Should my real estate agent do this?

Question

I have a question about a townhouse I'm looking to purchase. I need to know if an addition on the house is covered in the hoa. Should my real estate agent ask them or is it my job to call them? He gave me the number, I just thought it was his job.......I found this house so far the only thing he's done is show me it......What is the real estate agents job? Thanks

Answer 1

I advise my clients to contact certain entities to make sure they are satisfied with the answers they receive and there is no interpretation or misunderstandings.  In this instance, I would have you call to make sure you are comfortable with the answers and can ask any follow-up questions they want.

Answer 2

A real estate agent will NEVER get involved in the legalities of HOA's or anything similar.  The agent's job is to point out to you that there is a HOA in place.  It's YOUR job to determine the scope and breadth of said HOA.

Answer 3

A competent agent should bring all pertinent information related to your purchase to you.  The information may positively or negatively impact the value of the property, but the agent should do everything possible to gather the information for the principal (you) so you are made 'aware' of the info.

The agent may not know whether the addition was done with or without a permit and how this may impact the townhouse (perhaps this is your question?).  But the agent should facilitate access to the info.  

When something is out of the scope of an average agent's realm of expertise, then it is up to the consumer to determine whether to further explore the issue.  A typical example would be the HOA documentation and financial report.  The agent needs to make this available to you, but they may not have the legal or financial background sufficient to decipher the whole document.