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    Wednesday, March 7, 2018

    Undisclosed issues leading to foreclosure. Any recourse? Real Estate

    Undisclosed issues leading to foreclosure. Any recourse? Real Estate


    Undisclosed issues leading to foreclosure. Any recourse?

    Posted: 07 Mar 2018 03:28 AM PST

    My aunt bought a house and after a few years, there was a crack in one of the pipes that lead to a huge water bill. She was unaware the pipe was cracked and leaking water until this winter when mold began to form on the home. It got really bad and she was forced to move.

    During this time, she contacted the insurance company to have them take care of it but they denied her coverage of the issue. Although someone in the same neighborhood had a similar issue covered by their insurer.

    Fast forward. She got into contact with the city and the previous owner was a mason who did not disclose the leaky pipe when the house was first bought because he fixed it himself in the past. None of this was disclosed and now my aunt is going to lose her home. Is there any recourse? This isn't something that would have been found in a routine inspection. Location is Indiana

    submitted by /u/I_DILL_E
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    When should I start scheduling utilities in my name?

    Posted: 06 Mar 2018 11:40 PM PST

    Closing is Tuesday 13/3 assuming the seller gets their title issues fixed. They and their realtor have been MIA all week on this issue. Underwriting is done, all the tiny steps the VA wants are done. But after the house from hell falling through a week before closing I'm hesitant to accept that this is actually happening.

    Also, what are the odds of the seller not getting this stuff fixed in time? The first issue is a missing wife from the sale of the home in the 80's and the second is the current owners title is not a warranty deed but a "gift warranty deed". This is all in Texas (if that matters).

    submitted by /u/TXSyd
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    Retired Hobo and Doomsday Prepper Looking for Remote Rural Land in the Northeast - am a first time property buyer; how to avoid scams?

    Posted: 06 Mar 2018 08:06 AM PST

    Howdy; I've spent the last few months working my ass off and saving every dollar, sleeping outside in the snow, eating roadkill and squirrel and sticking every bit of cash I get paid in the safe. I've got about $10k right now, and by September, I should have more like 20-25k if I play my cards perfectly.

    I'm aiming for the following things:

    • Between 1 and 3 plots of land anywhere from West Virginia to Maine; With a "home base" plot somewhere in VT / NH / or most likely, Maine that exceeds 10 acres. One or two other plots between 0.5 and 3 acres in NY, PA, WV would be good as "winter camps" (these can be closer to major cities)

    • In areas with the most permissive building codes imaginable

    • In areas where taxes are low or I can get a "forever wild" easement to cut down on tax costs

    • I can happily live in a tipi or other non-permanent structure, or an underground house if that means lower taxes

    • I don't need electricity or amenities and prefer a locality where these are not required

    • In areas with lax gun laws (constitutional carry is best), lots of water, that are far from major cities and highways

    • I don't particularly care if there is no automobile access; I can walk, canoe, ATV, etc if need be. I don't drive and won't.

    • I will never sell the property if all of these things are in place; I'm looking for a "forever property"

    • Bordering state or county lands would be ideal obviously, or with river frontage

    All of this said, how do I avoid scams? I see a few deals on landlocked land, and some deals that make me wonder if there isn't some kind of chemical waste issue, or recently logged / mined land. And some deals seem to be just because the land is remote.

    Additionally, beyond just getting scammed by the land-seller, how do I avoid bureaucratic nightmares - I have a buddy who bought land in MA only to find that it was illegal to camp on the land; and that the zoning officer for the town was bored enough to check his property every night to see if he was there. I don't want snooping neighbors or red-tapers checking me out all the time. In fact, I'd like to install a timber fortified wall around the front end of my property.

    I see a number of decent-looking properties, and have called about them and have gotten honest-seeming realtors; how likely is it that these guys are lying to me to get the sale?

    Any tips would be appreciated; thanks.

    submitted by /u/negroyverde
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    Question to Realtors: Would You Be Interested In Learning How To Do The Photography Yourself?

    Posted: 06 Mar 2018 12:01 PM PST

    I am a professional real estate photographer in Chattanooga, TN. I am considering creating an online course that teaches realtors how to do real estate photography. Is this something that realtors would be interested in? Would realtors prefer to be in control of the photo process and do it themselves? I would create a step-by-step process that teaches realtors how to create stunning real estate images to wow their client, while saving them $250-1000 per house by taking the images themselves. All feedback welcome. Thanks!

    submitted by /u/shanet92
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    California.. Question about loansand sone requirements.

    Posted: 06 Mar 2018 11:23 PM PST

    Hello.. I am a bit ahead of myself here but it never hurts to ask. I teach and have been a teacher for the past 6 years. This ye ar i took a gap year, although i did get hired on a temporary contract for the next 3 months.

    My employment history looks something like this..

    2009-2011 sub teacher 2011-2017 FT teacher 2017-2018 Sub Teacher/FT Teacher (considering this the gap year)

    If all goes well, ill have a job in a rather affordable area next year in a city that should see gradual growth (Patterson, CA) and i expect stability.

    How will this gap year affect me?

    submitted by /u/TwitchSouzGaming
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    What are the risks/cons of buying a house without a real estate agent? What are the benefits?

    Posted: 06 Mar 2018 11:53 AM PST

    Title. Living in Pennsylvania. Currently looking into buying a house and would like to better understand both sides of the conversation.

    submitted by /u/exileexodus
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    Buy VS Rent. Salt Lake, Utah area

    Posted: 06 Mar 2018 11:26 AM PST

    Recently moved from an apartment that was 1200 a month to living in a cousins basement. Wife, myself and the kid. We cut our rent in half to now we pay 600 a month. However it is only temporary maybe 1 year max. I currently make 50k a year, hopefully soon 60k. Wife is starting to work PRN ( 2 days a month) as an ER nurse bringing another 10k a year. So we will be at soon roughly 70k a year.

    No debt other than 9k on a car with a 179 monthly car payment @ 2.8% interest.

    We have a strict budget to save for a home.

    However homes are 300k plus in our area. Utah, Bountiful to North Salt Lake area.

    We have 25k saved in investments that we can liquidate towards a home and after a year of saving Id say we will have 50k saved towards down payment.

    Would it be better to buy and stick with the PMI payment for a year or two til we have 20% equity.

    Or just try and find somewhere cheap to rent again? Which sucks and possibility of missing out on apreciation + equity...

    Fear is home prices will keep going up. Utah seems to be a hot market for a lot of businesses that are moving here. Amazon has plans to build a 200 to 300 million dollar wharehouse within 10 minutes of the area.

    Anyways what are your thoughts?

    submitted by /u/CAPTAIN_LAZERFACE
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    Is the real estate agent acting in our interest?

    Posted: 06 Mar 2018 03:44 PM PST

    Hey, we're working with an estate agent who is trying to find us a property. He's told us that Zillow is incorrect and the houses that say they're for sale never are.

    He sent us some houses for sale that didn't look very nice. He said that no houses were for sale in certain towns. Is this normal? Or he is trying to offload trashy houses?

    What can we do?

    submitted by /u/cockneyjay
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    How to grow my new construction business?

    Posted: 06 Mar 2018 06:43 PM PST

    I have finished are first construction 6 unit build out recently. I was able to make around 400k profit. This was done in poorer area because i was able to buy the lot at the bottom of the market. So we're rolling the 300k profit as a downpayment for 1.2 million build out. That includes land and cost of construction. This is a smaller building but in one of the great areas in the city. I expect to make about 700k on the construction flip. I would have about 1 million capital after this construction flip. But it will be about 2 months before we start,still waiting on plans. If everything goes to plan then 5 months to build, plus the time the units stay on the market. My goal was do this whole process and then look for another lot. But the issues is it takes so long for zoning/planing time unless you get lucky and find lot already zonned like we did but that's really hard to do. Normally it will take 3 months for zoning change, month to file plans, at the least 2 months in the city. So I was wondering what would be the best way to buy a lot now and do the process so that it's ready when I finish this project. I will have about 100k left, and lots are in the 500k range. I was thinking of buying a home that is in tear down condition and buy it with a 10 percent down payment. Use the remainder for zoning, planing and closing cost. Then after I finish this current build out I would roll the profits as downpayment into new lot plus construction. But thay would put my account balance really low. Is there any other ways, private investors or any other financing options. Am I being to greedy and trying to do to much. I don't want to be overleverged in case shit doesn work our but I would love to finish one project and start the second without waiting half a year. What do you guys think?

    submitted by /u/builder1212
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    Help! Not understanding if contract is legal/binding.

    Posted: 06 Mar 2018 06:29 PM PST

    So we saw a house we like, offered X amount. Real estate agent sent us this contract looking form and asked us to initial. It looks like all it needs is the seller's signature to be "official", but what happens if I find another house I like? Would it be too late if the seller signs it? What if I want to withdraw my offer a week later?

    submitted by /u/HastroX
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    Appraisal report returned and the cost to build is 40k more than I purchased the house for ? Should I still do upgrades in the house?

    Posted: 07 Mar 2018 01:55 AM PST

    Hey guys, Please give me some feedback. I'm located in GA. The house I'm currently under contract is in a subdivision that went under during the recession in 2008. The builders stop building, therefore, the sub division isn't finished. However, since that time this county had over 500 new homes and subdivisions added when the market picked up but nothing in this subdivision which is weird bc it's close to the highway and down the street from all of the stores. It's in a Hoa community. The exact same house is being rebuilt and it has a nice stone face with all the updates I have listed for 207k but the house is not located in the school zone. This elementary school zone is one of the best in the state.

    The house we purchased for 160k . The apprasail came back at 170 and I noticed the cost to build is 207k. Well what is considered "to many upgrades?" While I LIKE this house bc of the space, I didn't walk in and say this is our forever home. It's simply our starter home. Somethings that need upgrading Porch added- the house was the last build and the builder cut corners to make it as cheap as possible. I'd like to add a small porch like the rest of the houses.

    Exterior paint - 5k

    Kitchen upgrade- 20k. I wanted to simply paint the laminate cabinets but they are so flimsy. The kitchen is extremely outdated. The floor has a few rips and need replacing. The appliances need upgrading and the countertops need changing BAD!

    Floor- replace the first floor with the same laminate flooring that look like engineered hardwood. 4K

    Stairwell- idk the price but I noticed this house the stairwell is drywall vs the rest of the homes have the open stairwell with nice iron. I really want to open it up.

    Master bath- replace the shower door, remodel the shower and had granite in the bathroom

    Bathrooms- replace the countertops with granite

    House- add crown molding to the bottom floor to give it a pop

    Replace fence- I think the old owner didn't want to level the land behind the fence. Behind the fence is a black tarp that sort of the divide or stop the property line for the next property we're assuming. It's nothing back there. The neighbors to the right us didn't put up a fence on the back wall and their yard goes to the black tarp. The neighbors to the left did place a fence and stoped it where our fence is. I want to get the land surveyed so we can know where our property line will end and if it goes to the tarp, replace the fence to the tarp line. This will give my kids additional play space to play.

    Now, the houses in the subdivision hasn't sold since the recession ended or if it did it was a distressed property. One house sold for 190k that had many of these things already.

    The houses 1 mile out are selling brand new for about 190-210k with 1k sq feet less. The market is hot and houses here go into bidding wars immediately. It's an extremely popular location. My husband and I decided to go with this house after 7 months of searching and being out bid. We actually lost this one but the first sell fell through and my realtor made a friend with the listing agent and she called and told her she'd go with us. How amazing!

    So, what are your thoughts? The house is 5 bed, 3 bath, and 3200 square feet. What should I do and what should I just live with? We plan to live in the house at least 5 years and then move and sale. I like the house and could potentially love it but it needs updating bad. I don't want to over do it or anything.

    Also, I'm not thinking of this house of just an investment. It is but it is also the place I'll live in the next 5 years. I'm thinking about how can I make this house comfortable enough for me but also gain equity at the same time for when I sell in the future? I'm not trying to flip but I don't want to spend 40k and then 5 years later have to pay to leave the house and don't get any of my money back. I want to be as realistic as possible about how to pursue this.

    submitted by /u/christmasMom87
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    Seller did not disclose foundation issues + realtor issues. Looking for advice

    Posted: 06 Mar 2018 04:40 AM PST

    So, here's the situation I'm in.

    I got an accepted contract on a newly renovated house and proceeded with the inspection. The inspection showed some foundation issues along with some foundation supports (raised home) that looked very poorly installed. The inspection also showed a door that wouldn't close at all due to getting caught on the frame. It's not even close to closing, probably over a foot away from the knob reaching the door frame. Since the home is newly renovated, I was surprised to see that from a freshly painted door and door frame. I took a second look at the disclosures and the sellers (who have owned the home for ~9 years) marked Not Known for foundation issues and Not Known for foundation work. I find it hard to believe they had no idea about the foundation considering the amount of time they have lived in the home and the amount of remodeling that was done recently.

    In the mean time, the seller's realtor has not put the house from Active to Pending in the MLS. It took her ~10 days from the accepted contract to make this change.

    The sellers then called my inspection report "suspect" and refused to address the foundation issues. Because of this I cancelled the contract.

    Since then, the property was listed back as Active in MLS. It has been 12 days since the property was changed to Active and the disclosures have not been updated to reflect the foundation issues my inspection discovered. They even had an open house 2 days ago.

    Needless to say, I feel like the sellers and the sellers' agent are trying to pull one over on me.

    What would you do in this situation? Do I have any recourse to get a refund on my inspection? Is this realtor in violation on realtor rules or ethics?

    Looking for advice. Thanks!

    submitted by /u/dcross9999
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    When will the market calm down??? [NC]

    Posted: 06 Mar 2018 09:27 AM PST

    I'm a very frustrated first time buyer!! I've made four offers at this point and none of them have been accepted. According to my agent they have (for the most part) been competitive, all above or at the LP. I'm looking for houses around $250k so it's the most competitive price. Does anyone have any idea when the market will chill for a sec so that I can actually buy a house?!? #annoyed

    submitted by /u/mdmoore13
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    Appraisal Condition Raising Red Flags

    Posted: 06 Mar 2018 05:11 PM PST

    We've been attempting to sell a house for some time now. Cute little place we've done a ton of work to. Place looks great, and goes under contract very quick. We're now on buyer number 4 due to strange complications and problems with each buyer ranging from financing to car crashes. This one has almost closed, but our appraisal came back with a condition.

    There's an amount of spalling on the foundation and the appraiser is requiring ti to be inspected by a "qualified person". My Real Estate Agent is insisting it be a Structural Engineer, but frankly I don't want an engineer crawling all over the place. It's 100 years old. I want the LEAST QUALIFIED person possible to sign off on this so we can get it over with.

    My biggest fear is that somehow an engineer will decide it needs to be replaced, and then I can't get insurance on it. Which means not only will this sale fall through, but I won't be able to rent it. This sale has already hurt us financially to point of ruin trying to afford two mortgages. I've called inspectors and contractors without any results. No one seems willing to look at the place and the area is so rural that there aren't many options.

    At this point I feel like I'm paralyzed. My fear of financial destruction is great enough that I'm really not sure how to proceed. I just want out from under this damn house!

    Is an engineer my only option? Is there a better way to deal with this? I'm tempted to walk away from the sale, repair the spalling, and try again. I've owned the place for ten years and I've never even noticed the problem until now. I'm losing my ass on this already. Help!

    submitted by /u/dowealllivelikethis
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    Difference btw Closing cost vs Seller Credit?

    Posted: 06 Mar 2018 12:11 PM PST

    I am reviewing a contract for a mortgage. It is conventional loan, 5% down for purchase price of 105k (in Ohio). The seller agreed to cover $3000 closing costs, plus $300 towards Owners Title Insurance. The agreement lists the $300 as closing costs, but the $3k as a "Seller Credit." Does this distinction matter? I'm not sure why they were split up this way. The lender said the seller can pay 3% towards closing. Were they split up because 3% is only $3150, which is less than the seller is offering? Thanks for any clarification you may have!

    submitted by /u/Vickipoo
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    Please help! First-time homebuyer in MD.

    Posted: 06 Mar 2018 11:33 AM PST

    I'm a first time homebuyer in MD and placed an offer on a short sale home.

    I submitted the offer for seller to help with closing credit, but seller counter offered for no closing credit.

    I accepted the counter offer as my realtor told me it's a norm to pay half/half on transfer tax.

    But I later learned after the fact that first homebuyer gets waived on state transfer tax and sellers are required to pay local transfer tax unless otherwise stated. My realtor didn't inform me this when negotiating.

    Do most first homebuyers really get this perk? Or is it really a norm to pay half and half even though I'm a first homebuyer?

    Thank you for your help in advance.

    submitted by /u/cocosua88
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    FTHB- little to no contact from real estate agent or loan officer... should I ask the processor? GA

    Posted: 06 Mar 2018 12:22 PM PST

    It absolutely sucks being a FTHB bc I have no clue about the process besides what I read online and the knowledge you guys have shared with me.

    My quick story is I'm currently trying to purchase a home. The appresail came back Saturday and I simply received an email. On Monday, I called and asked my officer what was the steps. They have a "cute" app that nobody updates. So according to the app, I still need to apply for the loan. Smh. When I spoke with the officer, she said that UW and the processor was working on my file. She said the appraisal came in 10k higher and we were good to go in an email. An hour later, she retracted that statement and attached an email from her boss saying their were some repairs needed since it's a HUD home but please let the processor and underwriting finish with the file.

    I don't know how long this process take? She didn't inform me bc it didn't appear that she knew. I also don't have a clue what comes next. I believe from what I've read it's the conditional approval but I'm not sure. How long does this appraisal and underwriting process take? We haven't received a report about the appraisal yet either.

    It appears my loan officer doesn't know. She's new to the company. When I have questions, she tells me general answers like "oh a couple of days." Then she tells me to email the processor bc he has my file. Is he the person I should be speaking with? If so, should I be asking certain questions. I want to close on March 22 but on my contract it states on or before March 30. I told my loan officer but I don't think she has shared this with the processor. Should I email the processor. He hasn't emailed me or called me? Should he? What is this next step? Should my real estate agent still be assisting me at this point to help educate me? I haven't heard from her. She's related to the loan officer ..... my loan officer recommended her and I don't hear from either anymore. She hasn't contacted me about anything. What should I do? Please help me.

    submitted by /u/christmasMom87
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    Multifamily shortage in Portland OR, should I move to buy cheaper multifamily properties?

    Posted: 06 Mar 2018 11:25 PM PST

    Hey guys newbie here age 21.

    I live in Portland, Oregon and have been looking for a four Plex for my first deal. I messaged an agent today to see if she had any fourplex in her listings, she hasn't responded yet. I am not looking enough am I?

    My plan to get a fourplex is to find private money to put down on an fha loan. I heard that it takes a couple months for a sale to go through, so I can market some tenants. I will then live in a couple months doing small renovations adding value into the property. Then I will go to the bank and ask for refinancing. I can then pay back my private lender and so on.

    My mom has been thinking about moving to a small/medium sized town in Tennessee to start a restaurant business with my aunt. Tennessee has some pretty cheap multifamily properties but I'm not feeling it because of the cities feel slow.

    My plan here has some options. I have an aunt who runs a pretty successful restaurant business in her town in Tennessee. She also had remarried to a man who owns a contracting company I believe. I have potential for private money and a mentor. I will be visiting during spring or summer I can probably talk about it.

    My other plan is to move to a city that is growing at a pretty fast rate. Figure out my plan.

    1) Am I being a lazy noob and not looking hard enough

    2) Should I move on my own

    3) Should I move to Tennessee and buy 4 units for a good price in slow growth town.

    submitted by /u/EmptyRecord
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    Realtors: Should we install granite before selling our house?

    Posted: 06 Mar 2018 10:43 AM PST

    We will be selling our house in about a month. We've update most of the inside of the house within the last 2 years. Now we are finishing up the kitchen. The cabinets are in good shape so we painted them a light/medium gray (they were yellow/orange oak). The question now is do we replace the laminate counters with granite, a more updated laminate or leave it as is. The counters now have a couple dings. We are wondering if we'll recoup the investment if we replace them. Since we are selling now, hard to put more money into the house so any advice would be great and appreciated! We are in the Tampa, FL area. Thank you!

    submitted by /u/jmlee1321
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    Whats the worst that could happen? Buy and holders

    Posted: 06 Mar 2018 05:13 PM PST

    I really want to get in to the real estate market this year but I feel like this is the poorest time to buy though you can still make money. When we are on the down part of the cycle, what is the worst that can happen? If I have a door that makes $200 cash flow now, how much could it possibly be reduced to in tough times? The market in particular is Indianapolis which is supposed to be less volatile.

    submitted by /u/Freds_Premium
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    Question regarding high-earner, great credit, low down payment options.

    Posted: 06 Mar 2018 04:54 PM PST

    The details:

    My wife and I make $140,000 (gross) combined in the Southern California area. Both our cars are paid off but we're coming off of a loan slump. We'll have zero debt but just a bit saved by month's end. Both of our credit scores are close to 800, if not beyond (checking with CreditKarma and Discover and Citi). We pulled our credit reports and they are clean except for one missed payment on one of her accounts 5 years ago.

    We're shooting for a house in the $500-600K price range. We'll be using this year to save up for a down payment. While I realize putting down 20% would be ideal, I don't think we'll have that, nor would I be super happy/comfortable about doing that.

    I keep checking out info on FHA loans and I only see these being a benefit for people with super low credit scores. Am I analyzing this incorrectly? Are we in an impossible position to take advantage of our great credit because of our interest in a low down payment? Playing with loan calculators, it doesn't even look like putting the full 20% would yield us a better mortgage payment.

    Specifically, are we in an odd place to where we aren't going to benefit from any low-income programs (seriously, I see programs for families making less than $50,000 a year? and super low credit scores)

    And we realize that this wouldn't be happening tomorrow or next week.

    submitted by /u/IJustWannaBuyAHouse
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    Best way to go about buying 50% of a two unit building from my landlord?

    Posted: 06 Mar 2018 02:54 PM PST

    Hi and thanks for your thoughts in advance.

    I've lived in my San Francisco flat for 20 + years. My landlord is open to the idea of me buying a 50% stake in the building for $700k. Owner is open to self financing.

    Is it best to go straight to a real estate lawyer and draw up a deal that way? (Writing in contingencies for survivorship, 1st right of refusal and...?) Any reason for a realtor?

    Better off going to bank and getting a new loan for this "partnership "?

    Property tax implications for him?(does he pay capital gains on $700k? Or is property reassessed at $1.4M?)

    If I finance with him and am not on deed, I can't deduct mortgage interest. How do I factor that into the terms?

    Trying to learn and solve to make a deal. Thank you.

    submitted by /u/Eventhegoodnewsisbad
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    FL - Hurricane Panels, are they included in the sale?

    Posted: 06 Mar 2018 04:14 PM PST

    I am currently in the process of selling my home. We are under contract and are set to close in three weeks.

    I have hurricane panels on my house, however, they are not permanent fixtures. They are the steel corrugated panels that are completely removable. The fasteners are installed in the exterior walls of the house, however the panels are not.

    They've never been out or in clear view during any viewings or inspections nor are the included in any advertising or pictures. Additionally, the steel panels are not custom fitted to the home, they are standard sizes and you just overlay them until the window is covered.

    These things considered, can I take these with me when I move? The language in the contract is standard and states the following:

    "Personal Property: Unless excluded in Paragraph 1(e) or by other terms of this Contract, the following items 16 which are owned by Seller and existing on the Property as of the date of the initial offer are included in the 17 purchase: range(s)/oven(s), refrigerator(s), dishwasher(s), disposal, ceiling fan(s), intercom, light fixture(s), 18 drapery rods and draperies, blinds, window treatments, smoke detector(s), garage door opener(s), security gate 19 and other access devices, and storm shutters/panels ("Personal Property")."

    As these panels are completely removable and not custom fitted nor "built in" will I be able to take them? Are they considered real property? I seems to me they would fall under a similar definition of paintings or pictures. Hardware is installed but the object is not permanent.

    Contract negotiations with this buyer have been unpleasant and I don't want to try to do any negotiating this close to closing. If I take the panels, whats the possible outcome if they make an issue of it after close?

    Additionally, had these panels been stolen and I tried to sell my home, what would happen if someone demanded the panels and I can't produce them due to the theft?

    submitted by /u/xAengusx
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    Seller putting money into escrow for me to make repairs after closing, how does it work?

    Posted: 06 Mar 2018 03:10 PM PST

    The home needs a septic system update and the seller would rather not deal with it themselves. The idea would be they put the money into escrow for me to fund and handle the repair myself (contract it out). How does this work? And what if the repair cost doesn't use all of the money?

    submitted by /u/twostroke1
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    [Bay Area, CA] Disputing a insultingly low appraisal

    Posted: 06 Mar 2018 01:31 PM PST

    In a nutshell, we put an offer on a home in San Francisco and it got accepted. The home is move in ready and well maintained (pest came back at only 2.2k) The home is a 2/1 with an unwarranted 1/1 downstairs. Those familiar with the city know that this is very common. The appraiser hired by our lender thru an AMC has a mailing address in Menlo Park, first indication he is not familiar with the area. His appraisal comes back almost 125k under sales price...we are flabbergasted. We get a copy of the report back and he is comping against other 2/1s...fair enough...however he completely ignores the 2/1s that have unwarranted 1/1s on the ground floor....this is partly due to the fact that listing agents are unscrupulously listing them as 3/2 online and stating in the description that it is unwarranted. Furthermore the appraisal report is rife with typos and even an incorrect picture of a comp. Secondly, one of his main comps was sold with a tenant in place....which drastically reduces the price and another which was a huge fixer.

    We know that if he were to compare apples to apples (our 2/1+1/1 against others of the same config) we would be in the ballpark. We have already sent our loan officer the comps and descriptions and she agrees and has opened a dispute. All of our comps were sold in the last 4 months.

    We are going through a big box lender, what are the chances that we can successfully appeal an appraisal? How far back in terms of sales date does an appraiser usually look?

    submitted by /u/r_u_kitten_mee
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