Question: In looking carefully at our rental home we found evidence of water problems. We told the landlord, but he took no action to resolve the matter. Then we had a massive rainstorm and the basement flooded with six feet of water. Our possessions in that area of the house were submerged. We value our loss at $50,000 -- but our renter's insurance does not cover flooding. The local housing authority has found numerous code violations. What can we do?

Answer: Given the amount of damage, had a flood of this severity happened before? By any chance, has something changed on a neighboring property that suddenly directed water to your home? If yes, could it happen again? Does the owner's insurance cover your damage? Has a structural engineer looked at the property?

In this instance, the best approach is to have your attorney speak with the owner, explain what has happened and require compensation. The landlord, in turn, will demand proof that there was six feet of water in the basement and that the damage actually amounted to $50,000. Photos before and after as well as photos of the basement at high tide would greatly help your position. Unless a mutual accommodation is reached, it's likely that an arbitrator, mediator or court will have to resolve the problem.

That the city has recorded a history of code violations will help document your position if they relate to a serious water damage problem.

Question: I manage a multi-unit property. We want to put up dummy security cameras to deter theft. What happens if our trick doesn't work and there is a robbery?

Answer: Imagine if you put up a "beware of dog" sign and had no dog. While the sign is a deterrent, an actual dog with lots of teeth is surely a more impressive choice.

With cameras the situation is different. No one really knows if a camera is on or off. It's also true that you could have working cameras and still have robberies. There are no absolute protections and one can argue that fake cameras are better than no cameras.

Are cameras the only option? Call the local police department and ask if they have a security advisory service that can come out to the property. It may be that measures besides cameras -- lights, safety bars, new locks, different landscaping, fencing -- would also reduce the potential for crime.

Question: I work as an assistant for a local broker and have been asked to improve the website. What is it that consumers want when they go online?

Answer: According to a 2003 study by the National Association of Realtors, 65 percent of all buyers use the Internet. After real estate professionals, the Web was considered the most useful information source.

NAR reports that the five most-wanted features are listing photos, detailed information, virtual tours, and neighborhood information. In effect consumers want information and not salesmanship. The hunt for information, in turn, touches on several ideas:

• Is the site easy to navigate? Can you readily find information, go to another page, and get back again?

• Is it easy to contact the broker or agent? Does an e-mail link appear on each Web page?

• Is e-mail answered? Consumers complain that e-mail is not answered quickly and sometimes not answered at all. Each consumer contact represents a marketing opportunity.

• Is the site fresh? Many successful sites carry newsletters provided by Realty Times.

You want to make a good site part of your marketing effort. That means it will still pay to mail listing and sold cards, newsletters and flyers; to advertise in newspapers and real estate magazines; and to include your Web address in all the materials you produce.

Question: I recently acquired a seashore property for potential use as a rental. If I decide to rent out the property how can I minimize electric and gas bills. In other words, is there a way I can protect myself from receiving a substantial electric bill and avoiding tenants running the air condition all day, all night? Can I block all long distance phone calls?

Answer: People rent beach property for the purpose of having a vacation. Running the air conditioning is one thing which makes the beach attractive -- consider how few homes were built in Florida before air conditioning became widely available.

Your cost for electric and gas utilities is simply an expense of doing business, something to be re-captured with your rental rates.

Most people now have cell phones so blocking long-distance calls is not likely to be a problem. However, not everyone has a cell phone. You need to make sure that emergency services, hospitals and such can all be reached by local calls if you block long-distance access. As well, you want the tenants to be able to reach you or your manager in case of an emergency.

Question: Does it make sense to buy a home based on the cost per square foot?

Answer: Properties are often sold on the basis of square footage, but while we all know what a square foot looks like we all don't agree on what should be included in square footage or where the measuring should start.

For instance, do we count basements? Garages? Do we measure inside wall to inside wall or just the exterior dimensions of the structure? Do we count utility areas or 100 percent of rooms with sloping roofs?

There is a lot of debate about what approach is best, so numbers may differ. As a consumer you might ask: I see you show the square footage of the home. Please tell me how it was measured, what was included and what was excluded?

Have a real estate question? Send your inquiry to . Because of the volume of mail received, Mr. Miller cannot respond to questions individually or privately. Published letters may be edited for space and style. For comments regarding other Realty Times articles, please contact individual authors by pressing here.

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Published: August 13, 2004

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