Sometimes the local knowledge of a real estate agent can save some grief for buyers (and sellers). I was thinking about this the last couple of days after first an out of state seller asked me to go make sure their house hadn't been affected by the floods they had been reading about, and then an appraiser said they have also been being deluged with requests to make sure homes hadn't been flooded since an earlier appraisal was completed. We did certainly have some areas in and near Thurston County experience flooding in heavy rains this month which came right on the heels of our way more than average snowfall - but I knew that certain areas were VERY unlikely to have any flooding issues. They either sit at too high an elevation, aren't near any rivers or creeks, or haven't historically had high ground water flooding any of the other times in recent years when we have had heavy, heavy rainfall. On the flip side, there certainly are areas in the county where past history would lead me to recommend a buyer check a little further about flooding, landslides, drainage problems etc.
From there I realized there are quite a few other things that a local agent may know that could prove to be very important to their clients. Like - what about the area where the groundwater was polluted by years of strawberry farming so that individual wells had to be abandoned and homes hooked up to a new system? Or homes on or near a local lake where the normal water source is the lake itself? What local resources will show a buyer if there have been frequent "boil water advisories" for community water systems that have tested as contaminated?
And it isn't just about water by any means. What about knowing that if you are buying vacant land in some areas of the county, you might end up with a well 300+ feet deep before enough water is found? If you are budgeting for a "typical" 80-150' well, would this mess up your numbers a little? What about the homes in the neighborhood where the builder went bankrupt and they sat half finished but not entirely water tight through a rainy winter before another builder stepped in and finished them? For that matter, what about buying a one year old home that was built by a builder who is now in bankruptcy - any warranty protection likely? Or what about the homes down wind from the occasionally REALLY smelly mushroom farm? Or around the corner from the land that has a proposal in the works to be developed commercially or industrially?
The list goes on and on, and certainly doesn't mean that a buyer couldn't investigate and determine all of these things. BUT - what if they don't even know it might be something worth investigating? And if they are new to the area and don't yet even know people here to ask, how would they begin to determine potential negatives that might need further investigation? I've certainly had buyers relocating from urban areas who have never lived in a home served by well and septic system - and they typically don't know where to start to learn what might be important to know and understand.
I believe that an agent who has become very, very familiar with the community can be a wonderful resource to clients and can perhaps save them some grief.
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