Unpermitted square footage on Dallas Rental

[Leah VandenAkker]

Considering buying my first rental property in Dallas that is listed at 1600 sq ft. According to county records the property is only 864 sq ft, so additions to property are unpermitted. Seems like a red flag to me, but my realtor is unconcerned and says it is common for the area. Wanted some feedback from BP fam on whether to take the plunge and use it to negotiate or walk away. Main concern is resale value down the line. 

[Bruce Woodruff]

@Leah VandenAkker #1 - Your Realtor is an idiot, I'd find someone else...they just want the deal to work so they can get their $$. 

#2 - Just call the city and ask for the permit history. They will have it instantly, I'm not sure why people think it takes time for records to update. But you have to ask the Building Department directly.

#3 - Ignore anyone who says this is not worth getting concerned about. At the least, you are paying full price for illegal living space and that would just be dumb. Worst case is someday you get caught....say you do a little remodel that you do pull permits for, and the Inspector notices the unpermitted work (he will) Oooops, you are screwed. Or the next buyer asks the city for the Permit History, Oooops again....

So either pass on this deal, or don't pay full price per SF for the property.