Sellers Advised Not To Hide Report

[John McKenna]

Sellers Advised Not To Hide Report

http://www.lvrj.com/real_estate/16937041.html

[William J. Decker]

Originally Posted by jmckenna1

Sellers Advised Not To Hide Report

http://www.lvrj.com/real_estate/16937041.html

Pretty good. And it underlines the problem that we sometimes find ourselves in.

If we suspect (with certain diagnostic signs) that the house has problems, but (because we cannot disassemble or do invasive inspections) cannot positively say that there is a defect, we defer.

Some see this as a cop out, a "CYA moment".

But, we must strive to explain the situatiuon to the clients:

1) They do not yet own the property and we can't go around taking apart the furnace or making holes in the walls or stress testing the plumbing.
2) The seller should take on the respobsibility (and the expense) of getting the necessary professionals (roofers, plumbers, electricians) in to evaluate and, if a repair is needed, quote the cost.
3) Then, there is the inevitable "who said what". Just because the seller hired someone who said it was OK, that does not mean it IS OK, unless the contractor backs it up IN WRITING, and has the necessry E & O insurance to back them up if a) they are wrong or b) they are lying.

Complicated, and must be explained to the client.