Q: My husband and I bought a property last summer direct from the owner.

Because it was just raw land we didn’t really think we needed to do any kind of inspections or anything. We signed something with the seller that said we understood that the land was a “recreational property”. Now we find out that’s some sort of code for not buildable! We didn’t pay a huge amount for the land, but when we recently met with a staff person from the County, we discovered that we can’t legally even put up a yurt or any kind of structure. I’m sick about it and wonder how we can sell it.

A: Even buying raw land requires some due diligence on the part of a buyer. If you intended to build on it you probably should have made your offer contingent on finding out if it was a legally buildable lot, if there were critical area issues to consider, if there was a water share available, and if the property would “perk” for a septic system.

The seller might be culpable if he or she knew that you really thought it was buildable. That’s for an attorney to advise you on and a judge to decide. But for now, if you want to sell it, you can always approach the neighbors, who might be willing to buy it to add to the size of their property. Often I’ve been able to get two or more neighbors to go in together on a property just to create some open green space, or a play area, garden or view corridor for all of them.

If the neighbors don’t want it you should list it for sale. Just be very clear in your advertising that as far as you know, it isn’t buildable. We have a lot of small parcels on Vashon that are not currently buildable. What you paid should have been a clue to the real value of the land. I believe the old adage that if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.

Q: It’s been almost three years since you sold us our house and we’d like to ask your help in suing the seller and home inspector.

After the last big rain we had several small leaks in our roof. We’ve been taking very good care of it by having it pressure washed twice a year to get the moss off. We think the roof was in much worse shape than the sellers represented in their disclosure and we also think the inspector should have noticed if there were any leaks.

A: Before you pay for an attorney there are a few things to consider. First, if you read the seller’s disclosure form closely you will notice, as I pointed out to you during your purchase, that the answers sellers give are simply to the best of their knowledge. They don’t guarantee anything. Most people don’t get up on their roof so they can’t report any problems unless they have experienced leaks. So you may not have a case against them.

Another document you should review is your inspection report. It also doesn’t guarantee anything beyond what the inspector can see on the day of the inspection. The forms most inspectors use also generally have a short timeline for complaints and three years would be too long to justify a complaint now.

The third and most important issue is that, sadly, you did not follow my advice to never, ever pressure wash your roof! Pressure washing can remove the granules that are the protective surface of the shingles. If you’ve been doing this twice a year for three years I’m surprised you have any roofing left. No matter what somebody selling this service tells you, virtually all manufacturers of roofing materials and roofers will tell you that pressure washing is very bad for shingled roofs.

The bottom line, folks, is that I believe you probably did this to yourselves. I always stress to buyers that they refrain from pressure washing and I know it’s even in the inspection report that you received when you bought the house. I’m truly sorry.

Q: I can't believe you recommended my daughter and son-in-law buy that little house you showed us last week.

It's not in any of the neighborhoods that I recommended to them and it's really kind of crummy and way too small. We really want to have them live here so that they can be near us, but I don't want to see them living in a dump.

A: There seem to be several issues here. First, I would suggest that you and your husband drive around and take a look at everything available in your daughter's price range. Our prices are lower than they've been for many years and it's only been in the last six months or so that we've seen a few homes come on the market that your daughter and her husband can afford. Looking at everything available should give you a sort of "reality check" about what they can expect to find.

In addition, you should realize that the needs of a young couple just starting out will be different than those of us that have owned several homes over a lifetime. I sometimes have to remind myself that my first house was a real disaster. It was in a "marginal" neighborhood and looked awful, but it was in my price range, in a good location for my job, and was something I could fix up myself. It turned out to be a great home for me and I have many fond memories of my time there.

I would also add that if you want something better for your children you might consider giving them a gift of money to help them move up to a higher price range. It's common for parents to help their children buy their first home and there are some tax advantages to doing so. Check with your accountant.

It's hard not to want the very best for your children. But I think it's important to let them make their own decisions, hopefully with some suggestions from you and the help of a few well recommended professionals.

Q: At your recommendation, we bought a condo in Seattle some years ago so our son could live there while in college.

He graduated and took a job out of state. We've decided to keep the condo and rent it out. We contracted with a property manager to handle it and that is the problem. The guy has done a really lousy job. We decided to go to another, better manager but now the first manager is dragging his feet getting us our money. He has deposits that belong to us and we've been waiting weeks and still don't have the money. What do we do? Our new manager seems reluctant to go after this other guy.

A: Property management is one of the most difficult parts of the real estate industry, and it's heavily regulated. You need to go to these regulatory agencies about your problem. There are strict time lines on how long funds can be held after they have been requested.

First, be sure this manager is licensed. Only those holding a valid Washington State real estate license, working under the supervision of a real estate brokerage firm, can legally do property management. The only exception is for an on site manager in an apartment complex.

If you believe this person has not followed the law, or has been self serving or is illegally holding or using your money, you should report his actions to the following:
Enforcement Division of the Washington State Department of Licensing (360-664-6484); Washington State Attorney General (800-551-4636); and an ethics complaint to the Seattle King County Board of Realtors (800-540-3277).

No one in the real estate industry really wants to "turn in" another agent. Most of us work every day to act in full accordance with all the rules and regulations of our business and the ethical standards of the Association of Realtors. However, one bad apple can sour things for everybody, so don't hesitate to file a complaint if this property manager has mishandled your funds or many be guilty of other questionable practices.

Q: We want to start the New Year out right and do something with our landscaping.

We bought the house from you last year and it didn't have anything but a small lawn and an overgrown vegetable garden. We want to get the biggest "bang for our buck" so we thought we'd ask you for advice. You may recall that we are on a very tight budget, so we can't afford a designer or anything.

A: Almost every landscape consultant I've ever talked to and most books on landscaping say to invest first in trees. Trees and large shrubs are your foundation plants. These will need the most time to grow so you want to start your landscape with good, solid, native trees.

You can also add fast growing maples and other species that can give you some color and texture. I have a silver maple that I got as a whip from the National Arbor Society that we planted years ago. It's over 30 feet tall now. It's beautiful in every season and gives needed shade in the summer. Check out the Arbor Society and other non-profit plant organizations. They are a wonderful source of free advice.

Next add shrubs, particularly those that attract birds and butterflies. There are many good sources online for bird friendly plant ideas for our region. Shrubs may also need some time to get established but are well worth it. Add some ground cover, particularly to get rid of some of that lawn, and finally your flower beds.

It's always good to have a plan. Before you plant anything get some good landscape books at the library or bookstore, and don't try to do too much at one time.

My last bit of advice -- do the irrigation first! When you want a beautiful yard it's hard to start with digging up the place and laying down pipes, but a good irrigation system will save money, water, and your plants! You don't want to do it later when you're tired of high water bills and too many hours of watering. Happy gardening!

Q: We are getting all settled in the wonderful house you sold us a few months ago.

But being a couple of "city kids" as well as first time home buyers, we don't have clue about what we should be doing to get ready for bad weather and power outages. Where do we start?

A: If you haven’t done it already, be sure to clean out your gutters. If the gutters are clogged with leaves and debris the rainwater will just flow over the gutters and down the sides of the house. That can rot out your siding. Once it freezes those gutters full of leaves form an ice dam and water will not only cascade off the roof but will wick up into the underlayment of the roofing and rot the roofing out.

Be sure you have plenty of flashlights, safe candle holders and candles and even some battery powered lanterns. This Thanksgiving most of us at the south end of the Island were out of power for about six hours. We still had a good time at my house because we had alternative heat, lots of candles and lanterns, and our turkey was already out of the oven when the lights went out. We were lucky.

It’s really important that you have your chimney cleaned. Creosote build up is one of the major causes of house fires. Be sure your furnace has been serviced and the filters cleaned or replaced. We all spend more time indoors at this time of year and need to protect the quality of our indoor air. Clean off walkways and decks so that they don’t get slick and slippery. Add non-stick strips or outdoor carpeting on decks for safety. Clean dryer vents. Have your car serviced and keep ice scrappers and extra blankets in the car.

I have a list of tips to be ready for power outages that I’m happy to share with anyone. You can pick up the list at my office or ask for it and I’ll email it to you. There’s a lot to know to be ready.

Q: It's become clear that my partner and I will not be able to afford a waterfront place here, after all.

The houses in our price range are just not what we need or want. I suppose we could start looking at houses with a view, but will that even make a difference?

A: Once you eliminate the preference for waterfront in your price range, you will be looking at nicer, larger homes with a view. That also goes for the difference between inland homes that are on acreage, versus those on less than an acre. The acreage adds considerably to the market value of property. Looking at everything in your price range is probably a better way to discover for yourselves what you are willing to give up in order to have something that's more valuable and important to you.

I've been surprised many times when clients end up falling in love with a house or property that is very different from what they said they wanted. Most people really don't know what they want. They have some ideas, but those are often ideas formed by the things they don't like about their current home, or a list of preferences they've read about somewhere.

It's also common for people to want something that is just like their parent's home, or anything but their parent's homes. Sometimes their ideas of what will work for them are actually formed by what friends or family members tell them they should want. It's always worth the effort to examine those priorities you've set for yourselves to see how many of those wants and needs are really your own.

I'd like to suggest that we just look at everything in your price range. As we get into the winter months there will be a smaller and smaller inventory to choose from so it's good to see everything that's out there before you narrow your search. The most important thing for you is to become a part of our wonderful community and enjoy a slower paced, more rural lifestyle. That can happen in any house.