Don't meet God before your time.

Earlier this year, one of my clients got a rehab deal with my help. He did the normal carpet and paint, but he also replaced the furnace and some windows. The property was fully staged and listed on the MLS. It looked Heavenly.

But no more -- as of today. My client just got beat up bad by Salt Lake County for "doing a remodel without a permit." The furnace and windows triggered a fine.

It was probably an evil neighbor who called the county and complained. (This theoretical neighbor probably should have been paying the rehabber for increasing the property value of his own house!) 

Ironically, the county sent notices to the mailing address of the former owner. They never put a notice on the door. When politely confronted, they admitted they had received all the notices back in the mail, but refused to show any mercy.

So then what did God (I mean the county building department) do? Asserting their omnipotence-- in addition to a fine, they insisted on 20 additional items to bring the home up to code. They said the grandfather clause is a "misnomer," and that they "must protect the safety of the county's residents."

The biggest of the 20 items? They are now forcing my client to put in full egress windows in the basement. This is a major disaster, and he hopes to break even on the deal after the dust settles.

Please be careful out there. Always do good work. Pull permits for all big stuff. Talk to the cities and counties if you have any questions.

Don't meet God before your time.