Mary Cummins, Real Estate Appraiser, Real Estate Appraisal, Los Angeles, California, Mary Cummins.

Mary Cummins is a real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California with 38+ years of experience. Cummins provides real estate appraisals for banks, lenders, mortgage brokers, Appraisal Management Companies (AMCs), lawyers, Courts, factors and private parties for lending, lawsuits, probate, estate planning, divorce and all types of litigation. Cummins provides 1004, 1073, 1025 and other form reports, narrative reports and historical appraisals besides real estate research and appraisal advice.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Increased railing height would have prevented Ranger's fan's death by Mary Cummins real estate appraiser

Firefighter and Rangers fan Shannon Stone died after falling over a railing trying to catch a baseball. The railing was 33" tall. Stone was 6'3" tall. Was the railing too low? Should minimum railing heights be increased in sports arenas?

In 1999 a UCLA student fell over a 36" balcony railing and died. l wrote an article about this railing death because the railing was not high enough. l also wrote a letter to editor in the Times about legal roof top deck railings when they ran a story about making a roof top deck with NO railings at all. Besides being an expert witness in real estate cases such as these l put a roof top deck on a property l owned so l knew the railing requirements.

The UCLA student death made everyone rethink safe railing heights. This also brought up the issue of immediate and mandatory retrofitting of older buildings. Generally retrofitting is done upon sale or transfer only.

As of January 2008 California balcony, landing, porch and deck railings for residential properties must be a minimum of 42". California has the strictest building codes in the nation. In other states it is generally 36" to 42".

If you take a look at the video footage of the fall, it appears to me that there was no way he was not going to fall over the railing. Stone was 6'3", probably had a 33" inseam. His center of mass was easily over 36" off the ground. He had momentum as he was moving toward the railing with his arm out stretched over the 33" railing bending down for the ball. As soon as his upper body was over the railing and his body hit the round railing he was almost flipped over the railing. Things were made worse by the fact that he was only standing on his forward foot with his rear leg up behind him with both arms over the railing. He is not much taller than an average man. He was not doing anything that you wouldn't normally do at a ball park.

Here are some stills which show my point. His waist is quite a bit higher than the railing.

Here is the video. Obviously it's graphic because you see him flip over the railing. You do not see him land.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aesp8ViZbro

City officials said that the railing was seven inches higher than required which they state is 26". 26" is the minimum between rows, not at the bottom of the aisles as in this situation. They are misquoting the 2003 International Building Code and the 1988 Uniform Building Code. The minimum height at the bottom of aisles is 42" according to the International Building Code.

I believe that if that railing were 42", he would not have fallen over it. I realize there are line of sight issues with tall railings but they can use clear material for the railings like they do at The Pond in Orange County. I bet there will be a lawsuit and the plaintiff's family will win. Hopefully these sports arenas will raise the railing heights. This tragic death could have been prevented.

UPDATE: Texas Rangers agree to raise the railing heights. Thank you!

Texas Rangers to raise rail heights in wake of deadly fan fall

By the CNN Wire Staff

July 19, 2011 4:37 p.m. EDT

(CNN) -- The Texas Rangers will raise the height of the rails at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, the team said Tuesday, after a 39-year-old fan fell to his death while trying to catch a ball.

"Even though all current rail heights in Rangers Ballpark in Arlington currently exceed code, the Rangers intend to raise the height of all rails in front of seating areas to the highest standard in the United States at this time," the team said in a statement.

As the rails are being refitted, the Rangers said they would take "interim" steps, such as posting new signs that will remind fans not to lean, sit on or stand against the rails. The team will also issue a warning prior to the start of each game via its public address system, the Rangers said.

The news comes in the wake of the death of Shannon Stone, a veteran firefighter and Rangers fan whose death prompted a national outpouring of condolences.

Mary Cummins of Cummins Real Estate is a certified residential licensed appraiser in Los Angeles, California. Mary Cummins is licensed by the California Bureau of Real Estate appraisers and has over 35 years of experience.

Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary, Cummins, #marycummins #animaladvocates #losangeles #california #wildlife #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabilitator #realestate #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #lawsuit real estate, appraiser, appraisal, instructor, teacher, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Brentwood, Bel Air, California, licensed, permitted, certified, single family, condo, condominium, pud, hud, fannie mae, freddie mac, fha, uspap, certified, residential, certified resident, apartment building, multi-family, commercial, industrial, expert witness, civil, criminal, orea, dre, brea insurance, bonded, experienced, bilingual, spanish, english, form, 1004, 2055, 1073, land, raw, acreage, vacant, insurance, cost, income approach, market analysis, comparative, theory, appraisal theory, cost approach, sales, matched pairs, plot, plat, map, diagram, photo, photographs, photography, rear, front, street, subject, comparable, sold, listed, active, pending, expired, cancelled, listing, mls, multiple listing service, claw, themls, historical appraisal, facebook, linkedin

Mary Cummins

Mary Cummins of Cummins Real Estate Services has been in real estate since 1983, over 35 years. She is licensed by the Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers. Mary Cummins was an agent and broker licensed with the California Department of Real Estate selling residential income, commercial buildings, raw land and homes for Merrill Lynch Realty in Beverly Hills and Westside Properties in Los Angeles before concentrating on appraisals. Mary Cummins currently provides real estate appraisals, expert witness testimony, historical research, legal real estate research for mortgage brokers, banks, lawyers, factors, insurance companies, financial consultants and private individuals. Mary Cummins was born and raised in Southern California. Cummins attended Beverly Hills Good Shepherd Catholic School and Beverly Hills High School. Besides being on the Dean's list, Mary Cummins was a top ten national swimmer and competed on the men's water polo team. Mary Cummins began college at the age of 15 attending the University of Southern California on scholarship, majoring in Psychology/Sociology. http://www.animaladvocates.us http://www.facebook.com/AnimalAdvocatesUSA

McMansion is Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, California by Mary Cummins real estate appraiser

The word "McMansion" was coined in the early 1980s in Beverly Hills. Related terms include "Persian palace","garage Mahal", "starter castle", and "Hummer house." An example of a "McWord," "McMansion" associates the generic quality of these "luxury homes" with that of mass-produced fast food meals by restaurant chains.

In Beverly Hills the larger estates are located on larger lots North of Santa Monica Blvd. Lots south of the Blvd are much smaller and have smaller homes which are proportionate to their lot size. The lots in this area are 5000 to 7500 max. The homes were 2-3 bedroom homes approximately 1,800 sf.

During the Iranian revolution many Iranians fled their country. Many moved to Beverly Hills first moving into apartments then later buying homes. Because land is so expensive in Beverly Hills and they generally lived with extended families, they would enlarge their home and remodel to their tastes. They would prefer to buy the cheaper smaller homes on smaller lots in Beverly Hills then enlarge them to fit their needs instead of buying the more expensive, larger estates on larger sites. They were putting 4,000 to 6,000 sf homes on 6,000 sf lots.

They generally would remodel to build the largest home they could legally build on a lot using the entire foot plan. This would most times be a square home with Greek or Colonial embellishments on the front. It would cover the maximum lot lines and top out at the maximum height limitations. Many felt these homes were tacky and tasteless.

These two story plus homes which looked a bit like gaudy apartment buildings would dwarf the smaller one-story Spanish and Traditional homes around them. They would also generally get rid of the garage and have a circular driveway in the front. On top of this more people would live in each home. As they got rid of the garages street parking became an issue. This bothered the original neighbors and did look a bit sightly.

Over time this spread to other expensive cities. The public finally put their foot down and demanded that something be done. Building and planning departments made changes especially in Beverly Hills. New homes had to go through a more rigorous approval process. Height limitations and maximum square footage were changed as were lot lines, set backs and styles. They would no longer allow homes to use the maximum foot plan of the site or maximum height limitations. They also would not approve homes which were just solid squares.

Here are a few McMansions in Beverly Hills which I photographed last week. I did not appraiser these though I have appraised a lot of these types of homes. These are south of Santa Monica Blvd north of Olympic. Notice on the side near the rear the house juts out again. That's because the set back changes at that point and they wanted to use as much land as possible. They also added basements to be able to add even more living space.

Below are the two original main styles of homes in Beverly Hills south of Santa Monica Blvd. The McMansions look like 8 unit apartment buildings next to the original homes.

Another criticism of McMansions and mansionization is people think they are a waste of space and materials. There are sometimes more space than a regular family would need with tall ceilings and open atrium entrances. The quality of the materials and workmanship were sometimes also an issue. They didn't always use the best architect ending up with a home which was a bit tasteless to the point of being obnoxious. Besides this the design and style of the homes seemed to be a jumbled mix of gaudy additions such as columns, multiple front balconies and statuary.

Over time new owners of the original "palaces" have toned down the front facades and color schemes. They've also replaced the acres of pink marble flooring with wood and removed some of the flourishes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMansion

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the USDA. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

Google+ Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary Cummins-Cobb, Mary, Cummins, Cobb, wildlife, wild, animal, rescue, wildlife rehabilitation, wildlife rehabilitator, fish, game, los angeles, california, united states, squirrel, raccoon, fox, skunk, opossum, coyote, bobcat, manual, instructor, speaker, humane, nuisance, control, pest, trap, exclude, deter, green, non-profit, nonprofit, non, profit, ill, injured, orphaned, exhibit, exhibitor, usda, united states department of agriculture, hsus, humane society, peta, ndart, humane academy, humane officer, animal legal defense fund, animal cruelty, investigation, peace officer, animal, cruelty, abuse, neglect #marycummins #animaladvocates #losangeles #california #wildlife #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabilitator #realestate #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #lawsuit

Mary Cummins

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Mary Cummins was a top ten US swimmer - Real Estate Appraiser, Animal Advocates

Mary Cummins was a top ten swimmer in the United States. Cummins started swimming at age seven at the Beverly Hills YMCA Dolphins swim club. She swam with Dara Torres who went on to become an Olympian. She then swam for the Culver City Road Runners with Tiffany Cohen who also became an Olympian. Cummins was on the relay teams with Cohen which made them top ten in the United States. Cummins swam with Cohen at Nationals in Arizona. They both swam at the Junior Olympics winning medals.

Cummins also swam on the Beverly Hills High School swim team, Water Polo team and the University of Southern California swim team. She has won numerous trophies, medals, ribbons and set many records which have since been broken. Cummins has been mentioned in Swimming World magazine over 150 times. She competed in the precursor to the modern day triathlon. She worked out with East German gold and silver Olympians at UCLA.

Mary Cummins, Swimming World, top ten US Swimmer, USC, YMCA, Beverly Hills High School, Los Angeles, California

Mary Cummins

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Mary Cummins named top ten swimmer in the United States - Los Angeles, California, Real Estate Appraiser, Animal Advocates

Mary Cummins, top ten US Swimmer, Los Angeles, California, Real Estate Appraiser, Animal Advocates

Mary Cummins, Real Estate Appraiser, Los Angeles, top ten US swimmer

Top ten swimmers in the US, 400 yard Medley Relay - Tiffany Cohen, Mary Cummins, Tanya Evans, Kathleen Alexander - Culver City Road Runners, 1978

Culver City Medley Relay team named top ten in the United States 1978. Tiffany Cohen (Tiffany Cohen Lalonde), Mary Cummins, Tanya Evans (Tatjana Evans-MacLeod), Kathleen Alexander. I just realized we are ranked by stroke. IM is backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle. I think we also won the freestyle relay besides our individual categories.

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the USDA. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

Mary Cummins

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Mary Cummins campaign contributions Los Angeles - real estate appraiser los angeles california

Mary Cummins

Campaign Contributions

City of Los Angeles Candidates

05/14/09

Mary Cummins
(Real Estate, Mary Cummins)
Los Angeles, CA 90015

Carmen Trutanich
City Attorney

1316351 - TRUTANICH FOR CITY ATTORNEY - GENERAL 2009

A - Monetary Contribution Received
(IND - Individual)

[Period:05/14/09 to 06/30/09]

$100.00

[Election:

05/19/09]

02/19/05

Mary Katherine Cummins Cobb
(Real Estate, Mary Cummins)
Los Angeles, CA 90048

Antonio Villaraigosa

1267602 - Villaraigosa for Mayor 2005

A - Monetary Contribution Received
(IND - Individual)

[Period:01/23/05 to 02/19/05]

$100.00

[Election:

03/08/05]

04/10/05

Mary Katherine Cummins Cobb
(Real Estate, Mary Cummins)
Los Angeles, CA 90048

Antonio Villaraigosa

1275257 - Villaraigosa for Mayor 2005 - GENERAL

A - Monetary Contribution Received
(IND - Individual)

[Period:04/03/05 to 04/30/05]

$250.00

[Election:

05/17/05]

07/10/08

Mary Katherine Cummins-Cobb
(Real Estate, Mary Katherine Cummins-Cobb)
Los Angeles, CA 90048

Dennis Zine
Council Member - District 3

1305620 - Zine 2009

A - Monetary Contribution Received
(IND - Individual)

[Period:07/01/08 to 09/30/08]

$500.00

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

Mary Cummins

Home of Moe Howard of the Three Stooges, Los Angeles California by Mary Cummins

Moe Howard, The Three Stooges, home, house, from Wikipedia

I lived at 9170 Thrasher Avenue in Los Angeles, California since I was born in 1965. I was a huge fan of "The Three Stooges" growing up. I had seen Moe Howard at the local Safeway now called Vons on Santa Monica Blvd in West Hollywood. I also saw him at the post office on San Vicente. He had a box there and so did my Nana who raised me. My sister and I opened the door for Moe at the post office once and he gave us each a nickel. We were so excited about that.

I had a girlfriend named Valerie Delap who lived down the street from me. We were both HUGE "Three Stooges" fans even though our parents forbid us to watch thinking we'd poke each other's eyes out with their stunts. We knew they were obviously just stunts. We were both nine years old in early 1975. I said to my girlfriend "Moe lives a few doors up. Let's get an autograph!" She said "yes!" so we walked up the street. She was shy, got too nervous and decided to hide in the bushes as I went to the door. I was also extremely shy but I forced myself because I really, really wanted to meet him. I knocked on the door, a woman (his wife) answered. I said almost shaking from fright "I'd like to say 'hello' to Moe." She said "okay, sweetie!" just as nice as anyone could say it. I waited five minutes while Moe put on his hairpiece. His wife left the door open and I saw him walking across the hallway to the bathroom with no hair when she said "there's a little girl who wants to meet you!" He came out with a dark bowl cut "Moe Howard" wig. He said "hello!" while I was nervous to the point of being catatonic, shaking but with a huge smile on my face. He made some jokes, did some slapstick and I had a great time. Then he gave me an autographed photo. I was so ecstatic but shy so I aid "thank you" then ran away to the bushes to hide with my friend while we giggled like crazy. We learned a few months later that he had died. I was very glad that I overcame my shyness so I could knock on his door and meet him one last time.

His home is a one story modern home that sits on the corner of Thrasher, Oriole and Skylark, home details below. You enter from Skylark. It was white when Moe lived there and wasn't over grown as it is now. It's never been on the MLS as far as I can tell so there are no interior photos. I don't think it had much of a view because of its location. You used to enter from an open walkway that faced Thrasher. They have since enclosed it. Below is a Google map photo. I don't know who chose this hideous color for the home.

Moe Howard, Three Stooges home at 9061 Thrasher, Los Angeles, California

Moses Harry Horwitz (June 19, 1897 – May 4, 1975), known professionally as Moe Howard, was an American actor and comedian best known as the de facto leader of The Three Stooges, the farce comedy team who starred in motion pictures and television for four decades. His distinctive hairstyle came about when he was a boy and cut off his curls with a pair of scissors, producing a ragged shape approximating a bowl cut.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moe_Howard


COUNTY: LOS ANGELES	MLS NUMBER:	CITY: LOS ANGELES
ADDRESS: 9061 THRASHER AVE	UNIT:	ZIP: 90069
APN: 5561-004-010	CARRIER RTE: C045	MAP: 592H5
ASSD LAND: $609,566	ASSD IMP: $518,127	TOT VAL: $1,127,693
ASSD YR: 2012	PROPERTY TAX: $14,519.14
OWNER NAME:CHARUZI YZHAR	OWNER ADD : 9061 THRASHER AVE
OWNER CITY: LOS ANGELES	OWNER STATE : CA	OWNER ZIP : 90069
OWNER PHONE : () -	ABSENTEE OWNER : No
CO-OWNER NAME: CHARUZI ILAN
TRANS DATE: 01/14/1988	PRIOR TRANS DATE: /0/0
DOC NO.: 56293	PRIOR DOC NO.: 526083
DOC TYPE: GD	PRIOR PRICE: 585,000
LV AREA: 2,638	NO. ROOMS: 7	NO. UNITS: 1
YR BUILT: 1960	NO. STORIES: 1	BR: 3
FULL BA: 3	HALF BA: 0	POOL: POOL
PRICE: $740,000	1ST TD Code: C	1st TD: 500,000
1ST YR:
HOMEOWNER EXEMPT: Y	ZONE: LARE15	LENDER: PIMA

COUNTY USE: 0101	LOT SIZE: 112x202	PKG TYPE: ON SITE
	LOT AREA: 27,653	PKG SPACES: 2
LAND USE: SFR
LEGAL: TRACT # 10416 LOT COM AT INTERSECTION OF SW LINE OF LOT 2 WITH A LINE PARALLEL WITH AND DIST W AT R/A 15 FT FROM E LINE OF SD LOT TH N ON SD PARALLEL LINE TO A
Broker/Agent does not guarantee the accuracy of the square footage, lot size or other information concerning the conditions or features of the property provided by the seller or obtained from Public Records or other sources. Buyer is advised to independently verify the accuracy of all information through personal inspection and with appropriate professionals. Copyright ©2014 by Combined L.A./Westside MLS, Inc. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

[googlemaps https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=9061+Thrasher+Avenue,+Los+Angeles,+CA&sll=34.098233,-118.388209&sspn=0.001286,0.001314&t=h&gl=us&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=9061+Thrasher+Ave,+Los+Angeles,+California+90069&ll=34.098397,-118.388015&spn=0.007241,0.010514&z=14&output=embed&w=425&h=350]
Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary Cummins-Cobb, Mary, Cummins, Cobb, real estate, appraiser, appraisal, instructor, teacher, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Brentwood, Bel Air, California, licensed, permitted, single family, condo, pud, hud, fannie mae, freddie mac, uspap, certified, residential, certified resident, apartment building, multi-family, commercial, industrial, expert witness, civil, criminal, orea, dre, insurance, bonded, experienced, bilingual, spanish, english, form, 1004, 2055, land, raw, acreage, vacant, insurance, cost, income approach, market analysis, comparative, theory, appraisal theory, cost approach, sales, matched pairs, plot, plat, map, diagram, photo, photographs, photography, rear, front, street, subject, comparable, sold, listed, active, pending, expired, cancelled, listing, mls, multiple listing service, claw, themls,

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the

Mary Cummins

Monday, August 10, 2009

Mary Cummins gives expert real estate testimony in criminal trespass case - real estate appraiser

LA Weekly. "Jimmy on the edge of town."

"Mary Cummins, a longtime real estate assessor, has independently deduced that he is, indeed, on county-owned land. But she questions whether or not Union Pacific issued a valid citation for trespassing. If Jimmy is living on county-owned property edging the railroad spur, Cummins’ logic goes, then the railroad company may not be able to charge him with “trespassing” on the railroad’s “private property” or of “lodging without [their] permission.”

As an expert real estate assessor for more than 25 years in the Los Angeles area, Cummins knows how to read tract maps. Just recently, for example, she was hired to testify in court over a major real estate dispute at the Ambassador Hotel. Feral-cat activist Muzika started looking into Jimmy’s case, and he asked Cummins, a friend from animal-rights circles, to help.

Cummins, who normally charges $100 per hour for her expertise, took up Jimmy’s cause for free. She looked up Jimmy’s location on Google Earth, found an L.A. County Assessor’s map, and placed the Google map on top of the county’s map. “You can clearly see Jimmy’s on the L.A. County flood-control channel” land, Cummins says. She is also “absolutely certain,” and would testify in court, that Jimmy is on county-owned property, not the railroad’s.

Cummins sent her findings to Muzika, who e-mailed the maps information to Councilman Smith’s office, and alerted the city attorney at Jimmy’s court hearing on July 1 in the Los Angeles Superior Court in the small town of San Fernando, in the far northeast Valley.

In court that day, the prosecutor handling the case, Apraham Atteukenian, looked surprised when Muzika, with Jimmy near his side, offered up the disputed land-ownership evidence. It’s clearly very basic land-ownership homework that Los Angeles city prosecutors should have done before hauling a man into court for trespassing on railroad property. The prosecutor promised to “make some calls.” Jimmy is defending himself pro per, having dumped a Los Angeles County public defender who advised him to plead guilty to trespassing against Union Pacific. Jimmy is now facing trial August 3, yet, Cummins says, even now, the city attorney and Smith’s office have not responded to her finding that Jimmy is not on railroad land."

Mary Cummins

Mary Cummins, Real Estate Appraiser, Animal Advocates, Los Angeles, California

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Monday, August 10, 2009