In my day I have had the pleasure of dealing with some of the most intelligent people in real estate around.  Today was not that day. I got reeled in like a fish! After showing a home that appeared to be in excellent condition,, with no major WARTS, my clients were ready to put down an attractive cash offer.  The home is owned by a Listor/Agent.  As always, for the benefit of my client, I try to squeeze as much information out of the Listor/Agent as possible.  What is her background, experience,  how long has the house been on the market, why are you moving, what do you like about the neighborhood, how are your neighbors, how many offers, oh really, and how much were you offered?  etc.

GET SMART! up front.

I got quite a bit of information.  Even to the bottom dollar and with the inclusions my client's wanted.  Several thousand dollars off asking (of an already reduced price).  What's wrong with this picture?  I paused.  Can I call you back?

I took another walk around the house and what did I find?  A crack running the ENTIRE length of the garage about 1.5-2 cm's wide.  Hmmmm I said.  That is very interesting.  How could that happen?  We are not on a hill, not an area that could have poor drainage.  Hmmmmm.  What else could be wrong???  Why not mention of this before I showed?  Hmmmm.... that's not a small thing. 

I called the Listor/Agent and asked several more questions, then inquired about the crack in the garage.  Ooooh! I was told.  That was just a little crack.  Little?  I asked.  You should have seen the one in the house... THAT one was HUGE!!!!!!!!  Ooooh!  I said.. tell me more.  Well the crack in the house was a lot bigger than this one.  Sooooooo big, said the Listor/Agent  we had to jackhammer around it then fill it with some epoxy bonding stuff, but stuff much stronger than that.  Oooooh I said.  But you know those are the problems associated with homes in the neighborhood. Sure, yah right.

Well I know out of the homes that I am familiar with on that block, not a single last one has had problems like that.  So there is something more entirely to the picture.  I guess what really peeves me is this person should have disclosed the house had issues in the first place.  Before we even took a look at it.   Whatever my client's decide to do, whether it's go through the whole investigation and due diligence regarding this specific problem, or walk, that fact is they are sooooo excited about the house and unnecessarily so.  Beyond the great looks on the outside, there is a questionable agent on the inside.  Daft or Brilliant?  I'm thinking the former versus the latter.

At any rate, it could cost my clients quite a bit more money just for us to get thru additional due diligence.  It might have saved us all time to say something up front.  Is there something I'm still not being told.  Quite possibly, so I will advise my clients not to budge an inch until they talk direcyty with the contractor who did the work, get a home inspection from the best we have available AND do a soil test.  That is if they decide that they want to do anything at all besides run.