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That explains why our finished basement area was advertised as a bedroom. It's 700 square feet, has windows and a door and has baseboard heat. It even has a full bathroom AND a super large closet (which apparently isn't needed). It's not very private though, since anyone coming through the garage walks right past it and the stairs have an open area looking right into the living space.
That does seem like it's pushing it. Around here, when people finish basements, they make private rooms for the bedroom(s) even if they leave an open area as family room/den type set up. And with 700 sq ft, it's not like there wasn't enough space to do that!
That's like asking why you should report a crime that someone has broken in and is looting a neighbor's home. How was I harmed by this, it wasn't my house.
Not every minor inconvenience in life has a recourse.
You knew based on the size that a third bedroom had to be small and possibly useless.
The listing realtor is, however, damaging his client. Pulling in buyers that are almost certain to be disappointed doesn't help sell the property. It might lead to buyers regarding listings from that agency with a greater degree of skepticism. But this is not your problem.
By the way, one should always read the listing text skeptically. Cozy = tiny, etc. etc.
So if you are served a meal in a restaurant that gives you food poisoning causing you to become violently ill, your philosophy is that you should have been more skeptically oriented when reading the menu that the food could have gone bad and had not ordered it? So anything bad that happens to you, it is simply your own fault and not the people who didn't do their job?
In NC, you don't need a closet to count as a legal bedroom. All you need is at least 2 means of egress (window and door) and be a minimum of 70 square feet with no part of the room shorter than 7' in any direction (so a 7 x 10 room is as small as you can have for a legal bedroom). And it needs heat of course.
In NC, you don't need a closet to count as a legal bedroom. All you need is at least 2 means of egress (window and door) and be a minimum of 70 square feet with no part of the room shorter than 7' in any direction (so a 7 x 10 room is as small as you can have for a legal bedroom). And it needs heat of course.
This room didn't even meet that standard. I bet it had heat though.
But I think the OP's concern is as much about principle and professional ethics as the wasted time, and I'm surprised that you as an agent aren't acknowledging this. If other agents are allowed to write whatever they want in a description, regardless of truth, where does it end? That puts ethical agents at a disadvantage.
In this particular instance, she lost some time, and this misrepresentation was easy to detect quickly. Reporting the problem to a broker, an ethics panel, etc., may not be worth her effort. But I think she's certainly entitled to do it and it might help the system self police and prevent bigger lies and their consequences.
Agreed -- it was a tacky thing to do, and it just causes ill-will. I'm the same way over wide-angle lens -- I've fired photographers for using them after specifically being told not to. I wasn't arguing that the OP shouldn't report it. But I'm a little cynical on how much satisfaction the OP will get for their trouble.
In one sense, it immediately identifies the agent as someone that can't be trusted - which isn't going to help her build her business. Also, in our MLS, other agents can (and frequently do) report errors on an MLS listing -- if something is incorrect (# bedrooms, school district, etc.) we hit an icon, describe the error, and submit. Hopefully, an agent accompanying their client was able to do the same thing for this listing.
Slippery "truth in advertising" -- a "cozy, tree-shaded patio to enjoy morning coffee" might describe a "12x12 cracked cement porch with untrimmed trees".
I've only ran into this a few times but it is aggravating. There was a recent home that I really liked and it said 4 bdrm, which is pretty important for us. Well after looking closer at the listing there was a note that said 'and fourth bedroom currently being used as a workshop/craft room'. So, that fourth bedroom was the partially finished basement with a fridge and workshop items in it. Not even remotely a bedroom and has a garage entry into it etc. I was so put off I didn't even look further into the home. It'd been on the market for quite a while and I can see why with shenanigans like that.
Funny thing, when I was browsing homes I found that same house relisted but now it's appropriately detailed as a 3 bedroom home. Maybe they'll have better luck. I know as a potential buyer I don't like seeing a seller trying to fudge things. It makes me think about what else they're hiding/fudging.
You can't just make up things in your listings to lure people. I'm sure that realtor can get in trouble listing the property deceptively with the board of realtors.
Bait and switch is illegal.
Then don't buy it, simple as that!
Go to the county assessor site and look up the house you are interested in and see for yourself what the county calls the rooms and the floor layout.
He won't get into "trouble" as it's easy to claim it was just a type or an error by an underling who submitted the ad, I wouldn't even bother with it.
So if you are served a meal in a restaurant that gives you food poisoning causing you to become violently ill, your philosophy is that you should have been more skeptically oriented when reading the menu that the food could have gone bad and had not ordered it? So anything bad that happens to you, it is simply your own fault and not the people who didn't do their job?
Comparing apples to plywood doesn't apply here, food poisoning is life threatening and a public health risk, 2 bedrooms v/s 3 in a real estate ad, who really cares! you went, you saw, you didn't like, you probably wouldn't have bought it ANYWAY, move on!
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