Real Estate Information

Luxury Real Estate Information


Rancho Palos Verdes, California Homes
Palos Verdes, California Homes
South Bay, California Homes
Luxury Mexican Beachfront Homes

Featured Properties


Oceanfront Estate Near Trump National

Related Information


Loan Information
Real Estate Information
Mortgage Refinance Information

Finding Structural Problems During Escrow - Upscale Home Example


When buying and selling homes, the property purchase is often subject to a satisfactory home inspection being done. Now and then, a home inspection uncovers severe structural problems. Here's an example of a situation in an upscale neighborhood.

Severe Structural Problems

Does the buyer walk away when there are serious structural problems? Yes, but not always. A lot depends on the constraints facing the buyer (are they relocating to start a new job, or just "moving up" in the same general area?) and on how much the buyer likes the property. The attitude, maturity level, communication skills, and flexibility of both buyer and seller also make a huge difference.

It's easy to see a deal blowing up in this situation. Let me tell you about a situation I saw that actually worked out.

Structural Problems - Upscale Neighborhood

The first involved two professional couples and a house one couple wanted to sell and the other wanted to buy in an established, up-scale neighborhood. The house was a colonial style, all brick, very traditional house built about 15 years ago using top of the line materials. The kitchen and bathrooms had been modernized and upgraded within the past 3 years. Top of the line materials (marble, ceramic tile, and granite) were again used.

The house was located on an acre lot that sloped gently down to the street in the front. About 10 feet from the right side of the house, the lot sloped steeply away to a pretty stream. The lot backed to a treed area of a beautifully maintained, historic estate owned by a university and open to the public on a fee-paying basis.

The home inspector noticed that the chimney on the right end of the house was pulling away from the house. It was about 2 inches away at the top, but the bottom was still attached. In the basement, there was some cracking along the wall the chimney was on. The home inspector would not certify the house as structurally sound, but recommended that an engineering firm take a look at it.

The buyer asked the seller to have an engineering study done. The seller was upset but didn't go to pieces. Something was causing the chimney to pull away, so they called in an engineer. For legal reasons, the sellers also needed to understand what the problem was.

The engineer determined that shrink-swell soil was causing serious foundation problems. They recommended digging down a lot further than the original footers and constructing an elaborate new support system. The sellers agreed to do it and the buyers agreed to delay closing until the work was completed. Thirty thousand dollars later (out of the sellers' pocket), the transaction closed.

In Closing

When considering the above example, what is the moral? If you keep a cool head and look for solutions, structural problems need not be a deal killer.

Raynor James is with http://www.fsboamerica.org - providing homes for sale by owner, "FSBO", properties. Are you thinking, "Should I sell my home?" Visit http://www.fsboamerica.org/seller.cfm to sell your home sale for free for one month.


MORE RESOURCES:

KHTS Radio

Real Estate And Market Report February 10, 2012
KHTS Radio
As your mortgage professional, I am happy to assist you with any information you may need regarding mortgage or real estate information. I welcome the opportunity to serve you in any way I possibly can. Please feel free to reach me at 661-505-4300 .
REAL ESTATE: California receives up to $18 billion in multistate settlementPress-Enterprise
Will bank settlement help Florida's real estate market?Palm Beach Post (blog)
Foreclosure settlement could actually hurt real estate marketThe Real Deal New York (blog)
LoanSafe -Sacramento Bee -Statesman Journal
all 3,441 news articles »


A Real Estate Deal That Spans The Earth
NPR
The real estate market was booming. Bullis was visiting a friend in Carmel Valley on California's Central Coast, where homes can still sell for millions. "I was like, I'd like to retire out here. What's available? What's a nice piece of property?

and more »


Globe and Mail

Bernanke Wants to Lend to Real Estate Investors
TheStreet.com
By Shanthi Bharatwaj 02/10/12 - 02:59 PM EST NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Friday that making loans more easily available to real estate investors for bulk purchases of homes would be an important step in resolving ...
Tight Credit Conditions Impeding Housing and Economy RecoveryLoanSafe
Bernanke's speech to home buildersReuters

all 443 news articles »


Dumbo Moves Up in Real-Estate Ranks
Wall Street Journal (blog)
Real-estate agents point to the proximity to Manhattan, which brings both skyline views and short commutes to Manhattan. Then there's the new Brooklyn Bridge Park. “The park probably has a lot to do with the recent insurgence in Dumbo,” said Aaron ...

and more »


Real-Estate Crash Aids the Green Movement
Wall Street Journal
By LAURA KUSISTO The real-estate crash left pockets of the region's rural areas littered with the remnants of would-be golf courses, shopping centers and luxury subdivisions that never got off the ground. But the market swoon has yielded an unexpected ...

and more »


Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market ...
Chicago Tribune
The housing market might be fragile at best, but some professors and MBA's say real estate is one area where business school students can find jobs. David Hartzell, a professor of real estate and finance at the University of North Carolina--Chapel ...

and more »


Real estate continues to be one of the most profitable avenues to invest
Economic Times
Real estate continues to be one of the most vibrant and profitable avenues to invest in the country. Anuj Puri, the chairman and country head of global consultancy firm Jones Lang LaSalle India, says that investment in residential projects is currently ...

and more »


PR Web (press release)

Florida Real Estate Firm Introduces Web Based Auction Designed to Recreate the ...
PR Web (press release)
Real estate brokerage RealBidWinner.com, LLC announced the introduction of its http://www.realbidwinner.com real estate auction website. The auction site features a patent pending, hybrid auction engine, allowing properties on the website to be ...

and more »


Greenberg Traurig Reports its California Real Estate and Land Development ...
San Francisco Chronicle (press release)
international law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP reports its California real estate and land development practices grew over 35 percent in 2011. The international law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP reports its California real estate and land development ...

and more »


Websites to help navigate real-estate industry
The Seattle Times
By Reid Kanaley Real estate is no easy game, as homeowners have found in recent years. You need your wits about you, and these sites help you do that with plain language and suggestions. • The homebuying page at realestateabc.com notes some ways that a ...

and more »

Google News

home | site map
© 2006 TIGER MEDIA