One of many reasons to work with a Realtor

It always saddens me to hear awful stories that could have turned out so differently. I was having lunch with a fellow Realtor who was telling me of what happened to a client of hers. A few years ago this lady purchased a home privately with a FSBO, (For Sale By Owner) with her partner at the time. The relationship dissolved and she no longer can afford to maintain the home so has decided to sell it. We have had alot of issues with underground oil tanks here in Victoria so doing her due diligence(the Realtor) checked to see if there was the possibility of a tank on this property. One quick phone call to the fire department and yes, there indeed is record of an underground tank. The owner had no idea and was completely caught by surprise. The oil tank was removed and what everybody fears, a leaky one was discovered. An environmental soil remediation company was called in and has estimated that it will cost her about $100,000. to have the soil removed as the contamination is tremendous. This poor lady now has a huge bill. She asked my associate, how is a person to know? All it took was a phone call to the local fire department to find out. Had she worked with a Realtor , this would have been discovered before she purchased. As Realtors, we work day in and day out , immersed in Real Estate  and asking questions, one can never know it all and we are always learning. Each situation and transaction brings to light another lesson. We have your backs and do everything in our power as our fiduciary duty to you to be sure that your home sale or purchase goes as smoothly as possible and so that you do not have any awful surprises such as this poor lady.