Property

A simple telephone inquiry about a stolen credit card opened a trail big enough for detectives to track down a suspect in the carjacking-murder 14 months ago of wealthy Baltimore businessman J. Schuyler "Sky" Alland.Mr. Alland apparently was not the victim of a random crime, but targeted specifically by the killer -- who authorities believe to be a former employee of Mr. Alland's market-research company, and to have planned ahead of time to sell the victim's $80,000 car.The suspect, John Graham Bridges, 29, of Norfolk, was arrested last week in Norfolk and charged by the United States Park Police with committing the murder on federal property -- the grounds of the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center -- on Feb. 18, 1992.

The Maryland Tax Court has frequently failed to rule on residential property assessment cases as promptly as the law requires, according to a state audit made public Thursday. The court, which hears appeals in cases involving state and local taxes, must hear and decide residential property assessment cases within 90 days. But 41 percent of the cases heard between July 2010 and mid-February took longer - as much as a year past the 90-day point, the Office of Legislative Audits said.

Gardeners are forever looking for something to wrap a flower bed around. There has to be a bed along the front of the porch, and others might be carved out around a garden shed, a birdbath or the trunks of shade trees. For many people, there's another opportunity right out by the curb: the mailbox. A garden bed around a mailbox gives gardeners a chance to put their horticultural stamp where it's sure to show. In the midst of handsome shrubs, interesting ornamental grasses or hard-working annual and perennial flowers, a standard-issue mailbox on a post becomes a piece of functional art. When there's a flower bed to visit, the trip out to the mailbox is much more interesting, even if the postman brings nothing but bills.

A man in Carroll County was checking his mailbox Wednesday afternoon when he discovered a pipe bomb, the Office of the State Fire Marshal said. The man was not injured. The mailbox was described as "rural," in the 3800 block of McMullen Road in Taneytown, the fire marshal said. The home's owner, James A. Sandel, found the bomb about 4:15 p.m. and called 911. The bomb was disposed of, and McMullen Road was closed for about five hours. Anyone with information about who placed the bomb in the mailbox is asked to contact the Office of the State Fire Marshal at 410-859-7152.

Some readers want to know who owns real property titled in the name of a deceased spouse, parent or other relative. Assuming the property deed does not name people who have a right of survivorship, the property owned by a decedent is part of his or her estate. A personal representative must be appointed by the register of wills to administer the estate and distribute property to the heirs who are entitled to receive it. Changing the name on the deed is an important detail if a descendant plans to sell the property.

QUESTION: My neighbor wants to install an in-ground swimming pool, but I believe that it will extend into my property. How can I be sure where my property ends and his begins? I received a "location survey" at settlement when I bought my house.ANSWER: The only accurate way to be sure of the location of your property is to have a boundary survey. According to David S. Thaler, a licensed surveyor and engineer, the "location surveys" commonly received at settlement are not suitable for locating property.

Q: My husband and I are about to buy a house. We are worried what would happen to the house if one of us dies. How can we take title to protect our interests?Janet Rossman,ReisterstownA: There are three forms of ownership when more than one person is involved:* Tenancy in common: Each individual owner has an undivided interest in the property -- that is, if three people each own one-third interest in a property, each owns one-third interest in the entire property. Each owner can sell his or her interest to another person, or will it to an heir.

The search for the killers of Baltimore millionaire J. Schuyler "Sky" Alland was at a standstill in the summer of 1992. Whoever executed the businessman for his $80,000 black BMW apparently had gotten away with murder -- not to mention the car.U.S. Park Police Detective Timothy M. Squires was handling the first murder of his career, but he made a bold promise."He promised that he would find these guys," said Dorothy Alland Leighton, Mr. Alland's mother. "He said, 'Even when I retire, I'll continue to work on this case with no pay until I find who killed your son.' "His promise was fulfilled Wednesday when federal prosecutors wrapped up an intricate nationwide investigation into the February 1992 murder with the conviction of the killer, John Graham Bridges, 30, of Norfolk, Va. A co-defendant, Robert Patrick Gray, 25, of Cockeysville pleaded guilty Nov. 5."

A large waterfront parcel in Port Covington sold for $2 million at foreclosure auction Thursday to an investor who declined to identify himself. The site contains 5.2 acres of land and about five additional acres on two piers that jut into Winan's Cove. It is assessed for tax pursposes at $521,000. The site's previous owner, Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse, defaulted on a multimillion-dollar mortgage, resulting in the trustee-ordered sale. The now-defunct developer owed more than $10.7 million for the land in South Baltimore off East Cromwell Street.

When I read about an effort in the Baltimore City Council to obtain corporate sponsorship for city buildings and property, I could not resist making a list of possible new appellations and potential partnerships for our town. One of the first pieces of municipal property that came to mind was the Shot Tower. Perhaps I thought about it because I can see it from my desk, if I lean back in my chair as if I am taking a snooze (a posture I often assume in the late afternoon). From my vantage point, not much has been happening at the tower other than an American flag occasionally flying atop it (which was, at one point earlier this year, inexplicably replaced with a smiley-face flag)

A city councilwoman is challenging Baltimore's plan to charge businesses some of the highest stormwater fees in the state - and divert some of the money that had gone to Chesapeake Bay cleanup to help fund property tax cuts. Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke says the Rawlings-Blake administration's stormwater plan would create a financial hardship for many local businesses. And Clarke and environmental groups object to raising revenue intended for pollution abatement to help pay for property tax relief.

Jamila Ward and Lionel Jennings had been house hunting on and off for two years when their agent pointed the couple in a new direction: a formerly condemned property in a revitalized area of Baltimore. Some city neighborhoods, just years ago marked by abandoned or deteriorating single-family homes, are becoming places of renewal, with nonprofit agencies buying up properties and renovating them for sale to first-time homebuyers. Ward and Jennings, her fiance, qualified for one of these properties in the Johnston Square neighborhood on the city's east side.

Editor: When I ran for City Council last year, one of the primary questions I was asked time and time again was "What are you going to do to protect the Havre de Grace Waterfront?" Not long after being selected to serve on the Havre de Grace City Council I learned that the city was negotiating to acquire the Gamatoria property at 701 Concord St. I felt this would be a tremendous opportunity to do just that…"protect the Havre de Grace Waterfront. " More importantly, this real estate was located right next to an historic landmark on the east coast; the Concord Point Lighthouse.

Six Baltimore community groups filed an $8 million lawsuit Tuesday against a Texas man whose companies own dozens of properties in the city, alleging that he failed to improve rundown homes after purchasing them at tax sales and allowed them to become a danger. "The lawsuit challenges the practice of purchasing vacant properties at tax sale and leaving them for dead with unaddressed city code violations," said Kristine Dunkerton, executive director of the Community Law Center Inc., a nonprofit based in Baltimore that represents the community associations.

A top aide to Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake received more than $14,000 in homestead property tax breaks on an East Baltimore rental property he owns, records show, even though only owner-occupied homes qualify for the subsidy under Maryland law. State officials recognized the issue several months ago, and in January the city sent a bill to Khalil Zaied, the mayor's deputy chief of operations, demanding repayment of more than $5,000 for the tax...

Aberdeen Tyrone D. Davis, 31, of the 400 block of Washington Street, was charged Friday with possessing marijuana. Robin D. Sloane, 54, of the 100 block of Hanover Street, was charged Friday with possessing a drug other than marijuana. Julie Tomar Paradis, 30, of the 600 block of West Bel Air Avenue, was charged Friday with failing to appear for court in a case in which she was charged with driving while under the influence of alcohol, driving while impaired by alcohol and drugs, changing lanes unsafely and failing to display a registration card upon demand.

The Baltimore Development Corp. announced Tuesday that it is seeking proposals from groups to redevelop city-owned property in the Broadway East neighborhood. Acting on behalf of the city, the development agency set Aug. 3 as the deadline for bids for a former Department of Transportation maintenance and warehouse facility bounded roughly by Oliver, Wolfe and Gay streets; Llewelyn Avenue; and Amtrak's Northeast Corridor tracks. Containing seven vacant structures and zoned for industrial use, the 3.5-acre site is close to the Johns Hopkins medical campus in East Baltimore.

The massive database of tax bills we compiled for properties in Baltimore -- what owners had to pay and what breaks if any they received -- is getting some suburban company. Take a gander at this new searchable database of Harford County property taxes . It's for the tax year that ends Saturday, giving you a look at bills for the last 12 months and an opportunity to compare and contrast. How does your bill compare with your neighbors' bills? How much are big companies paying?

Editor: I write to support the City of Havre de Grace's attempt to purchase the 701 Concord Street (Gamatoria's) property.  As the President of the Friends of the Concord Point Lighthouse and representing its Board of Directors, I ask all Havre de Grace citizens to vote YES on this ballot question. There are many reasons for my support of this effort.  Number one it would be an additional treasure for tourism in our city.  It would greatly enhance the appearance and accessibility of the Concord Point Lighthouse property.  It would certainly be better for the city than anything a commercial developer would provide.

Designed by the influential Baltimore architects Edward L. Palmer and William D. Lamdin in 1925 and built in 1928, the home at 101 Witherspoon Road is one of the premier properties in Homeland. This North Baltimore home is built of local stone with a Vermont slate roof, and it has over 7,000 square feet of living space. The property is being offered by Hill & Co. Realtors for $1.25 million. "It's a unique property with one of the largest lots in Homeland," said Mary Lynne Mullican, the listing agent for Hill & Co. "The wrought-iron work on the back loggia is beautiful.