Recently, I showed a house in Warrenville. It’s a very nice home, but there’s an ugly stump (shown left) to the west of the house. As you can see, the stump leans at a sharp angle and has new limbs sprouting from it – not at all attractive. What the photo doesn’t show is that it’s also several feet tall.
After the first showing, I contacted the listing agent and asked about the stump. He said that the sellers would be willing to have it removed.
We went back for a second showing and discovered that the problem isn’t that easily resolved. Look at the photo again. See the red dot that appears to be on the white picket fence halfway between the right and left sides of the photo? That’s the top of one of four stakes in the ground marking the property boundaries. By looking at both stakes on the west end of the property, it became obvious to me that most (but not all) of the stump is on the neighbor’s property!
The sellers can’t remove that portion that isn’t on their property.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Fran Bailey shows, previews and tracks downtown Chicago homes for sale giving her the insights needed to help her clients negotiate the best price and terms. Fran has been quoted in numerous Chicago and national publications. To schedule showings of listings regardless of broker or to contact Fran email her at fran.bailey@bairdwarner.com or call 773.793.4516. Learn More
Fran Bailey, Realtor
