Realtors® always seem to have a lot of great stories about the crazy things they have encountered while showing properties. Stories run the gamut from squatters, to attack dogs, to naked occupants. You just never know what you will encounter.
I remember one instance when I was showing some vacant parcels in a rural neighborhood that was just starting to develop with new custom homes being built all about the area. The lots were well priced and had been cleared and prepped by a previous owner. The outward appearance looked as if they were ready to build.
As the buyer and I walked one of the parcels we noticed that the lot next door had a new custom home that was very near completion. But something was strange about the home. The back yard was full of junk. There were piles of wood and scrap metal everywhere. In the middle of the pile was an old rusty red Coke machine. So we had to investigate.
After a few phone calls to the builder and new home buyer we found out that the builder was digging a new septic field and had discovered that a previous owner had buried quite a bit of junk on the lots. The builder discovered it while prepping for the drain field. We also discovered that the new home owner was in litigation to resolve the issue with the developer that sold them the lot and the developer’s agent.
After further investigation we were able to track down a contractor that had been hired by a previous owner to bury the junk years earlier. The contractor revealed that junk was buried “all over” the 10 acre parcel. Some of the items included a trailer, several cars, scrape wood, metal and the aforementioned Coke machine.
Needless to say, my buyer chose to pass on the lot(s) and look elsewhere for a buildable site. I never followed up to see what ultimately happened to those lots, I was just happy that my client was able to discover the issue before it became his problem. It just goes to show the importance of due diligence. You just never know what you will encounter.
If you find this article entertaining or informative, be sure to check out my other original content articles at; From The Outside Looking In a real estate blog by Joseph Domino at www.Scottsdale-AZHomes.com
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