Due diligence.

I have been waiting for this article to be posted at The HooK since I read it on Thursday. All buyers and sellers should read it.

This is a great opening paragraph from the Fearless Consumer’s column –

Talk about a rude surprise: When sewage backed up in the crawl space of their house last April, Caley Clark and Steve Oberhauser called a local company to pump the septic tank. Except… it turns out they don’t have a septic tank. They do, however, have an outhouse– and it’s a good thing, because they’ve been using it ever since.

Lessons learned:

1) Always have a home inspection, regardless of the “advice” you receive.
2) Always have your own representation. Dual representation presents too much potential for a) conflict of interest b) questions regarding “your” Realtor’s loyalty. This is why I make a rule – don’t do it. A couple of thousand extra dollars is simply not worth my clients’ trust, loyalty and desire to recommend me to all of their friends and family. Getting sued tends to cut back on the referral business.
3) All press is certainly not good press.

Personally and professionally, I feel bad for all involved.