I sold a Southfield home, or should I say I helped my client buy a house with no grass. The whole yard was covered in snow for the past 2 months. We saw the house a couple of times. But I never thought of digging through the snow to check if there was grass.
But my client closed last week on the house and this week the snow has been melting. He was noticing there was pea gravel in spots where the snow melted. So he started digging in a few more spots. The whole backyard was pea gravel!!!
Who would have thought. Here in Michigan I tell my clients to pull off some of the snow to look at the roof. But I would have never thought that a whole back yard would be full of pea gravel instead of grass. This is one story for my book on real estate stories.
But my advice to anybody buying in Michigan, when there is snow on the roof is too pull a few spots off. Make sure the roof is good. A new roof on a average size house could cost up to $9000. It's always better to look at a house when it isn't snow covered. But it is extremely important for you or your home inspector to check out the condition of the roof when there is snow on it.
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I am walking in the Tampa 3 day cancer walk in October. Support cancer research by going to www.the3day.org/goto/marianneravary and donate as much as you can. My wife got to live 20 years after finding out she had breast cancer due to advances in cancer treatment. Be part of the team and help me. I would like to be able to give some other "special lady" (like my wife Marianne) more days on this earth. If we can give another lady another night to enjoy with friends, an extra week to laugh & hug her kids, an extra month to love her spouse, or an extra year then our money will be going to a good cause. The grants from the Susan G Komen 3 day walk have been instrumental in cancer research. Help me give more time to somebody else please donate to the 3day walk. Thanks
Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit realtor
Russ, pretty funny, hope you do not have to buy your clients some grass and dirth:))
Wow -- that is a strange one -- maybe they want to go for a desert landscape look.
Never thought to look for grass before, but I will now. A few weeks ago, I DID think to check the driveway of a snow-covered, vacant home I was showing. In Winter, I always carry a small shovel in my trunk. Upon leaving the home with my client, something told me to take a closer look at the drive. I shoveled several feet and discovered crumbling asphalt instead of the concrete I was expecting to see. Replacing that driveway could have easily cost $10,000. The deficiency was noted and the prospective Buyer moved-on to other offerings.