Interested in learning more about short-sales, foreclosures and REO properties? Contact Rob Muller, Metro Atlanta real estate expert specializing in Bridgemill GA real estate and homes for sale.
If you are planning a spring home sale, do not be tempted to throw up a quick deck or conservatory without a permit. Some areas are stricter than others on the amount of planning permission and input that is required by the local building department.
If you go to visit your City Hall, or wherever the Planning Office is housed locally, at least you will have their input from the start. 'Build first and ask later' can cost more money than just a fine.
You may think that you do not need a building permit for small changes in and around your home, but you could be wrong. Different areas have different requirements, but here are a few changes that require a building permit, that will probably surprise you: adding a carport, deck or porch; installing new plumbing, a ramp or finishing rooms in the basement; adding a fireplace.
Often an unauthorized structure can be ordered to be demolished, simply because the building inspector has not been able to view each stage progressively. It may well be built appropriately, but this will not be taken into account when it cannot be proven.
Another problem which may come back at you could happen if you bought your home without having a survey or building inspection. Sometimes when it is not required, a prospective buyer will opt to skip the survey to save a few hundred dollars.
If this was the way you bought the home, any work that the previous owner completed without a work permit, will still be your responsibility when you sell the home.
Building codes are all written out in black and white, so you can ask for copies and they are easy to understand. Almost all building codes are related to the construction and occupancy of a building. They are in place to protect public health and safety.
If you think you need to build a deck or structure that may not fit the standard specifications of your neighborhood, you can apply for a variance. Variances can be granted against building code, municipal code and zoning rules.
It is possible to apply for variance against works that were illegally carried out by previous owners. It may not be granted, but permission is usually weighed up against four factors.
The four factors state that the variance: must not alter the essential character of the neighborhood, is needed for reasonable use, or, without it there may be unnecessary hardship, and finally, you must prove that it is the least intrusive solution.
Such things as avoiding the truth about building permits and on disclosure forms can become a point of litigation. If the sale of the house has already closed, then the whole balance of the sale price (plus compensation) could be in jeopardy.
If an appraiser or a building inspector finds major corrective work that needs to be done and the home is still in escrow, then you could allow the buyer to choose the contractor that they would wish to use to reconstruct or correct the work. Once the works have been carried out, then the escrow officers can pay the contractor directly.
Also, if you let the buyer supervise the work, it will mean that you are not liable for any of it. However, your home will be turned into a construction site and the whole thing will delay a sale you may have negotiated.
For these reasons it is safer if you are buying a home to have a building inspection carried out (unless it is brand new). It protects you both when buying the home for yourself and it protects you from the previous owner's possible shortcuts when selling it.
- Related Articles
- Related Q&A
- Hiring Home Remodeling Contractor Wise or Not?
- How to Find a Home Remodeling Contractor-it's not Who You Know as Much Knowing Where to Look
- Affordable Home Remodeling
- Home Remodeling - Using a Different Approach to Control Cost and Quality
- Going Green In Home Remodeling
- Remodeling Contractors: A smart approach to improve your home
- House Remodeling Contractors: Your qualified remodeling contractor is just a click away
- Finding Contractors For Your Home Remodeling Project




Property Investment in Brazil
By: Michiel Van Kets | 09/07/2009Generally, investors buying property abroad have went for the tried and already tested markets, such as Spain, France and Italy, however more people are nowadays looking to more distant destinations as possible markets for investing in a property. Partly this is due to an increase in international flight routes and...
Snag Your Property Manager Jobs Easily with These Proven Steps
By: Teo Zhenjie | 09/07/2009If you are considering property manager jobs, then you should know that your education, training, and work experience are crucial. Find out what is required for your property management career today.
Selecting a Neighborhood
By: Lokesh | 09/07/2009It would be absolute right to say, you just don’t buy a house, you buy the neighborhood as well. Selecting the right neighborhood is as important as choosing the right home. If you conclude a property deal without paying too much attention to the neighborhood, chances are you are not going to like your home for too long and may start thinking of liquidating the property and look out for alternate options
Uncover Which Property Management Jobs are Perfect for You Today
By: Teo Zhenjie | 09/07/2009Are you a newcomer to property management jobs? Then discover what are the different types of property management positions and how you can climb the career ladder in the shortest time possible.
Will Property Management Associations be Beneficial for You?
By: Teo Zhenjie | 09/07/2009Property management associations often have much to offer property managers including training, networking and certification opportunities. Find out if they are worth your time and money right now.
Negotiating the Home Price
By: Lokesh | 09/07/2009Negotiations are required in every sphere of our lives and property transaction is no different. The stakes are much higher since good negotiation skills can help you save money which could go towards furnishing your house. There are a few negotiation tips which would certainly help you handle this crucial stage.
Lake Arrowhead, GA: A Lake and Ecological Biotic Community
By: Jason Cantrantz | 09/07/2009Lake Arrowhead, GA is a residential lake Community Of Interests wherein Biotic Community members are inserted in a ensured close holding. Here they can relish and bask a laid-back modus vivendi all new from the city living. Inside the domain lies their brandmark that plants Lake Arrowhead, GA aside from...
Lake Arrowhead Georgia: Experiencing Existing is Rest in Itself
By: Jason Cantrantz | 09/07/2009Lake Arrowhead Georgia: When one is depending for the exact spot to construct a base, a lot of factors are established circumstance. For some, it is essential to be near occupation concentrates and other fashionable creature comforts, with some choosing to live inside an earshot of these. For some, location...
Would You Buy Your Home on Ebay?
By: Rob Muller | 01/04/2008 | Real EstateA quick search for online real estate auctions pulls up dozens of sites that cater to buyers and sellers reaching out to a worldwide audience. Now people can attend auctions anywhere from the comfort of their homes. You've got eBay, RealtyBid, Bid4Assets, even the US government in on the action. But what are we looking at here?
Sold! Real Estate Auction Action
By: Rob Muller | 03/03/2008 | Real EstateWant to sell your $30 million dollar home in a day? Call up your local auction house and hang onto your hat. American auctioneers are doing a ripping real estate business right now with no sign of slowing down. In fact, the National Auctioneers Association says real estate auctions are the fastest growing auction type with annual sales rising at least $2.2 billion in the past year for a total of $58.5 billion in real estate sales in 2007. That's a lot of real estate.
Home Staging Appeals to Buyers' Emotions
By: Rob Muller | 30/01/2008 | Real EstateEmotional attachment to our home can lead to lost equity when we prepare to sell it. Most of us have an emotional attachment to our home, but it is best if we can be detached from it when it comes to the sale of our house.
Kick your Car Into the Street
By: Rob Muller | 23/01/2008 | RemodelingAre you jealous of your car? Does it have a bigger room than you do? Kick it into the street and give your family something they can really use. Garage conversions are the easiest and cheapest way to add living space to your home and instantly improve your family's quality of life.
Getting Some Air in Cherokee County: Bike Park Gives Woodstock a New Place to Play
By: Rob Muller | 05/12/2007 | Sports & FitnessSure you can ride your mountain bike just about anywhere but there's nothing like riding miles of winding hand-built single track (just wide enough for one) through the forests of North Georgia. But where? Unfortunately, mountain bikes have been unceremoniously kicked out of public parks all over the Southeast for their tendancy to erode paths built for hikers and even collide with the hikers themselves.
Earthcraft Atlanta: Setting the Standard for the Southeast
By: Rob Muller | 04/12/2007 | Real EstateWith successful green building programs like EarthCraft House, Metro Atlanta is slowly defining what it means to be green in the Southeast US. The city now has over 5,500 EarthCraft certified homes and condos and six EarthCraft communities. The standards have proven to be so successful at producing homes that Georgians want to live in that they've been adopted in Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Atlanta Green Home Lights the Way
By: Rob Muller | 30/11/2007 | Home ImprovementEnergy efficient homes that go easy on the environment are turning heads in Georgia with their low-maintenance appeal, cost efficiency and natural good looks. With Georgia Tech's recent success in the 2007 Solar Decathlon and world-class community projects like Atlantic Station, Metro Atlanta is well on its way to being a model of eco-building in the Southeast.