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Errant Golf Balls and Peacock Poop

By
Managing Real Estate Broker with San Diego Previews Real Estate CA BRE# 01101958

Errant Golf Ball DisclosureThis morning I sat in on a blogging webinar hosted by Kevin Boer and Pat Kitano. They covered some great stuff, but I had to chuckle when Kevin asked the students to write about how California’s errant golf ball disclosure came into being.

An errant golf ball disclosure may seem like an incredible waste of paper and resources, but that’s what happens when we live in such a litigious society.

There are anywhere from 50 to 150 pages of disclosures that are an integral part of each California real estate transaction. The one I always have fun pointing out to clients is the seemingly absurd disclosure that targets wayward golf balls.

I then feel compelled to explain that each of these disclosures is surely the result of some lawsuit–and that one can probably glean a history of California real estate litigation by going through each disclosure item.

I don’t know how the errant golf ball disclosure came into being, but I would imagine it resulted from someone like fictional Wilbert, who moved into a quiet golf course community and expected peaceful and quiet enjoyment  watching the bunnies and coots on the greens and fairways.

Were bad golfers/bad golf shots never anticipated?

One morning while enjoying an early cup of Starbucks on his patio, Wilbert was bopped in the head by an errant golf ball--surely the result of some hacker’s silly slice. The knot on his head throbbed for awhile, turned colors, and he laughed while telling the story to a group of people at a cocktail gathering a week later.

In the audience was (of course) a personal injury attorney who suggested Wilbert sue the sellers of his home, along with all the real estate agencies involved. These devious home sellers and Realtors should have disclosed that bad golf shots could break windows, knock noggins and result in a collection of golf balls in the shrubbery.

Fictional Wilbert and his attorney sued the home sellers and their agent–along with his own Realtor–for failing to disclose that one of the hazards of living on a golf course is the possibility (or certainty) of errant golf balls.

Whether the case was won or lost is irrelevant.

Agents and home sellers in the State of California must now disclose the hazard of errant golf balls that could be flying anywhere in the Golden State.

But the story doesn't end there. I also heard this morning about a required local hazard disclosure in Palos Verdes about Errant Peacock Poop….

 

Luxury Real Estate 

San Diego Real Estate 

Comments (8)

Sharon Simms
Coastal Properties Group International - Christie's International - Saint Petersburg, FL
St. Petersburg FL - CRS CIPS CLHMS RSPS
Roberta - you must be pulling a Linda Davis "Which meme is true?" - surely not Errant Peacock Poop !  I hope Florida doesn't follow suit on that one.
Jan 04, 2008 09:32 AM
Roberta Murphy
San Diego Previews Real Estate - Carlsbad, CA
Carlsbad Real Estate and Homes

Sharon:

I kid you not. The errant golf ball disclosure is for real and this morning heard from a Palos Verdes agent that they also have a Peacock Disclosure that warns about the slippery nature of peacock poop. 

Personally, I've never stepped in the stuff.... 

Jan 04, 2008 09:36 AM
Jeff Dowler, CRS
eXp Realty of California, Inc. - Carlsbad, CA
The Southern California Relocation Dude

Golf balls and poop. What will be next? Grass and flower-destroying rabbits? Rabbit-eating coyotes? Foggy weather on waterfront properties limiting your days of sun? Neighbors who smoke on their patios? I love California! :)

Jeff 

Jan 04, 2008 05:33 PM
Aaron & Mindy Mills
Prudential CA Realty - Brea, CA

I think someone should sue for the lack of rain.  We were supposed to get pounded for 3 days straight according to ALL of the news casts I saw over the past few days, but we get one short night of it?  Wow!  Someone needs to pay for all that false information.

Jan 05, 2008 03:48 PM
Roberta Murphy
San Diego Previews Real Estate - Carlsbad, CA
Carlsbad Real Estate and Homes
Jeff:  LOL!  Bathroom Hazard Disclosure: Bewasre of slippery floors and the danger of falling in the bathtub.
Jan 06, 2008 01:32 AM
Roberta Murphy
San Diego Previews Real Estate - Carlsbad, CA
Carlsbad Real Estate and Homes
Aaron and Mindy: I share your disappointment, but hope we see more rain this season. It may have been a blessing, though, for San Diego because of mud slide dangers from last fall's fires.
Jan 06, 2008 01:38 AM
Marlene Bridges
Village Real Estate Services, Inc. - Laguna Hills, CA
Laguna Homes|Laguna Condos|Laguna Real Estate
Roberta - Just when you thought we had a disclosure for everything!  Thanks for the chuckle.
Jan 06, 2008 04:52 PM
Roberta Murphy
San Diego Previews Real Estate - Carlsbad, CA
Carlsbad Real Estate and Homes
Marlene: You are welcome! Laughter is the best reaction for the ridiculous.
Jan 07, 2008 05:57 AM