Sellers, doing the right thing can hurt but it is worth it in the end!

Sellers, sometimes even if you didn't cause the problem you may have to remedy it ... especially when it comes to permit issues. There have been several transactions I have worked this year where a home had a finished basement but no permit was obtained.  On one of those occasions, the Seller purchased the home without knowing that the previous owner didn't pull permits.  This unsuspecting Seller didn't catch wind of this until I brought an offer to them.  They agreed in the Contract to get the basement up to code and permitted, but were caught off guard when the fix was around $5,000.  The Seller didn't create the problem, but the problem had to stop somewhere and I was not about to let my Buyer's assume the responsibility.  Given market conditions, it is harder these days for Seller's to refuse to do these kinds of things. If a Seller has not checked on previous permit history concerning their home, it is a good idea to do this before listing.  You can always go to www.pprbd.orgto see El Paso County's permit records.