The Wall Street Journal
What home sellers don’t tell buyers
As buyers ease back into the battered real-estate market, they’re often hitting a stumbling block: Fibbing by home sellers. Buyers should do their own due diligence and not rely on agents and sellers.
To read the full story, please click here.
On February 1, 2009, I listed the model home (previously sales office), and leased by John Laing Developer. Every week-end, 30-40 homebuyers, came asking about the status of the John Laing builder. Because the home I listed is owned by a private owner, I did not have any information about the builder’s status.
Therefore, I called the John Laing Headquarters in February and I was told that they are not going to continue building or complete the Villa d’este community in Fremont. It’s up to their lender to decide on the future of this community in the Ardenwood area.
However, since this is the only floorplan and home available, there is no competition. Unfortunately, the asking price is not attractive to home buyers and timing is wrong, due to the current economic trend. The owner bought the model home for $1,400,000. It is currently listed for $1,275,000 which is still a loss for the seller. The property does have over $200,000 of upgrades with high end appliances.
Recent article about the John Laing company, please click here.
Article on Timeline of John Laing’s pathway to Bankruptcy, please click here.