I'm a broker in Dallas and I usually tell my clients to make a list of must haves and would likes and then I dialogue with them on what they can be flexible with.With that being said I know the market is pretty competitive now but don't give up!

So much good content & dialogue on these forums.

I don't go out of my way to get permits, but I do know that WITH permits, I can advertise that the repairs and improvements I did, WERE documented, and within local building codes.As far as what some say about city inspectors, my experience with building inspectors is that an open dialogue with no attempts to hide shoddy work, leads to easier inspections for the future.