Thread: Humanity first-then standards of practice

I was a landlord that provided housing for hundreds of families that immigrated here or were on work visas. Through word of mouth I became a trusted man in" their" communities.
"Senoir Kruse" and" La renta" were synonymous.
I am a full time home inspector now ..and I look out for these folks..
A gentleman called me to inspect a home in Indiantown Fl. He, like many others, had saved his money to pay cash for a "Casa" in America. $65,000. He showed up in very nice clothing..riding a crappy rusty bicyle.
This house was unbelievably overpriced!! The agent told him"THAT WAS THE PRICE'..no room for negotiation.
(when you pay cash you dont need an appraisal..RIGHT!)
He does not read English, but can speak english.
I read a letter that his agent handed him so unremarkably. It was from Code Enforcement. Keep in mind THERE ARE NO LEINS YET..SO IT WILL HAVE CLEAR TITLE AT CLOSING..
I broke the "rules" and called the CODE OFICER on SPEAKER PHONE' in front of my client. There are more violations to come-roof-fasacia..soffit.
I have attached the unimportant letter.

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One word comes to mind about the agent and vendor.

OPPORTUNISTIC!

I can think of other words but this is a family show. The above is not at all uncommon in this area of Florida, and unfortunately anywhere poor folks work hard to try to live our dream.

Broke rules?

If you do this long enough, you will run into this conundrum where an agent is telling a buyer some bulls**t. If the agent is standing there, I try as politely as I reasonably can, to correct the agent if it's something to do with the inspection. If the agent's erroneous comments regard some aspect of contract law or real estate, I'll pull the agent aside and offer the correct information. On thing that I've learned is that it isn't about pissing off the agent. Rather the risk is looking like an a**hole to the client if you are too aggressive in correcting the agent.

As a personal rule, I don't get into values and fortunately, I rarely have much of an idea what the value is anyway. BUT.....if asked and I frequently am, I tell clients that I'm not wearing an appraiser hat. If they seem uncertain or confused, I'll ask them what value their agent's market analysis suggested. If their agent didn't do one, I'll tell them that their agent will be happy to do one for them (whether I think the agent will be happy or not).

In your case, as for as the letter, I think I'd add commentary to my report that includes the demands from the city. And tell the client, that it sure looks like a big deal to me.

I know that many inspectors seem to get some joy from throwing agents under the bus at any opportunity, but I think that can sometimes reflect badly on your own professionalism. For me that's a last resort with a particularly obnoxious idiot agent.

Lon,
Thank you for your reply and insight.
I was alone with the buyer and I outright refused to give him any advise as to the market value of the home. it is irrellivant..many factors contribute to a buyer's sence of value.. I believe that if someone is willing to pay a certain price for a home ..that is their business.
He was going to live in this home with his family..and he was content with the condition..even after the inspection..he really was ok with the house.
On a side note..I just found out today that the SHED that needs to be removed is the ADVERTISE SPARE ROOM.. Take a look...
I thought the shed had been removed already..lol.. because I didn't see one..I though a shed was an outbuilding.

Well, technically it is a spare room........the agent didn't claim it was a spare bedroom, just a room .

Wow, everything is so green. I spent an hour and half this morning with my snowblower cutting drifts on my driveway. I had to move some inspections around because of the blizzard yesterday. I have three inspections tomorrow and wonder if I'll be able to see the roofs, even though the sun is shining today. Florida and Colorado......same country.......worlds apart.

Indiantown is just what it's name implies. It was a settlement of the Seminole indians until the railroad came through. I think it has a population of under 6k and mostly on the poor side. ( The Seminole Inn an inn once owned by the uncle of Wallis Warfield Simpson. Wallis, Duchess of Windsor was an American socialite whose third husband, Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom and the Dominions, abdicated his throne to marry her. ) The Inn has a fabulous Sunday Brunch and serves some of the best "Southern Fried Chicken" for miles around.

Many of the migrant workers stay year round because of the continuing crops. They are hard working and family oriented. Think of how much work it took to save the 65k needed to buy a shanty. Shame on anyone who would take advantage of their lack of education. Many of us would not be eating the diets we have if they were not available to bring in the crops, which are varied and plentiful in this area. Whether they are here legally or not, they form the backbone of the Florida agricultural empire.

( Indiantown, Florida - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia )

Can't blame anyone for bettering themselves and that of their family. Good for him. And a good thing Chris gave him the straight goods.

Way to go Chris! Good job.