Make Sure The Fort Lauderdale Real Estate Home Or Condo Of Your Dreams Does Not Become A Nightmare

Imagine you have just purchased the perfect Fort Lauderdale Real Estate Home or Condo for your family. You have spent months and hundreds of thousands of dollars finding the property that you can call your home. Then one day,

not long after your purchase, a city building inspector knocks on your door and tells you that there is an open permit for the enclosed porch in your backyard. He then goes on to tell you that you are required to get the proper inspections in order to close the permit. Hence begins a process that can take months and cost you thousands of dollars.Building officials estimate there are tens of thousands of such open permit cases in Broward and Palm Beach counties according to a recent story from the Sun-Sentinel. After Hurricane Wilma in October 2005, city inspectors were swamped and only now have had time to track down permits that were never closed. Now some homeowners are trying to track down the contractors that did their work, but seems never finished the job.

According to the Broward County Building Department, the person responsible for the permits are the current owners of the property. Along with that beautiful sunroom, Jacuzzi, or other improvement, you have not purchased the just amenity, you have also purchased the headache of getting the permit closed out. Even if you personally never pulled a permit for the property, or hired a contractor to do work, as the new owner, it is your responsibility.

The process to close an open permit may seem straightforward, but for anyone used to dealing with a government entity may know, the ordeal can be excruciating. While some homeowners that hired reputable contractors can usually call them and have the situation remedied, some are not so lucky. If the contractor that originally pulled the permit cannot be found, or is no longer in business, you will most likely have to hire another contractor to complete the process costing you thousands of dollars.

So BEFORE you purchase your Fort Lauderdale Real Estate Home or Condo we urge you to call or visit your local city or county building department and find out if there are any open permits on the property. If you do not know what questions to ask, or who to talk to, please give us a call and our team can help you through this important step when buying or selling your home or condo.