Smoking Guns & Yellow Flags I think it’s fair to say that — as a rule — compared to “laymen,” Realtors put much less stock in things like Seller motivation; historical information like what the owner paid (unless it raises the prospect of a short sale); and even representations (or lack thereof) in the Seller’s Disclosure....Read More
All-New Everything Believe it or not, the headline of this post isn’t an oxymoron — or even an insult. On the contrary, a Buyer who intends to do a “stem-to-stern” renovation is the salvation of more than a few Sellers (see, “Tear-Down Economics“), who have neither the inclination nor resources to do needed, major updating — and...Read More
“Seek & You Shall Find” — Not Test your knowledge of municipal point-of-sale inspections by answering the following question: True or false: if a home’s roof is past its useful life and needs replacement, the city inspection will catch it. Answer: False. I’m handling a deal now — and have been involved with numerous others...Read More
What’s the difference? The former is what contractors do to land jobs. The latter is what Buyers and Sellers negotiating a deal need to do to resolve inspection issues (step #2: decide who’s responsible, the Buyer or Seller — unless the lender takes the decision out of their hands). While estimating repairs can lead to actual work,...Read More
“Pride of Owner Builder-ship” Want to know if a home is well-built and in stellar condition? To be absolutely sure, you really need to do a professional inspection. However, the best predictor I know is this: the seller also built the home. Seller-Builder’s The reason that that’s the gold standard — especially for more expensive...Read More
How do you spell “ice dam?” I know more than a few local homeowners filling out their Seller Disclosure this Spring — or maybe just bad spellers — tempted to add an “n.” And if you had one this past Winter, you’d better disclose it. Either that, or hope that: a) the Buyer’s inspector is oblivious; and b) the...Read More
