Colorado Springs Vintage Homes Blog

Archive for June 15th, 2009

5 reasons lack of building permits cause big problems

Building Permits are Important 

I recently attended an inspection at a home in Colorado Springs for a client who lives out of state; and one of the first things the inspector said to me is that he noticed the basement had been finished without a building permit.   These are not words that any Realtor wants to hear, it can definitely cause some problems and discussions with a potential buyer.   Hence, I thought I’d type up my top 5 reasons that additions and basement finishes without permits can cause problems:

1. There is no way for a buyer to know if an additions and basement finishes were built/refinished in accordance with local building codes when a permit wasn’t pulled; which brings up a whole host of other questions.     One of the reasons the building code was enacted was to insure a minimum standard for construction, electrical, and mechanical work.   When permits aren’t pulled, safety and quality of workmanship can definitely be a concern.
2. The lack of building permits can often impede the sale of a property; buyer’s don’t want to purchase a property that doesn’t have permits.
3. The lack of building permits can and will come up during an inspection for a potential buyer.  In today’s real estate market, which is a Buyer’s Market in Colorado Springs, there are many properties for Buyer’s to choose from.  The lack of permits can cause a buyer to walk away from a property they want to purchase. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: basement remodel, colorado springs area real estate, Colorado Springs Building Permits, Colorado Springs Real Estate, colorado springs realty, teller county building permit