Seller Disclosure Yellow Flags “Because of the extreme allergies of the seller’s daughter, PLEASE no food or drink in the home during showings.” –Agent Remarks, MLS When I showed the Golden Valley home with the disclosure above last year, my “Realtor antennae” immediately went off. That’s because I knew the Seller had been in the...Read More
When Ignorance is Bliss — Realtor Version Show me an agent who knows the particulars of Buyer-Seller arbitration, and I’ll show you . . . an agent who’s just gone through arbitration. Which in turn means they were involved in a deal where the Buyer and Seller were VERY unhappy with one another. Or should...Read More
Buyers Who Misunderstand the Scope, Purpose of the Home Inspection Here’s some advice to Buyers tempted to impose requirements like the one above following their home inspection. “Don’t.” There are two reasons for that: 1) it could easily cost the Buyer the home, especially if the Seller has other, serious interest (or even a backup...Read More
Fill Out the Form and Forget it? Not Necessarily OK, there’s no such thing as a “living, breathing document” — with the possible exception of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, etc. What I have in mind, though — at least in the context of residential real estate — are contracts/disclosures where one party...Read More
Not Knowing What You Don’t Know Sellers who aren’t in a flood plain and disclose that to prospective Buyers have no problem. Meanwhile, Sellers who are in a flood plain and disclose that are also typically fine: Buyers might not like the added insurance expense, but they see it as a trade-off for a coveted lake or river...Read More
Negotiating Secrets & Mantras For anyone who doesn’t have time to read a book — or ten — on real estate negotiation, l can distill what I’ve learned from a decade-plus representing home Sellers (and Buyers!) into two questions, to be asked by would-be Sellers (and their Realtors) at the key juncture(s) of each deal: 1. “What are the...Read More
