ourhouse101

Sometimes I come across bad words in my real estate career that I think the general public needs to know about so for today I am putting together a list of them. Add your own if you like. Here goes…

Stachybotrys chartarum- is a black mold that is highly toxic and can kill you or your children. It is not air born like some molds but will spread that way when dry. It attaches itself to moist areas or where there are moisture problems of any kind. It is a player in toxic house or toxic building findings of the past many years. If you think you have it, call your county health department so they can analyze it under a microscope then move to have it professionally cleaned.

Child Support- Unpaid child support attaches as a lien against your property after a time. In Iowa we have abstracts and we make certain the title is clear before going to closing. If you have unpaid child support on your title, you will not close in Iowa until it is paid and a “Satisfaction of Judgement” is signed. And also buyers cannot buy with unpaid child support. This is a priority item, people are getting more and more concerned about kids being taken care of when parents say they will take care of them.

Ice Dam- If your roof is not properly attached to your house you could have a back-drip into your attic which could spread to the drywall and the rest of the house. Don’t let ice build up on your gutters and downspouts, go out and break it off. Could save you thousands in repairs.

Streams and waterways- As a farmer or an owner of an acreage, You May Not alter a stream or a waterway, and as I understand it this is the law, certainly in Iowa. Oftentimes these waterways serve as water retention basins and prevent floods. Anything that will slow water down from entering the rivers can have profound effects on the environment and damage downstream.

Toxic air- Live downwind of a stench? We have a couple of stench makers here in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a reason we are called “the City of Five Smells.” What is worse is that some companies let their steam out in the middle of the night when you are sleeping. Say it is a very nice spring evening and you have a couple of windows down. Watch out! By morning your house could be filled with stench.

Delay - So you have the movers at the new doorstep and you have a delay in closing. Just pray it is for a minor item rather than a problem on the title that may take days to resolve. You could move into the house by making an “Interim Occupancy” agreement with the sellers, basically renting the house until you can close. These are scary but possible. When you have a delay, remember that the “Squeaky wheeel gets the grease” so stay on top of your agent in order to have him or her stay on top of their closing agent or the attorney. Many times things do not take long at all to clear up, but they are a hassle that has to be dealt with.

Unfunded- Everyone is waiting at the closing to complete the documents and for the funds to arrive by wire from the lender. These have been known to take hours to happen. I have sat at a closing for 4 hours waiting for funds so that my sellers could get their check on that day, when the buyers take possession. Scary stuff but it does happen. There again, just stay on top of it.

Toxic house or building- See Stachybotros Chartarum above. Toxic houses can have mold and spores in the heating duct work. Sometimes you can smell when a house is toxic but sometimes your nose will run and your family will start to get sick. Typically you can get help from your county health department to begin with. This is a problem you should not ignor because it will not get better with time.

Enough for today, my dog is calling me. Take care, Susan

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