Non-disclosure is the number one reason by a wide margin why agents are sued and/or lose their license. Whether they are trying to make a sale or just plain incompetent, all too often agents are selling homes without having all the facts or their clients best interest at heart.
One of the most common issues revolves around upcoming developments or improvements near a home. All too often, a home is sold as "backing to woods" and then a year later, a walmart is built. Another scenario very common to the Charlotte area is a highway going in next door or through your front door. The fact is that its important to check, double-check, and triple-check whenever something seems awry or just too good to to be true to make sure it actually is.
The Waste Water Treatment Plant next door
Can you smell what the rock is cookin'? On a hot day with a little breeze, you can certainly tell what he ate last night for dinner. With poo being a fact of life, there are plants like these all over town and probably all over your town as well. Some are larger than others and not all of them are located in an industrial park. Near this facility is a major road, an apartment complex, some new deluxe condos, and a large park. If you were looking for a home nearby, you wouldn't likely notice the facility because it is well hidden however it is there.
A great resource to spot facilities like these is Microsoft Live Maps and Google Maps as while they are not accurate on spotting addresses, you can definately see what's around your area.
The Highway Through Your Front Door
Is that lovely pasture your home backs to going to be the next major 6 lane bypass or I-485 segment? I've looked at dozens of homes with clients who are attracted by the price and the moniker "backs to woods" only to find out it will soon back to a asphalt jungle. If you're an aspiring traffic reporter, that could be a good thing but for most folks, it's cause for a lawsuit. Finding out this information is easy but you may not like the answers. The fact of the matter is that when a road is planned, the proposed route may change A LOT and that's kind of the way you have to think about it until the asphalt is laid.
A good resource here in the Charlotte area is the Mecklenburg County Polaris Website. There, you can search by address and then turn on the different layers to see if the home is in a floodplain or backing to a proposed leg of I-485. Another great website is the NC Turnpike Authority, which contains information on the Monroe Bypass and the East-West Connector.
Coming Soon! New Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, Costco, Sams Club, and Target Greatland, Drag Strip!
Is that field out the back door one day going to become home a big box store or was it home to a superfund landfill? The best place to go is planning and zoning office for the county the home is in. Anyone can do a simple search to find out who owns that land across the way or what is the zoning. Of course, anything can happen after closing but at least you know going in whether there is a proposed big box. Most developers will also post a sign on the property as a way to attract tenants into the other spaces and outparcels.
Remember, no one has ever been sued for over disclosing so when it doubt, research and disclose.
Jonathan Osman
Charlotte NC Homes, Charlotte Real Estate
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