My daily chuckle today got me thinking about what I've been seeing a lot of lately. First, the chuckle -- as seen on Craigslist:
My favorite part, "Lost keys so I can't start it but it ran great when I parked it in 2003." S-u-u-u-r-e, it must run great now. I mean, it was only seven years ago when you last started it, right?
And here's what got me thinking about real estate. Too many times, when a material defect is uncovered during a home inspection, I hear the same type of logic from the homeowner:
- But it's only three years old -- it can't be broken. The inspector must be an idiot.
- It's still under warranty. I have the paperwork somewhere. No way am I going to fix it. I'll just let the new owner figure it out with the warranty.
- It's always done that. The new owner will just have to live with it like I did.
And so on, and so forth, etc., etc., etc.
Sorry, homeowners. That's not the way it works. If you didn't disclose it was broken, and the inspection report lists it as a material defect, bet your bottom dollar that my buyer is going to ask for it to be fixed.
My advise for the day -- Fix things when they break. That way, at least you can enjoy them while you're still living in your home, rather than fixing everything down the road for the new owner!
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