Shrine today,hard sell tomorrow

Modesto Bee ^ | 4/26/03 | Jack Doo

[RGSpincich]

It was the home where they planned to raise a family. Now the front lawn is a shrine, where people by the thousands have come to mourn the woman who lived there. It is Scott and Laci Peterson's house at 523 Covena Ave. in Modesto. It is not for sale, but the real estate questions already are flying: Is Scott Peterson allowed to sell it? What is it worth and what could it sell for?

[RGSpincich]

Good information from the title company spokesman. They would not insure title from the accused, or his parents, until the criminal matter is resolved. Looks like the house ownership can't be transferred.

[RGSpincich]

Previous concerns on the selling or transferring of the property look to be without merit. So call me paranoid. Very informative piece.

[Howlin]

I am thinkning he can't afford this house now and, unless Lee and Jackie keep making the payments, the bank will own this house shortly.

[runningbear]

Good Morning RG... ;o)

The Petersons' home on Covena Avenue is attracting lots of attention now, but real estate agents question the level of interest if it's put up for sale.

DREW FLEMING/THE BEE

Anthony Marin, 5, of Modesto came with his mother, sister and cousin on Saturday to pay respects to Laci Peterson.
DREW FLEMING/THE BEE

Street barricades limit vehicle access to Covena Avenue, where the Petersons' home is located. Neighbors say they expect such measures to continue to be necessary until the trial of Scott Peterson is no longer in the media spotlight.
TED BENSON/THE BEE

[runningbear]

Neighbors weary of the spotlight

Neighbors weary of the spotlight

By JULISSA McKINNON
BEE STAFF WRITER

Published: April 27, 2003, 06:13:18 AM PDT

Since Laci Peterson was reported missing on Christmas Eve, her neighbors on Covena Avenue have been under siege. Four months of reporters ringing their doorbells, requesting interviews, clicking cameras and asking to use their restrooms.

Four months of listening to the buzz of news truck generators that keep them awake late at night.

In the beginning, when hope was high that searchers would find Peterson, neighbors said they did not mind the noise and inconveniences of being in the national spotlight. Anything to find her, they said.

But now that her remains have been found, they just wish the news trucks would go home and that their doorbells would stop ringing.

It is bad enough, some said, to lose Peterson, the young lady known for her radiant smile and green thumb. But they have grown tired of discussing her loss with reporters.

They expect to grow more tired.

Laci Peterson's husband, Scott, has been charged with murdering his wife and their unborn son. His journey through the court system is just beginning.

A handful of neighbors said they do not expect the door knocks to stop. Orange cones will continue blocking off their street, lest there be a traffic jam, some said.

"You're the 35th reporter to ring my doorbell," Melville Ikerd told a Bee reporter who came to the door.

"Now when we hear the doorbell ring, we know it's not a visitor, it's a reporter," the retired Modesto police officer said with a chuckle.

But while Ikerd still answers his door to chat, other neighbors have posted signs on their property. Some read, "Do not disturb." Others are more blunt: "No reporters."

Amy Krigbaum, 28, who lives across the street from the Petersons' house, said she no longer answers her home phone. Anybody who needs to reach her knows her cell number, she said, standing outside her home as a television reporter tried to convince her to go before the camera.

But Krigbaum said the media barrage is the least of her concerns regarding the deaths of Laci Peterson and her unborn child. Every time she looks outside her window, she is reminded of Peterson's absence by the dead grass in the front yard of 523 Covena Ave. She recalled how Peterson meticulously cared for her lawn and garden.

"Life can't be normal when we look out our window every time we wash the dishes and see a memorial," she said.

Krigbaum added that even after the last television satellite truck leaves Covena Avenue, life will never return to normal.

SNIP IT....

[Howlin]

Meanwhile, it has been revealed that Amber Frey, the Fresno masseuse who had an affair with Scott Peterson, contacted police on Dec. 30, six days after Laci's disappearance and nearly a month before going public about the relationship.


From this article:

http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/74340.htm

And Fox News just reported that Scott Peterson called a friend on December 24th -- after he had reported Laci missing -- to make plans for New Years Eve. (They said that was being reported by the NY Post, but I can't find it on their site.)

[RGSpincich]

Refi was December 2001 not Feb 2002, for the record. Going to Sacramento, catch you later.

[oceanperch]

Yes that clears up some ?'s that have been asked.

Who pays the mortgage if it cannot be sold untill SP is found guilty?

If SP cannot have title do to the murder then does it go to Probate for a judge to decide?

[oceanperch]

Heard/saw that too. Reported that he sounded "chipper" when making the date over the phone.

[Howlin]

Wonder what they meant when they said that he was trying to establish his alibi?

[oceanperch]

Sounds likes like it can be sold in a way so as to not to reveal it's history.

Here in Oregon, Ward Weaver who killed the two teenagers and hid their body on the property he was renting, the owner of the property chose to tear down the house and shed. Do not know his plans for the future.

[oceanperch]

Good question to ask Scott at the trial. If he makes it to the stand and does not confess.

[runningbear]

From Lindbergh to Laci, a growing forensics fancy

"Sudden student interest

At San Jose State University in California, student demand is leading the criminal-justice department to hire its first forensics professor. At California State University in Sacramento, department chair William Vizzard calls the increased interest at his school "sudden" and "incredible" - especially among women.

Indeed, one recent survey by student lender Sallie Mae suggests that forensic science is the fastest-growing major on many college campuses. And for the first time, the AAFS sponsored conferences last year on how to teach forensics - a response to repeated inquiries from middle-school and high-school teachers."

[oceanperch]

....and a Freepers.:]

[oceanperch]

few Time for bed.

[Sunshine55]

Thank God for this. In my mind it falls under the category of profiting from Laci & Connor's deaths.

[Sandylapper]

Thanks, RG!

[runningbear]

have fun... it is cooler out in the valley, but partly cloudy.. No rain, yippie... (yet)

[runningbear]

Fresno Bee article

Fate of Peterson home in limbo
Cause of Laci's death key to when, how Modesto house could be sold.

Fate of Peterson home in limbo
Cause of Laci's death key to when, how Modesto house could be sold.

By Jack Doo
The Modesto Bee

(Published Sunday, April 27, 2003, 4:56 AM)

MODESTO -- It was the home in which they planned to raise a family. Now the front lawn is a shrine where people by the thousands have come to mourn the woman who lived there. It is Scott and Laci Peterson's house at 523 Covena Ave. in Modesto. The house is not for sale, but the real estate questions are flying:

Is Scott Peterson allowed to sell it? What is it worth, and what could it sell for? Will anyone be interested, considering that one of the residents is dead and her husband has been accused of killing her and their unborn child? What would real estate agents be required to tell prospective buyers?

Patrick Wallace, a longtime Modesto real estate agent, lived in the same neighborhood for nearly 20 years. Yes, the house would sell, he said.

"It's all based on price," he said. "I would say you'd have to discount it 20% or more."

He added that the house probably could sell in short order.

Randall Bell, a nationally known appraiser who specializes in properties where crimes have occurred, said it might take longer.

"In that kind of situation, it's very tough to sell the house," said Bell, a partner at Bell, Anderson & Anderson in Laguna Beach. "One might not be successful in selling the house."

Bell appraised the Los Angeles condominium owned by O.J. Simpson's ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, who was slain outside the home along with friend Ron Goldman. And Bell appraised the Colorado home where 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey was killed. In both cases, the slayings cut into the appraised values.

"If the crime was committed inside the house, it tends to stigmatize the house more than if it was committed outside," he said.

California's disclosure law, Wallace said, covers a three-year period after a death on a property. During that period, prospective buyers must be told about any such death.

In the Peterson case, Wallace said: "Technically, you wouldn't have to disclose anything. Nothing has been proved. They didn't find her in the house. You can only disclose what you know."

The Petersons bought the three-bedroom, two-bath house in October 2000 for $177,000, according to the Stanislaus County Recorder's Office. Records indicate that the couple refinanced the house in February 2002.

Wallace said the home is in an excellent location, in the La Loma neighborhood.

The Petersons' home was built in 1949. Wallace said he has been inside, and he called it very desirable: "It's an attractive house. The previous owner had gone through it. The kitchen had been updated. The garage had been converted into a family room, which is pretty common in that neighborhood."

In Modesto's appreciating real estate market, the home's value has gone up about $100,000 in less than three years, according to Wallace.

"Without the stigma, probably $275,000, plus or minus $5,000," Wallace said about the listing price for the house.

[Sandylapper]

"If the crime was committed inside the house, it tends to stigmatize the house more than if it was committed outside."

Well, of course! I'm amazed that a large number of people are superstitious or believe in "ghosts", just as they believe in angels. Why would they ever want such a house!