Today I met with my buyer so he could do a final walk-through on the home he is purchasing. The homeowner's are moved out and the closing is scheduled for tomorrow.
Everything seemed in order until we got the master bathroom and discovered four large brown stains that mirror the outline of whatever was placed on the white vinyl tile. I've seen this type of vinyl floor discoloration in the past and knew the stains were the result of a chemical reaction from rubber backed floor mats. The discoloration is permanent and no amount of scrubbing will remove them. Moving on to the hall bath, we discovered the same type of floor discoloration.
You'd think the owner occupant would be aware of these stains yet it was not disclosed in the sellers disclosure. When my buyer and I viewed the home originally and when his inspection was done, there were floor mats in place but who would have thought to look under them.
Needless to say, this unexpected find presented an issue for my buyer and in the last hours before closing I'm on the phone with the seller's agent negotiating a floor replacement allowance. Her first comment was, "this is not something that has to be disclosed." Hmmmm....And it's okay to hide the stains from buyer view too? In the end an allowance was agreed to and my buyer will be replacing the floors after purchase.
The are two important points here. Always, always do a final walk-through on the home you will purchase to insure there are no damages or defects not previously disclosed or items removed that are to convey with the home. I once had a situation where a seller replaced an expensive light fixture for a cheaper one and again, this was discovered during a final walk-through with my buyer. It amazes me that there agents who don't impress the importance of a final walk-through to their buyers.
The second point is to ‘DISCLOSE.' Here in Texas, seller's have a legal responsibility to disclose defects and damages on the 'Seller's Disclosure Forms' along with other pertinent information about the property. Failure to disclose could potentially cause the seller to be held liable.
Karen Staha, CRS,GRI,ABR, REALTOR - Selling Texas Since 1995 - Gaston & Sheehan Realty - Call me direct: 512-217-2435 email: kmstaha@aol.com website: www.karenstaha.com
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Those inexpensive mats ended up costing a pretty penny. I can't image the floor replacement allowance was cheap.
I've got a question. Was the motivation for the floor allowance driven by the suprise factor. To the buyers, the condition of the bathroom had 'changed' / was a 'suprise'. Would the need for the allowance have been less or the amount for the flooring have been less? Just wondering...