Get copies of the permits before buying or selling your next home.

Feb. 3, 2011 - PRLog -- Thinking about taking advantage of that great foreclosure down the street?  Watch out.  You may be buying less square footage and more headaches than you bargained for.  

“Any issues with the properties from illegal additions to code violations become the responsibility of the new owner”, said Mike Robinson, President of http://www.permitplace.com, a land use, entitlement and permit expediting firm.

“Many people think that just because the price is low that it’s a good deal, but many properties including foreclosures and distressed properties can have illegal additions, sub-standard work or code violations that the new owner can be made responsible for correcting the problem”, states Robinson.

Homeowners should go down to City Hall and research the property to find out if there are building permits and certificates of occupancy issued on any new additions.

The seller might also consider providing the buyer with copies of permits confirming that the square footage on the property matches all existing permits on the property.

For example, if the property built in 1999 has two bedrooms and a bath and the seller added a new bedroom and bathroom, the buyer should check to see that the original permits and certificate of occupancy show the original square footage and that the permits show the new, correct additional square footage.

For those located in Los Angeles not comfortable with completing the research on their own, Permit Place provides a service to research building permits and provide copies of these permits for you or your broker.  

The service to starting in the City and County of Los Angeles costs $60.00 plus the costs of copies and can give you piece of mind that what you are buying is legal.  

For those those selling properties a chance to find out what permits, certificates of occupancy have been issued on the property or will verify which additions on the property have been permitted.

Permit Place has been providing property research for commercial and residential property since 2001.  For more information visit http://www.permitplace.com

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Permit Place helps businesses open faster by guiding them through the local permit process. Hundreds of Fortune 500 clients and local businesses rely on Permit Place to get their permits. If you need a permit, call Permit Place.