BUYERS
Securing a Toilet the Right Way! How to Prevent this Common Home Inspector Concern:
Jun 17th
Every REALTOR in Vermont has a story about that wobbly toilet causing them some tweaks of their own. Whether it’s a call from an irate seller that has now sprung a leak after the inspector put a little too much english on it during a building inspection, or the last on a long laundry list of things the buyer is going to want completed or they are going to walk, I have two words for you: “wobble wedges!”
Yes, that’s right, “wobble wedges”. If you ever have struggled to secure a toilet to an uneven or just plain stinky floor, go out to the Hardware store and say: “I’m looking for some Wobble Wedges, do ya got any of those?”
And they’ll say, “Sure! Of course, Wobble Wedges. How can anybody live without these!”
Get four of them. It might cost you a dollar or two, but when you’re done, it’ll be your favorite throne in the house. You’ll be able to hang on it like a monkey, and if you have kids, well, they’ll do that anyways, wobble or no wobble. Two, one on front right and left quadrants, and two in the back. They go under the toilet and above the floor. Now, crank down on those bolts, but not too far or you’ll crack the ol’ girl. This also requires solid underpinnings for the bolts, too. Now, cut off the protruding wedges w an xacto knife, caulk around the edge of the bottom of the toilet to fill the small gap and hide the edges, and you’re good to go!
Do this right after you buy the house, or right before you sell it! Don’t do it after a home inspection, because you might end paying a plumber to do it!
Vermont Real Estate Foreclosures and Auctions
May 28th
One of the hard parts to an agents job who works in the foreclosure area of the business is simply the communication process. The following scenario is typical and happened to me just the other day:
Agent x gets seemingly well priced foreclosure listing with only a one month term. When the listing contract expires, a renewal comes, but this time from somebody different, an auction company. That same morning, the agent gets a call from somebody saying “hey, did you know your listing is getting auctioned off?” This is when things really get out of control. After filling out about 10 pages of paperwork, all new to the eyes of the agent so one needs to “re-learn” all of it including responsibilities of the agent, escrow procedures etc., you learn that these auction companies seem to be a marketing ploy and that’s about it. You see, many of these auctions are considered “non-absolute”, meaning, the seller can reject the highest bidder. But, in the typically heavy handed way, the BUYER doesn’t even have the right to revoke their offer within 14 days of the auction with this particular case!
And so the point is… what? It’s simply an open house with the chance to get into a bidding war and submit binding offers that can’t be revoked!
Anyhow, the day before the auction, this poor old agent x gets an email from the auction company saying that they have been trying to gain access for 2 weeks and that the codes and keys need to be verified by the agent personally asap. Even though the auction company is the one that hired the re-keying and new lock-box, they don’t know what the code is, or if the key works. After many phone calls it turns out that there are seven points along the communication chain: the client (bank) hires us. Then the client hires an auction company to market the property and the “previous list broker” (agent x) essentially becomes a property manager. But the auction company also hires a property management company. This property management company then hires a subcontractor to deal with securing the property. When the subcontractor wants to tell everybody that somethings been completed, they tell the property management company. If they are competent enough to pass along the information to the auction company (who is a different entity altogether than the actual auctioneer), then word may or may not pass to the foreclosure department in a real estate company. And if EVERYBODY is working on relaying messages that day, which is pretty much never, the agent, the person who is really supposed to be in the field selling this place, will get the message that the locks were changed and that the code is 1234.
Being the diligent agent that they thought they were, this agent decided to go to the auction and see it all play out. But, upon showing up, there was nobody there save for a security company. “Weren’t you ‘matt’ from the security company that I spoke with over the phone yesterday?” the agent says.
Matt replies, “No, we’re a different security company.”
Agent says: “Where is everybody?”
Matt replies: “Oh, you didn’t get the message? The auction is in White River, 1.5 hours away.”
Ha Ha Ha!
Ben Thomas,
agent x
9 things first-time home buyers shouldn’t have to deal with, and how to avoid it
Dec 18th
Here are 9 things that no first-time home buyer should have to deal with in the first couple years of homeownership:
- Frozen pipes
- Total roof replacement
- House fire
- Major construction in the areas surrounding the property for more than 2 years consecutively
- Major ice dams on the roof
- Flooding in the basement
- Unruly neighbors
- Non-disclosure of major issues by seller
- Health code violations
Here’s how to prevent situations like above (some or all) from taking over your life:
- Have an inspection!!! It is foolish not to have an inspection. Your view of the potential property will change drastically, I pretty much guarantee it. You will probably save the cost of the inspection just from the helpful tips you receive from the inspector alone. Also, make sure you are present for the inspection for this reason.
- Take your time prior to writing your offer. Make sure you have all the facts PRIOR to sitting down with your agent to write an offer. Remember how big of an investment this is, and you don’t want to have regrets.
- Drive around the property. Walk around the streets. Check it out on google maps, aerial. Talk to the town for known future development. I know you think that if there’s something major going to happen that the seller will know, but usually, folks will claim ignorance, and even if it is known that there was some serious non-disclosure, do you want to put yourself in that position to have to go after somebody?
- If it is a public building as defined by vt laws, clearly spell out in the contract that the seller is to carry out fire and safety inspections and that the property is to pass these prior to closing. Trust me on this.
Especially for somebody who has not owned a property before, try to be more prudent than you naturally are inclined. This holds especially true for folks that know how to work on things and are handy, because being one of these people myself, the COST (both in time lost with family and materials) of fixing a place up is TREMENDOUS!
Give me a call, I will keep you from being “up the creek without a paddle”!
Real Estate Property Search in Central VT… Pretty much where you need to go!
Dec 15th
Many websites try to make things harder rather than simpler for you, possibly because of their own profit motives. But, if you are looking for property in Central Vermont, there are only a few places that you will need to go. You see, all agents and consumers alike have access to the same information these days. When property information is uploaded to the MLS, this information is then in turn sent out to the internet world by way of an IDX (internet data exchange). John Smith real estate is listing the same information as the real estate company down the street.
Here are all the links you need:
| FUNCTION: | WEBSITE: |
| central and northwestern vt listings | nneren.com |
| fsbo listings | picketfencepreview.com |
| commercial listings | loopnet.com |
| Iphone app for property info on the go | trulia.com |
And don’t forget your local newspaper!
If you want an auto-email function, call me, and I will set you up and you won’t get constantly bugged by somebody who now has your email in their database.
