Oh, man, I've been asked again, "What do you think we should do?" Some times the answer is easy because the buyer just wants affirmation for the rejection they've already made. Occasionally, however, that question is made by clients who have stars in their eyes and they see things in the house that are drawing them to it. Most times the house is fine and it's just an affirmation of their choice to buy. The tough times are when the house is not "fine" and there are warning signals of trouble throughout, but the novice buyer doesn't see the problems.
The home sandwiched between the river and a lake with parks nearby is a perfect example. The house was a gem on the outside complete with newer roof, siding, a great yard, and a two car garage. The minute we walked in the door trouble became apparent. The home was "bank owned". My first impression was filth. That's an easy fix. My second was, "Why did they do . . . " By the time we had toured the house, my list of "Why did they do's" had become quite long. There were cosmetic things that were attracting the clients, but my list of warnings was long. Copper gas pipes had been pinched. The tile floor had been laid on sub-floor that didn't extend all the way under the appliance spaces leaving a six inch deep by thirty inch wide hole in the floor behind each appliance. The landing by the upper bedrooms was only a stair tread wide making a fall likely. The soil pipe for the basement toilet appeared to be cut off in the wall. The basement mechanicals were sunken in a cubby that was hard to access. Pipes were disconnected from the furnace. The list went on.
My clients described themselves as "not handy" so we went through my list. Many of the cosmetic things were overwhelming without thinking of the expense involved in the mechanical repairs. As we drove back to their home, the question was asked, "What do you think we should do?" Since part of my job is to keep my clients' best interests above my own even if it means continuing to show houses, we discussed what I thought. I ended with, "But you know, my vote doesn't count!", because in the end, it doesn't!
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