I did an inspection yesterday in East Cedar Hills. It was a very nice neighborhood above the canyon road.4800 square feet, 2001. Pretty home, impeccable yard. Sometimes when I meet the seller and the buyer is not there yet, I'll take a minute to shoot the bull. I asked him what issues he was aware of.
Dude Was Honest and Successful
Now, this is a very successful man who was upgrading a gorgeous 4800 square foot home with a dream yard to an 11000 square foot home. To say he was successful would be the world's easiest call. He was also straightforward and honest, and a good guy to be around.
I say all that to get to one point. He had no idea what issues were found at his house. Not because he was a dummy, but he just didn't know what he didn't know.
Um, That Part Slides West
In this part of Cedar Hills, there is quite a history of settlement and sliding. I've seen it in a number of homes in that area. When I asked him what the issues were, he told me that there was just one: the driveway near the road had cracked because of a sprinkler leak.
How wrong he was. This area had cracked because of soil settlement. The settlement also showed up at the driveway slab near the house, under the a/c compressors, and on the back side of the home at the patio, where settlement was stressing the deck above.
That's Not All Folks
His home also had other fairly obvious issues. Electrical plugs that didn't work at all, appliances not working, wood to soil contact, etc. It all surprised him.
The moral of the story? Seller disclosures are nice, but they don't know much. Bear that in mind, and consider it a given that after my inspection, you'll know more about the home than the owners do. Is that bragging on my part? Perhaps. I'm a jerk like that sometimes.
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