Some Jersey shore homes damaged by Sandy not eligible for FEMA assistance

Thousands of Jersey shore homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Sandy , but not all will be eligible for FEMA assistance, according to a new report out Monday.

[Rtk]

Thats what you get... Vote for obama and that turncoat christy... NJ is, well... NJ'd.

[carpetbaggers]

It sounds like existing criteria. It's actually the best thing to do. Why should the taxpayers pay for a second vacation home. That's what homeowners insurance is for. Those who lost their only house should get full aid. I have no problem for emergency assistance like food & shelter if a second house owner got stuck there but house repairs or replacement-no.

If they didn't have their second house fully insured it is on the home owner. I'm not cheering anyone loosing a house but just like FEMA said, it's priority of need ie a person who lost their only home should get priority.

There was some internet talk about some going after their realtors and previous owners for not disclosing they were not in a flood zone-good luck with that.

[jabbie]

There are homeowners that live on the water in their paid-off, primary homes and don't have flood insurance. Their excuse "I can't afford flood insurance. or I don't have to get flood insurance, because I don't have a mortgage." FEMA is giving them money, because these homes aren't their vacation homes (not a loan). There is something wrong with this.

If you can't afford flood insurance, you shouldn't be living on the water. You want to live in paradise and then want the taxpayer to take care of you when disaster hits.

[carpetbaggers]

Even homeowners elidgable are capped off at 40,000 dollars. The problem is now that contractors knowing the customer is covered by FEMA and/or insurance will start raising their rates. I've seen it first hand after tornadoes damaged about 25% of the roofs and trees in the neighborhood. Many homes just needed some shingles,tiles or wood replaced but had entire roofs replaced. Before the tornadoes the average tree cut down was running about 1000-1500 dollars. After the storm people were being charged upwards of 8000 dollars. Some of it was supply and demand but alot of it was that the contractors not only knew that insurance was paying for repairs they actually coached people on how to file & word the claim and who to speak to. They also covered peoples deductables by 'renting' their lawn to advertise with their sign. Covering deductables in the cost of a claim/bill is illegal.

Good Luck to all!

[4sail]

When all the part-time summer folks pack-up and leave the rest of the tax burden will fall to the residents..good luck with that. TR taxes will go through the roof. You better hope these folks rebuild.

[carpetbaggers]

4sail wrote:

When all the part-time summer folks pack-up and leave the rest of the tax burden will fall to the residents..good luck with that. TR taxes will go through the roof. You better hope these folks rebuild.

I hope they rebuild/can rebuild. But until they actually sell that property they are still responsible for paying taxes on it. They can ask for a new lower assessment since it will just be land in several cases. Many will indeed "walk" or chose to take the financial hit of a mortgage or tax foreclosure as a business decision.

By spring there will be a ton of developers,flippers and speculators foaming at the mouth for that property. In the meantime local business and hotel taxes will add greatly. Unlike years past there will be a big contractor/winter community generating dollars where those communities would be mostly in hibernation.

[4sail]

Not sure if the $$$ from the local businesses and hotel taxes will offset the loss revenue of the tourism that will be missing in the summer months. I hope I am wrong but I think the loss revenue including the taxes on vacation homes, boat and dock fees, bennies spending money, etc will be huge. F/T residents should be concerned that the towns will make up the difference on their backs.

[carpetbaggers]

4sail wrote:

Not sure if the $$$ from the local businesses and hotel taxes will offset the loss revenue of the tourism that will be missing in the summer months. I hope I am wrong but I think the loss revenue including the taxes on vacation homes, boat and dock fees, bennies spending money, etc will be huge. F/T residents should be concerned that the towns will make up the difference on their backs.

They're will be losses. But quite frankly the Jersey Shore became way overbuilt especially after the last housing bubble. It will take years to get the tourists to come back enmasse. In some respects the infrastructure will be less used-example-less tourist equals less lifeguards or summer police. On the other hand these towns will be full of contractors year round for the next several years which is tax money but more stress on roads lets say.

What the state of New Jersey in particular has to do is charge a Hurricane Sandy Repair fee to every hotel room rented in the state, float bonds and not cut taxes for a few years anyway. Even slap that fee on yearly apartment rentals and home owners once a year. Do not try to cover up the cost with more taxes. Call it for what it is-a Hurricane Sandy Recovery Fee. You don't have to make it alot or charge a daily but I would say something like a 10$ recovery fee should be charged per stay at a hotel/motel, not daily but per stay wether it's 3 days or 3 weeks.

[Carole]

From what I understand, there was a $40.00 fee added to week's rental of a condo in Florida. It was explained as a vacationer's charge. If there isn't such a tax, I was ripped off.

[4Sail]

Gov. Christie expects property taxes to rise in Sandy-ravaged areas
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/11/...
This may force people to delay or forgo rebuilding on the island causing further hardship to the year around residents. Open up your wallets. It takes a lot of $$$ to recoup the real estate taxes those mansions paid on the beach every year.

[Charles]

jabbie wrote:

There are homeowners that live on the water in their paid-off, primary homes and don't have flood insurance. Their excuse "I can't afford flood insurance. or I don't have to get flood insurance, because I don't have a mortgage." FEMA is giving them money, because these homes aren't their vacation homes (not a loan). There is something wrong with this.
If you can't afford flood insurance, you shouldn't be living on the water. You want to live in paradise and then want the taxpayer to take care of you when disaster hits.

The real problem is that many insurance companies will not write flood insurance, the only reason you can get it while you have a mortgage is because the banks force them too... the write the insurance for the banks not for the homeowners. Once your home is payoff it is very difficult to get a flood policy.
also not every home is next to the water that was effected by this storm.

[carpetbaggers]

4Sail wrote:

Gov. Christie expects property taxes to rise in Sandy-ravaged areas
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/11/...
This may force people to delay or forgo rebuilding on the island causing further hardship to the year around residents. Open up your wallets. It takes a lot of $$$ to recoup the real estate taxes those mansions paid on the beach every year.

The people of New Jersey should pay the bulk of the repair bills for it is they who will benefit the most in the long run. As long as the tax increase is temporary and transparent I don't see the problem.

The Jersey shore has been declared dead so many times now I've stopped counting. They said Wildwood NJ was going to be the next Atlantic City bankrupt and delapetated in the 1980s. It was booming by the 1990s in many areas. The Jersey Shore will always be a vacation spot if for no other reason of convenience. Anyone from the NJ, southern NY or eastern Pa can drive there in an hour or two. You don't have to plan a flight or vacation. That's why the second home is so popular at the Jersey Shore.

For some things will NEVER be the same, that's life. Learn, adapt, evolve and or rebuild but not at other's expense. Getting aid/a house for those who lost their one an only home IS THE PRIORITY.

[earned our home]

We are homeowners in Seaside hghts, NJ. We pay taxes like our neighbors who live there full time. In order to have that home, we have worked 12 hours a day for thirty years. All of you bitter,jealous people should know that we will notbe getting a free ride and never have gotten . if we get anything from fema it will be a four percent loan from them the repament of interest will reduce our national debit thus contributing to a stonger america.so/stop whinig abut us

[4gedaboudit]

earned our home wrote:

We are homeowners in Seaside hghts, NJ. We pay taxes like our neighbors who live there full time. In order to have that home, we have worked 12 hours a day for thirty years. All of you bitter,jealous people should know that we will notbe getting a free ride and never have gotten . if we get anything from fema it will be a four percent loan from them the repament of interest will reduce our national debit thus contributing to a stonger america.so/stop whinig abut us

Please take part of the loan from FEMA and attend some ESL classes (in particular, English grammar) at the local community college (OCC'd be a good place to start)......sorry, though, for your suffering.

[Kate]

My family lives full time in a flood zone. Our house was severely damaged and we can go back in April. FEMA is not giving us any money because we fall into a certain income range so we "don't need money as much as some people". We pay all our taxes and my parents work hard to send all six of us to private school. I'm staying at my great-grandmother's home which has 3 extra beds for 8 people. My mom sleeps on the floor almost every night. I just think that there is something wrong with the fact that we aren't getting any money. If somebody could please explain to me why I would be extremely grateful.

[Carole]

The money put aside for Sandy victims has riders like a new roof for the Smithsonian and other "Pork Barrel" projects. It's all politics.