Typical Residential Lot Inspection Report Form: Fill & Download for Free

There are two stages to buying a home. The first is negotiating a contract to purchase. The second is transferring the title. You can do both of these “direct from the seller” without representation. They are both safe in the sense that you are unlikely to lose your life in the process, though you do risk your money, property and health doing either. I have done both, and know, but managed to survive to respond to your question.New home sales are typically done direct with the seller, since in the majority of cases the person doing the selling is an employee of the seller rather than a commissioned realtor, and you normally have to use the seller’s contract form, but at least you have some guarantees. The builder likely has a history and reputation you can research, and there may be legally mandated new home warranty programs to cover you against defects. I bought a new home direct from a seller and think that I paid more than I should have. Hard to say how much, but less than 5% and more likely in the 1–2% area.As for a resale property, would you buy a used car from someone who insists on no mechanics being involved? Sure, if you have the appropriate knowledge, but if you had the real estate knowledge to competently handle the transaction then you wouldn’t be asking this question.So, just the residential resales, and first the realtors. Using a realtor to represent you means (a) you have someone with the resources, education and experience to tell you what is a reasonable market value for your purchase, (b) you have a professional negotiator on your side to help get you the best deal, (c) you have someone with real estate knowledge to prepare an offer that will protect your interests, and (d) you have someone with insurance that you might be able to sue if things go badly wrong. You lose this protection by not having a realtor, which is OK if you know the actual market selling prices (not just the advertised list prices), have the objectivity and experience to negotiate well, and know how to write a real estate contract with proper conditions in an up to date manner. There is nothing particularly skilled about any of this, and in most cases the knowledge can be obtained without a lot of effort or expense.You must think you are a good negotiator in order to contemplate being unrepresented, but the sellers obviously think they are too, or they would not be trying to sell direct. Since neither of you are likely to be very experienced at negotiating real estate deals it could work out OK, but it is such a big money issue and so personal that being objective could be a problem. If the seller is not a realtor then there is only a small risk of you being outclassed in negotiations, but having a realtor with professional experience and resources on your side should give you an advantage that might save you the cost of a commission, though no one will ever know for sure. The advantage of having a realtor is such that regulations exist specifically intended to encourage a realtor treat an unrepresented party with extra care.Realtors tend to constrain listings to reasonable market values because they do not want the expense of listing something that will not sell, and a lawn sign that sits for months without a sold sticker can end up being something of an embarrassment. There are realtors desperate enough to take a listing on almost any terms, so list price is no guarantee, but most unrepresented sellers price their properties much too high. In a balanced market about 50% of real estate listed by realtors will sell, but only about 15% of properties being advertised directly by their owners do so, and of those about 90% are sold to buyers who are represented by a realtor. In the end less than 1% of real estate transactions fit the description of being bought directly from the seller as a result of being publicly advertised. The main reason for this is inappropriate pricing. The simplest way to find out if a price is appropriate is through a realtor. The same information is in public records, but it takes time and care to search them properly, may involve some cost, and unlike the MLS the records offer no notion of property condition or features for comparison.A seller has no obligation to you as regards fairness, disclosure or honesty, and once the deal is done you are unlikely to have any recourse unless you were given blatant lies and misrepresentations on material matters that you reasonably believed and relied on, and that directly led to you suffering significant loss. Trying to get compensated will almost certainly involve major expense and time. Your realtor has a professional obligation to ask appropriate questions, do research to ensure the answers are correct, and to provide you with sound advice. If as a result of a realtor’s negligence or error you suffer a loss, then you have recourse to some compensation through the realtor’s insurance. Higher standard of care, simpler and easier access to cure.We have bought without any realtors involved and in retrospect and at a guess probably overpaid by 20–25% on that one purchase. We have bought without our own realtor from a represented seller twice and probably overpaid both times by enough that we would have done better being represented. The one other time we bought direct from a represented seller, my wife had been qualified and working as a realtor for over 5 years, so we were not really unrepresented and did quite well.There are hundreds of conditions that could be attached to an offer. Admittedly only a couple of dozen are common and only a handful are present on nearly all contracts, but it is not practical to attempt to deal with this in a quora answer other than to say that if you don’t have a realtor to write the contract for you, then you should get a lawyer or paralegal to do it or to review it before you commit yourself with a signature. However, in that case we are interposing a legal representative and are no longer strictly “direct with the seller”. Having been the buyer as well as the seller in a number of unrepresented situations I can recognise in retrospect from a position of much greater knowledge and awareness that we had some serious near misses and it is little short of miraculous that we did not come unstuck somewhere in one of those processes.On the legal side, there is so much that can go wrong, even with modern land titles and title insurance, that I would call it stupid and irresponsible not to involve a lawyer, paralegal or title transfer company to handle this for you. I did it under land registry rules, which involves a lot more work, and survived only because (a) the seller had a decent lawyer who provided me with some minimal help and guidance in the interests of compassion and getting the deal done right for his seller, and (b) the buyer (where I was the seller) was the city and had special obligations not to defraud. All the same, it was stressful, I made a couple of potentially bad mistakes, and we could easily have lost all our equity if one of the other parties had been inclined to take advantage. Never again. Not worth it. Stupid.There are many people who will say that dealing direct with the seller is a great idea and will save you paying real estate commission. This is prompted by the notion that real estate commissions are exorbitant and unfair. I am not going to say anything about that other than point to the existence of the FSBO (for sale by owner) market and its advertising as evidence that at least some people think that way. Bear in mind that same market in the form of book authors, disruptive innovators, social media pundits and property advertising businesses has a vested interest in convincing you toward their way of thinking. Buyers please not that the general rule in theory and in practice, on the MLS or FSBO market, is that the seller pays the commission (more on this later).Understand your seller. I can see the motivation for sellers to try to avoid paying a commission by representing themselves. The out of pocket costs in advertising are much less than paying a commission though the failure rate (and this the risk) is high and the work involved is significant. The proponents say you will avoid paying commission, but there is a better than 80% probability you will lay out the money, not sell, and still have to go to a realtor and pay commission to get the job done, so you are worse off. If you do manage to sell there is an almost 90% chance you will still have to pay some commission to the buyer’s realtor to get a sale. All the same there is a real chance of saving some money. Do the math. Maybe the costs of time, sunk money, hard work, property and personal safety risk, along with some probability of getting less than if you were represented will lead to second thoughts. Nevertheless, I understand. I don’t think I would do it again, but from a position of having gained expert knowledge and some experience, perhaps I would not be cautious enough to avoid the temptation.I do not understand the motivation for buyers to avoid representation. One way or another the seller is going to end up paying the commission for you to be represented. You will get a good market analysis on price, an expert to ask the right questions, a professionally written offer to protect and advance your interests, professional help during negotiations, insurance against errors and omissions, someone to hold your hand through the entire process up to closing and beyond if necessary, and a bonded, regulated and insured organisation to hold and protect your deposit money.FSBO pundits will claim the buyer will pay for all this service, either directly to their agent or indirectly as a result of inflating the seller’s price to cover the commission, but is that really true? Something will be paid of course, and probably buried in the price. You get only one shot at the negotiation process, where your realtor’s skills could more than cover the costs. No one can tell how thing would have gone differently to compare scenarios with or without the realtor, but my opinion is that the seller eventually ends up paying the cost of your representation in the form of a lower offer price due to better negotiation. I now know the ins and outs of buying pretty well, and I could handle it, but choosing to do it unrepresented no longer makes any sense to me.If you are still determined to do this with no realtors involved, then what procedures should you follow?Find out the real market value of the property. The internet makes asking prices easy to find, but selling prices are what you need and they are not so easy. Public records of title transfer are one source, but they will be several months out of date due to the delay between firm offer and closing plus bureaucracy. Ideally you want access to the most recent, up to date MLS sales data. The seller may offer this but it is easy to bias the data to support the seller’s pricing by being selective. Do your own independent research.Prepare an offer, doable if it is a very standard purchase and you have examples to work from. Old examples can be out of date and not reflect changes in law or market conditions. It is best to get help from a lawyer or paralegal. If the seller has a prepared offer, then be sure a condition is included to allow your lawyer to review the offer before it becomes firm, and that there is adequate time allowed. Be prepared to pay for this review and do not skip it to save money or time. The offer should bind the seller while conditions are worked out without binding you as the buyer if there is some delay or problem on the seller’s part. Time is money in real estate, so it is not good to have unnecessary delays in the offer process, or to have to pay for preparation and review of several failed offers before finally getting the deal you want.Make sure you have a financing condition if a mortgage is involved, and take special care that the legal property description is accurate, the numbers add up, and the dates are all correct and make sense.The seller may have had a inspection report to show you, but unless you are convinced you can trust it, be sure to have your own professional home inspection done before the offer becomes binding. You will need an appropriate clause in the offer for this.If there is anything out of the ordinary (a closed pool, work that needs doing after closing, an unsafe property, major work needed, zoning issues, limited access or unusual easements, environmental factors, well or septic system, tenant(s), risk of a short sale, abutting agricultural or unprotected vacant land … ) then get professional help and advice with preparing the offer.Make sure the sellers of the property are who they claim to be and that they are the people currently on title. Deposit money has disappeared along with sellers who were only pretending to be the property owners. If possible, have a known and independent third party hold the deposit in escrow, not the seller, some acquaintance of the seller, or the seller’s lawyer.Make sure there are no other people on title besides the sellers, and no one not on title who may have spousal rights and should therefore have signed, but has not signed, the offer. When checking the title look for liens and mortgages to see if you may be dealing with a short sale. If money is tight it may be a reason why a realtor is not involved.Pay careful attention to condition due dates and procedures for delivering notices so you conform to the schedule and requirements and do not lose the offer through a simple oversight.Document and keep control of all the paperwork so you can hand everything over to your lawyer intact once the offer is firm and binding.Keep on top of any rights you have to further visit the property and for a preclosing inspection, presuming you stipulated provision for this in the offer. Note, document, and deal with any potential preclosing or actual closing deficiencies.TL;DR for a buyer to deal directly with a the seller of a resale residential property is grossly negligent unless the buyer has a lawyer involved. It is also rather silly not to use a buyer agent. Doing so is much less safe in important financial and legal ways than being represented by a realtor.

Snow & Ice Removal: Property Manager Responsibilities - Expert ArticleSnow & Ice Removal: Property Manager Responsibilities - Expert ArticleAt commercial, residential, and institutional properties, the property manager is responsible for maintaining a safe premises, which includes snow and ice management. Typically the removal of snow and ice is performed by a contracted third party, but in some cases the property manager or their staff perform these duties.In this article, Architect and Premises Safety Expert, Albert Kerelis, details a property manager’s responsibilities for snow and ice removal.​SNOW & ICE REMOVAL: PROPERTY MANAGER RESPONSIBILITIES - EXPERT ARTICLEProperty Managers are expected to maintain safe walking surfaces. ANSI has set standards for snow and ice removal, and in the commentary to ANSI Standard A1264.2 states that snow and ice removal should be considered as emergency work. Some municipalities have adopted codes and ordinances outlining a property owner’s responsibilities not only for their property, but also for public sidewalks around their property as well. Throughout the season, PMs should document their efforts during and after a snow or ice event.Improper snow and ice management can lead to slips and injuries. It is important for a Property Manager to effectively plan, prepare and oversee their snow removal contractor as well as the performance of their maintenance personnel so as to avoid accidents.Proactive Property Maintenance & InspectionIt’s important for the PM to make plans for snow and ice removal well ahead of the season. These efforts should be properly documented. This includes, but is not limited to, checking on such items as:Gutters and downspouts are in good condition and clean.Gutters and downspouts should drain away from walking surfaces including parking lots.Exterior steps and stairs should be inspected to make sure they are non-slip, not deteriorating, and that their handrails are secure.Sidewalks and walkways should be inspected for tripping hazards.Sidewalks and walkways should also be inspected for low spots which can become prone to icing during a thaw/freeze cycle if they don’t drain properly.Parking lots need to be inspected for their condition, low spots and drainage.Contracting Snow Removal ServicesThe responsibilities of the company hired to remove snow and ice should be clearly identified in a contract. Their duties typically include plowing, shoveling, de-icing, monitoring, and snow removal, or a combination of these services.Anything not included in the snow removal contract is the responsibility of the property manager, so they should have a plan in place and the appropriate equipment and supplies. Snow removal contract services often have a “trigger” for when they begin. Often this is “snowfall greater than 1””: however, even less than an inch of snowfall can require some treatment or removal to avoid unsafe walking conditions. In areas where ice storms are common, consideration should also be given for de-icing after an event.Planning, Communication, and Monitoring of Contracted Snow RemovalNo matter the size of the property, plans must be made for where snow will be piled. Good practice dictates that the contractor be provided with a plan of the site indicating where they should pile snow. This plan can then be distributed to their staff who will be performing the service. Piles should be placed in areas where snowmelt will not run off into walkways or pedestrian paths, but drain into landscaped areas or drains where it cannot pool and freeze.During the season, the property manager should monitor the weather forecast and plan ahead for upcoming weather events, while also monitoring the work done by contractors or staff. Inadequate work or work not performed should be documented and reported as soon as possible and corrective action taken. If it is the property manager’s staff performing shoveling and de-icing of sidewalks and walkways, the PM must document their work.Known problem areas and areas most highly trafficked by pedestrians and vehicles should be monitored closely. These include:Low spots or areas with poor drainageExterior handrailsPavement and walkways where black ice can form in the days following a storm.

I can only speak from experience.I lived in a multiple-use building, thus it had a commercial tenant that required a 3-phase motor be powered with three-phase power. Most of the others had only two of the three so each had 208 service or nominally 110V twice. Because it is three-phase you don’t get 220V but most appliances for that class of service can run on around 200–250V by design, so this is not a problem.That said, I also had some physically large computers and ran the computers on a very large single-phase 110V connection and a large air conditioner on the other two for a pretty balanced load, and all ran on a proper three-phase breaker so that any problems powers down everything. AC loss could burn out the computer, etc. [Note: Horrible in the summers, but actually is good in the winters because you get computer cycles and also heats the house!]Because the dimwits at the local power company were stupid, predictable and just ran on bad habits, they are insisted falsely I needed a demand meter! Eventually, I got it removed because it was discriminatory.The actual reading was to be multiplied by 9. Thus the actual usage was linear but to keep the numbers rational, presuming large draws, just multiply the reading by nine.But the demand meter is intended for factories. You not only pay for what you actually do, but this is a form of “punishment” because it a surcharge on the presumption that your use is SOMETIMES much higher than on average, so they want you to disproportionately pay for the “perceived” load on the grid. Poppycock! What if my actual usage is at night off-peak. in point of fact that was quite often the case.[Eventually, they agreed and changed my class of service to residential, but the stupid demand meter nonsense stayed. This meant I had to be available to let in the meter reader, who had to not only read the meter, but put in his special demand reading key. You have to wait about five additional minutes and then it adds on a magic increment that is surcharge cost added but meaningless on a residential service! Eventually after an absurd amount of complaints I finally got it removed. That way I could manually phone in what the dials said. Of course always subject to inspection and revision, but this way not a captive audience ALWAYS to a random meter person, and many of them had no idea what to do with the demand amount because their notes said it was NOT commercial.To make matters worse, an over-eager meter reader “reported” me that I clearly was “commercial” BECAUSE it was a three-phase meter! The idiot wasn’t even aware that there are 3-phase meters that are properly not demand type, so due to his efforts, another set of “inspectors” came around and put the demand meter back in, etc. I told them it’s a hobby, but they refused to listen.Eventually another reversal happened after yet another round of complaints, then finally it stayed fair and correct and non-demand.But I also found out the REAL reason for all of this: My parents owned the building and the truly commercial part of the property was just single-phase zoned commercial, thus being not three-phase they had no demand aspect issues, etc. But they were incompetent “electricians” who were fraudsters doing the typical fraud that happens a lot in large urban areas. Pay-offs to inspectors to sign off on shoddy work, and worse, in business without a REAL licensed electrician, but only on paper, using the license of someone who had actually retired over 30 years ago and had even left the state. Its widespread petty corruption and everyone knows it.My parents hired them to do a tiny job, and they not only charged top dollar, they did it wrong, and I had to hire a GOOD real master electrician to do that work over correctly! Thus, they were “retaliating” by lying to their buddies, the inspectors they “just so happen” to know, etc. Thus, it was all total harassment and prompted by false claims of such as “meter jumping” and other bold-faced lies. I would show them whatever meter was there, the demand version, the residential version, they would note the seal was not tampered with, etc. but invariably another one on another fool’s errand would show up with the repeat of the same lie, etc.The only reason it stopped was attrition. that bozo bought and paid for “inspector” finally retired and finally, the next inspection got satisfaction. An HONEST inspector told me he was recommending a permanent use of the no-demand meter and no further inspection as all was totally above board, etc. But that harassment by indirect means plagued me for nearly 8 years!