JULIE GARDNER
  • HOME
  • COMPASS
    • WHY COMPASS?
    • COMPASS CONCIERGE
    • COMPASS BRIDGE LOANS
  • LISTINGS
  • ABOUT
    • ABOUT JULIE
    • A DYNAMIC PARTNERSHIP
    • CONTACT
    • PROCESS
    • TESTIMONIALS
    • PRESS
  • PROJECTS
    • BEFORE & AFTER
    • GARDENS
    • OUR TEAM
    • VIDEOS
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • UTILITIES
    • SCHOOLS

Boneheaded Mistakes!

10/1/2021

0 Comments

 
We'd just about arrived at the airport for our 7:30 am flight to NYC when I suddenly remembered that I'd forgotten to pack the cookies I'd baked for Tristan; the ones he specifically asked for; the ones he'd promised his roommate and friends I'd be bringing; the ones Cliff left room in his backpack for; the ones I'd gotten up early to bake . . . Yes, those ones. 

Now, Tristans a dutiful son and he'll forgive me (in time) and I'll absolutely make it up to him, but it was a boneheaded mistake to be sure (the worst kind). Cliff thought I'd packed them; I thought he'd packed them, and in our rush to meet our Uber driver on the curb well before the light of day, neither of us remembered to ask the other. Thus, four dozen beautifully-caramelized, chocolate-chip cookies were left behind. Sh#%!
Listen, we're all human and we make mistakes, and if Tristan has a decent oven, I'll be able to recreate what got left behind, but the pit at the bottom of my stomach, and my son's disappointment when I arrived empty-handed, could certainly have been avoided had I just spoken up: "Hey Cliff, did you remember to pack the cookies?" (Duh.)

While cookies are one thing (and sons are another), when it comes to the world of real estate, the things we conveniently "forget" can cost more than a bag of chocolate chips. Which is to say that when it comes to the required Seller questionnaires and disclosures, you're going to want to take some time and rack your brains about what works, what doesn't, what may have been replaced in the past, and what still needs attention with respect to your home's many components.

Prior to our brief jaunt to the Big Apple, I'd spent the week meeting plumbers, handymen, electricians, and haulers to address items that have probably needed repairs for many months, if not years, but weren't really discovered until the last week before we hit the market. That's when the home inspector arrives and dutifully notes clogged drains, poor wiring, misaligned doors, and left behind debris in the crawl space and attics. (Word to the wise - nobody wants your old cans of paint. Please get rid of them.)

Ironically, the longer people seem to live in a home, the less likely they are to flag these types of issues which, in their minds, have become part of the home's idiosyncrasies. While that's understandable, it isn't exactly the smartest decision. Worse yet, are the BIGGER defects Sellers fail to identify, like the flood they had in their basements back in 1989 (or the subsequent insurance claim they made around it), the kitchen fire, the patched roof, or the dispute with their neighbor over the back fence. With all due respect, do yourself a favor and stop soft-pedaling your house: these are important issues and they will be considered material fact in a court of law should it ever come to that. ("Material fact" being ANY issue that might reasonably affect a potential Buyers' decision to purchase the house.) If planes fly overhead, you need to mention it. Neighborhood crime? Absolutely. An unfriendly neighbor? Potentially. Regardless of what you think, no one expects your home to be perfect, and it won't be, but if you fail to mention it, therein lies the problem.

Try to remember that the sharper your memory AND the MORE you disclose, the LESS likely a Buyer is to come back after the close of escrow and question why something was left out (even if you think it's trivial). While it may seem paradoxical to outline your home's long list of shortcomings, FULL disclosure protects YOU, and allows the Buyer to make an informed decision, and that's as it should be. (You'd expect no less.) 

Perhaps more insidious, is the stuff homeowners learn to live with: missing handrails, sagging steps, heaving patios, burned-out lightbulbs, running toilets, leaking faucets, peeling paint, moldy grout, holes in the walls, broken window panes, badly scratched floors, and sticky doors and drawers, just to name a few. I once met Sellers who had stopped using their broken bathrooms, one after another (the house had four) rather than getting any of the toilets or plumbing repaired, until they were down to one semi-functioning latrine. That may be one way to go about solving the problem, but it's also extremely short-sighted. 

While such stories no longer shock Sarah, Jill, or I any longer, I wouldn't necessarily count on the Buyers sharing our experience, or your selective opinion about what constitutes material disclosure:

"Well, that never bothered us. We just stepped over grandma's dead body." (I might be exaggerating a bit (or a lot), but you get my point.)

When it comes to selling your house, disclose, Disclose, DISCLOSE, and avoid the boneheaded mistake of thinking, "I should have said something. (Yes you should have.) So speak up. (I wish I had.)

How can we help you?
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Subscribe

    Author

    Julie Gardner, has been writing The Perspective for 18 years and has published more than 775 humorous but always informative, essays on life and real estate. 

    Picture

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009
    February 2009
    January 2009
    December 2008
    November 2008
    October 2008
    September 2008
    August 2008
    July 2008
    June 2008
    May 2008
    April 2008
    March 2008

    Categories

    All
    Business
    Design
    Drought
    Holiday
    Home Maintenance
    Homes For Sale
    Life
    Market
    Politics
    Renovation

    RSS Feed

    View my profile on LinkedIn
Piedmont · Oakland · Berkeley
 510.326.0840
[email protected]
DRE# 01431765
​COMPASS

  • HOME
  • COMPASS
    • WHY COMPASS?
    • COMPASS CONCIERGE
    • COMPASS BRIDGE LOANS
  • LISTINGS
  • ABOUT
    • ABOUT JULIE
    • A DYNAMIC PARTNERSHIP
    • CONTACT
    • PROCESS
    • TESTIMONIALS
    • PRESS
  • PROJECTS
    • BEFORE & AFTER
    • GARDENS
    • OUR TEAM
    • VIDEOS
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • UTILITIES
    • SCHOOLS