Buying or Selling a Home/Septic Permit is unclear

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Expert: - 7/27/2006


Question
Aren't there any options if the buyer of a resale home is given a septic permit that is unclear and the property address (lot) is not legible? This is causing real problems because our realtor wants us to accept it and it has things crossed out and the lot # is scratchy at best. We worry this could cause us problems if we want to sell and we want to be sure the property is approved for a three bedroom.  

Answer
Dear Kevin;
You should never buy or accept anything that isn't clear.  You are absolutely right--it could cause problems if you want to sell later.  My advice is to go back to the Sellers and request a clear copy of the permit.  You can also call the city and ask for one if you are afraid that it might hurt the deal to ask the sellers to get one. The septic permit was issued by the department of health or by someone who does that in the town.  Just call and ask for them to check their records and tell you what they show on file and then get a better copy.  If it is the same, then the Sellers will have to deal with the town and see if there is something they can get that shows their address and the 3 bedroom approval.  I would be very concerned that with things crossed out and an unclear address they were trying to hide something.

Good luck.
~Jessica Bryan

Buying or Selling a Home

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Jessica Bryan

Expertise

buying and selling process such as:
General questions from first time buyers
How to market a home
Why choose a REALTOR
How do I find a REALTOR
Should I consider buying or selling without a REALTOR--how much can I save
Should I remodel or move
How much can I expect to gain by fixing up my home before selling
Helpful tips when selling
Helpful tips when buying
finding a good mortgage loan
what is the difference between banks, mortgage bankers, and mortgage brokers
Questions from the general public, people thinking about getting their real estate license, newly licensed.
Fellow professionals who have interests in networking and how to get started
What is a market evaluation and how does it differ from an appraisal what are the different loan programs
services a REALTOR can perform
when to use a lawyer
when to use escrow
what are the regional differences in the buying and selling process
what is the MLS and how does it work
how can the layman access information on the web--listings and other information
These are just a few of the questions. I can suggest that if I am unable to answer a question I will refer the inquiry to a source that can.

Experience

Anyone who is in this business and who dedicates oneself to professionalism has continued to take classes and along with it,additional credentials, awards and honors. I can list a host of them, but my greatest accomplishments happen to be those of getting first time buyers (who didn't think they could afford to buy a home)into a home of their dreams. The look on their faces when I hand over the keys is worth all of the hard work.

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