All Forum Posts by: Donald Robers

Even if you and the  seller reached an agreement without using the broker a commission would be due because you discovered the property on the broker's site.  Per your post above the broker was the proximate cause of bringing you and the seller together.

@Jeremy Bridges -  I think that @Lynn McGeein is correct that an appraiser would appreciate a look at paperwork you have regarding existing survey, improvements, and comps.  But it is important to provide this before the appraisal.  After the past housing melt-down it seems  that appraisers are more scared of being influenced than of being inaccurate.

I strongly agree with @Alexander Felice that the most valuable books to read are not those offering the latest idea du jour on motivation or management principles but rather those that force you to evaluate society and your role as a part of it.  Several novels that do that:

Babbit and Dodsworth - both by Sinclair Lewis.  These two books examine the cnsequences of success on two very different protagonists.  George F. Babbit is a real estate broker in the small-town Midwest.  He is moderately affluent but suffers from a vague dissatisfaction with his life.  In the course of the book he at times tries to diverge from his life's path but always reverts to the safe course.  He is not on a ladder going up; he is on a treadmill.  Dodsworth is a successful auto manufacturer that finds his life-long beliefs challenged when he and his wife voyage to Europe upon his retirement.  The status quo of his life and marriage is shattered but he builds a new life upon the wreckage of the old.

1984 by George Orwell - A cautionary and prophetic story.  At the time of publication Orwell was warning against the evils of communism but the basic premise can be applied to any excess of government.  Total oversight = total behavior control; total behavior control = total thought control. 

Just from this small opinion sample the old adage is holding true - All Real Estate Is Local.  We all have to find what works in our area of operation.

Not sure if the multi-family contracts are different, but I have always asked for and provided home warranties.  One of my buyers was able to get a new furnace when the original (which had a 5 year old motor) unexpectedly gave up the ghost.

At about $450  to $500 it is cheap piece of mind if you worry about future complaints or claims.

As has been stated already, the amount of the earnest money deposit can vary depending on local custom, local market conditions, and seller motivation.

EMD is only one arrow in your quiver when seeking to craft an acceptable offer. Use it in conjunction with offer price, contingencies (or lack thereof) and closing deadline to make your offer suit the needs of the seller. How to identify these needs? Talk to the seller, or if working through an agent provide several options to be presented on your behalf.

@Account Closed - Sorry you have to deal with this.  Good neighbors are a huge asset; bad ones a nightmare.  I am glad that you are going with the professional survey - if you tried to find the markers on your own the neighbor would just accuse you of moving them.

What really puzzles me is the paint thing.  I know it is best to just avoid crazy rather than try to understand it but I cannot help but wonder at the motive.

Strangely enough, my Dad used to paint the boles of 6 fruit trees on our property.  He believed it discouraged boring insects.  Your neighbor may have been trying to make the case that he was "maintaining" the trees in hope of getting some type of adverse possession.  But you are likely correct; the guy is just being spiteful.

Are you representing the buyer or the seller?  I would think that your brokerage would have a process in place for this eventuality.

Wait a minute! Wait a minute! I think you have identified an untapped niche in REI. Two words - FLEA CIRCUS!

Low acreage required, low overhead.

Just be certain that if the fleas bring their own dog that it does not have one of those Emotional Support Animal certificates printed off the internet.

Ah - Thanks for clarifying.