkway through our property that kids would use to get to the school bus. We had to shut it down. We're also thinking of putting lights in and possibly cameras.
“It's very discouraging, but it's happening all over.”
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J. Harry Jones: (760) 737-7579; jharry.jones@uniontrib.com
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jpinpb
Posts:1687
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jiandong1
Posts:1
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| 06/12/2008 10:39 AM |
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| It is crystal clear that inflation is kicking up. Sooner or later, feds will raise interest rates again. I smell doom for stock market and housing market. 10-yr treasury is moving up, a sign that investors demand compensation for inflation. There will be big bargains in the home prices. |
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djrobsd
Posts:22
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| 06/12/2008 11:40 AM |
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Seems like the 42nd street area is getting hard, another monster drop:
Sold in 2005 for $455k, can now be yours for only $245k!!!
http://www.sdlookup.com/MLS-081021575-634_42nd_St_San_Diego_CA_92102
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AEM
Posts:1
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| 06/14/2008 9:11 AM |
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| How does a buyer find these monster drops before they're sold? We spend a lot of time looking at the info available on-line but always seem to be a day late. |
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ElPato
Posts:378
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| 06/14/2008 9:56 AM |
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AEM: Take a look at the MLS listings, they have a "Today's Changes" link. The technology behind this is RSS. You can get software that will let you read RSS, so you will be able to see the daily changes in (near) real time.
For example, here are a couple of 4BR houses below $200K:
http://sdlookup.com/MLS-088001315-5138_Palin_St_San_Diego_Ca_92114
http://www.sdlookup.com/MLS-081029641-1339_Wilson_Pl_Escondido_Ca_92027
And some cheap 3BRs as well:
http://sdlookup.com/MLS-081015314-1734_Manor_Dr_Vista_Ca_92084
http://sdlookup.com/MLS-080042486-1051_Rock_Springs_Rd_119_Escondido_Ca_92026
Good luck.
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jakob
Posts:549
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| 06/27/2008 10:21 PM |
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Spring Valley 4/1 w/ cracked slab sold for $126,000
Only $5,000 above 1989 sale price!
Sale History:
06/27/2008 $126,000 3y 12m -66% -24%
07/02/2004 $373,000 14y 10m 208% 8%
08/31/1989 $121,000 3y 7m 57% 13%
01/22/1986 $76,889 n/a - -
12/23/1985 $79,500 n/a - -
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LoonyQT
Posts:931
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| 06/28/2008 4:00 PM |
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wow, Jakob - did you see the bank's listing price history for this one -
Price Reduced: 06/18/2008 from $238,500-$169,000 to $169,000-$169,000
Price Reduced: 06/04/2008 from $238,500 to $169,000
Price Reduced: 04/29/2008 from $249,500 to $238,500
Price Reduced: 03/24/2008 from $268,900 to $249,500
The bank took a pretty big cut from march expectations to june sales price. |
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ElPato
Posts:378
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| 06/29/2008 8:12 AM |
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http://www.sdlookup.com/Property-B2336F1C-4310_54th_St_108_San_Diego_CA_92115
1990 prices, nominal terms. Way below in inflation adjusted terms. |
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ElPato
Posts:378
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| 06/29/2008 8:16 AM |
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http://www.sdlookup.com/Property-B4E8A210-746_Braun_Ave_San_Diego_CA_92114
1994 prices, probably below, when adjusted for inflation. 1994 was a bad year for RE. This shows severe distress in Encanto. |
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jakob
Posts:549
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| 06/29/2008 8:21 AM |
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| ElPato: Stunning finds. Who knew Real Estate could be such great entertainment? |
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Just Someone
Posts:159
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| 06/30/2008 11:38 AM |
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Another $1million price drop club joiner in LJ
Price Reduced: 06/30/2008 from $6,950,000 to $5,990,000
MLS-086031224 1090_Solymar_Dr_La_Jolla_Ca_92037
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Brian
Posts:2614
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| 07/01/2008 1:02 PM |
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Original purchase price: 09/29/2006 $1,175,000 -- Don't know if this the original purchase price of the lot which as split.
But either way, values have dropped drastically if you look at listing price.
8/2007 $1,090,000-$1,249,000 to $789,000-$869,000.
Current List Price: $575,000 to $625,000
MLS#: 080046441
What a different a year makes.
http://www.sdlookup.com/Property-384ADD3B-2064_2nd_San_Diego_CA_92101 |
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sxasher
Posts:11
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| 07/03/2008 7:47 AM |
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Huge price drop in the College area.
On 05/22/2006 sold for $1,210,000
Current list price $624,900
http://www.sdlookup.com/Property-DF8238A2-4829_55th_St_San_Diego_CA_92115 |
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ElPato
Posts:378
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| 07/07/2008 7:56 AM |
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http://sdlookup.com/MLS-071085473-955_Postal_Way_44_Vista_CA_92083
Below 1996 prices after inflation adjustment. |
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ElPato
Posts:378
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| 07/07/2008 7:59 AM |
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http://www.sdlookup.com/Property-B99C909B-1071_Carlsbad_St_Spring_Valley_CA_91977
Cracked slab, way cheap. |
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denglish
Posts:27
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| 07/07/2008 3:21 PM |
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http://www.sdlookup.com/Property-D8E7780C-1584_Hillsborough_St_Chula_Vista_CA_91913
Here is another in Chula Vista where its 44% below developer price- so every home owner is that "phase" is down 44%. |
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Just Someone
Posts:159
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anita
Posts:16
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| 07/07/2008 6:02 PM |
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http://www.sdlookup.com/Property-3CBA6560-4230_Montalvo_St_11_San_Diego_CA_92107
June 06 price - $348,000
Current list price - $184,900 |
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Just Someone
Posts:159
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| 07/07/2008 7:19 PM |
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Another Million dollar price reduction AND Million Dolllar Loss:
Sales History
Date Price
12/29/2006 $7,450,000
04/11/2005 $5,550,000
List Price: $5,950,000 to $6,450,000
MLS#: 086022377
Price Reduced: 07/07/2008 from $6,950,000 to $6,450,000
Price Reduced: 05/14/2008 from $7,495,000 to $6,950,000
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