Re: Update on the train in my back yard in Chatham
 

Man I feel for you. Every time I hear a train, since hearing your video, I think of you. A couple of days ago I saw a news story on a local Atlanta TV Station a report of an extended r.r. arm at crossing which elimated the need to blow the train whisle. @ of these were being installed in Buckhead (a highend area $) the cost is about 500,000, but if enough people conplaint to local lawmakers it may help. I believe it was WSB T.V. that had the report.

Re: Update on the train in my back yard in Chatham
 

TH - Just a case of bad timing I guess.

Re: Update on the train in my back yard in Chatham
 

Oh that is soooooooooooooooooooo sad. I will never buy in the VILLAGES AFTER HEARING YOUR STORY . >:( I at this point will be looking up in N. GA. and LOOKING FORWARD TO THE PEACE AND QUITE MYSELF :) What a shame you can't do anything about the realtor not to tell you . Well I really feel bad for you and your wife. a real shame .

Re: Update on the train in my back yard in Chatham
 

I have no sympathy for someone who buys a home without checking out the surrounding area. I'm guessing this is not the first home you bought and that you are not 22. A short drive on 42 to 301 would have shown where the train was, it's not new. Some people south on buena vista bought near the sewer plant and now compain about the smell!!! Some bought in new areas near vacant land and now complain about the bare ground and blowing sand..

Re: Update on the train in my back yard in Chatham
 

But there is stuff he can do, and those possibilities give him hope. There can be buttons pushed and solutions implemented...I've seen it happen. But it takes time. The big question...at our age how much more time are we willing to devote to such things? :dontknow:

Re: Update on the train in my back yard in Chatham
 

This is the third response I have written to this post. The first two, I erased because they were too sarcastic.

Yes, I guess you are right. In most cases these days, it is the fault of the victim.

Re: Update on the train in my back yard in Chatham
 

Its hard to think of everything. I never would have thought of asking about a train. Hasn't train useage been decreasing over the years? I agree, the sales person should have said something. We had similiar issues with our Villages salesperson when we bought. He must have known about some issues which we specifically stated to him we had concerns about, but he never said a thing. Maybe that's the difference between the ethics of a real estate agent, and those of a Villages salesperson.

Re: Update on the train in my back yard in Chatham
 

llaran
I think your wrong..........yes the "onhus" is on the buyer but the trains do not run all day long or the smell from the sewage plant may only occur after "whatever'. The agent or whoever is really familiar with the area has a responsibility to tell the prospective owner of the train or smell issue. I SPEAK FROM EXPERIENCE for I just recently had a situation where a buyer of a resale home in our developement made a decision between our home on a 1/2 lot ( and up for over a year) to one backing up to a narrow golf course in our community. When we realized what the competition was, our agent informed the buyers agent, who was not familair with our development, of the potential problem with golf balls in the yard but he did nothing. His client bought this house because they have 2 small children (to use the yard) and believe me they willl not be able to use that yard without hard hats.
This couple was from Mississippi and how would they have known about the narrow course or even the risks associated with a golf course.

Re: Update on the train in my back yard in Chatham
 

Buyers agents, in particular, have an obligation to know enough about the property to relay both the good and the bad to the buyer.* But as in any trade or profession, there are the good ones and bad ones, the experienced and the inexperienced, the informed and the ill-informed, the ethical and the unethical.* Unless we know with absolute certainty which one we have and can trust them, we owe an extra measure of due diligence to ourselves.
lovehorse

But the question remains, what can a person in this situation do now that the train is out of the shed :o to mitigate the problem.

Re: Update on the train in my back yard in Chatham
 

The guy that was being a wise *** is just that. I thank you Jan for posting this. Now in a few years when it's my turn to live in the TV Historic side I'll be a lot more attention to detail. I really hope this works for you.

Re: Update on the train in my back yard in Chatham
 

After the fifth one that day, I called the agent. It so happened a train went by while I was talking to him. He swore he knew nothing about it.

Then, later that day, he called back and said that he had told us about it. Funny thing.


What is the name of this 'agent?'

Re: Update on the train in my back yard in Chatham
 

Yes, what is that agents' name? It would be good for all to know. That would be a GREAT public service.

Re: Update on the train in my back yard in Chatham
 

I really doubt that Jan will share this guy's name. -- as much as he would probably like to and as much as we would all love to know. That would just end up being a can of worms.

But the real advice here is simply CYA because nobody else is going to do that like you can do that for yourself. And no matter how charming, how lovely, how completely wonderful that TV agent may be, and many really are, never forget that you, the potential buyer, have a price on your head. So do your homework and don't tip your hand.

Or just do what works for you because that's all it ever boils down to anyway.

I said on here one other time that from the time I started talking my mother kept telling me that I could ask more questions than a Philadelphia lawyer. I never figured out why the lawyer was always in Philadelphia, but I am still asking lots of questions. But some people don't like to ask questions.

btw, gf, I know you did your homework bc I read your stuff. And I had to laugh one time when you wrote about a bunch of stuff you did that even I had not thought of. :bow:

Boomer

Re: Update on the train in my back yard in Chatham
 

I really hesitate to post the name of this agent. It could escalate into an endless exchange of claims and denials. There would be no winner. I think it is better to warn everybody to be careful all real estate sales agents wether here or elsewhere. There is a fair amount of truth to the claim that we did not do our homework on this. We, too, were caught up in the excitement of The Villages and the threat that if we didn't buy now, there were lots of other people waiting to grab this piece of property. Our biggest mistake was believing. How sad. I think the thing that galls me the most is that we were charged an extra $50,000 because it was a "premium" lot. $50,000? We all know how long we have to work to have that kind of money.

FOLKS, THE VILLAGES IS A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE. JUST BE CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE TOLD AND WHAT YOU BELIEVE. REMEMBER, THE DEVELOPER HAS MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. IT ALL CAME FROM PEOPLE LIKE US WHO WORKED HARD ALL OUR LIVES TO ENJOY PEACE AND QUIT IN OUR FINAL YEARS. BE MORE CAUTIOUS THAN WE WERE. WE'LL HAVE MANY MORE YEARS TO REGRET OUR SNAP DECISION.

Re: Update on the train in my back yard in Chatham
 

I have been known to be a royal Pain in the --- when I get in the question asking/research mode.* But ya gotta love doing it.*
I have to be really careful and be twice as diligent when I emotionally want something.* A few months after we emotionally bought a condo in the mountains of NC, we visited TV.* My wife and I prepared a 40 item list of weighted good and bad features important to us about our NC condo and general area versus TV houses and general area.* TV came out ahead that night in TV Holiday Inn.* We didn't want to believe it.* We were in denial, and not the one in Egypt.* So over the next 2 years we reworded and retook our survey 3 or 4 more times until we finally decided the survey result wasn't a fluke - this past December.