All Forum Posts by: Alan Mills

@Polo Vazquez thanks for the clarification. What else do I need to watch out for?

@Jesse Morrell can’t I just go to the county clerk myself? Again, I’m just looking for the top 1 to 5 list of items that are typical in the process of buying properties for auction. The issue of due diligence keeps showing up everywhere. So what are those steps to make sure that I know what it is that i’m buying?

@Brian Tunnell sorry... tax auctions? Guess I’m going to need some schooling here. 

@Jesse Morrell yes, I’ve thought about just showing up and watching them go for a while. 

@Jesse Morrell, thanks for the perspective. Yes, I’m aware that there are different lives in different states. Can I be “guaranteed” that a title search will reveal all potential liens on a given property?

I’ve read horror stories about buying properties via Auction. For those of you savvy in this area, I would appreciate your list of “DOs and DON’Ts” and “DON’T FORGET TOs” for someone thinking about trying this for the first time (in Colorado). Go!!

@Patrick McGrath I transitioned to Venmo about a year ago. Love it. I haven’t had to use it yet, but there is also an option to send out reminders if someone misses a rent payment. This is also where you can collect late fees if necessary. I know the platform isn’t nearly as savvy as others out there, but you can do worse than Venmo.

*There were additional indications that the realtor made errors along the buying/selling PROCESS too.

Hi BP,

We just closed on the purchase of our new primary residence. We went in to the deal without a buyers agent and the strategy worked reasonably well. The listing agent ultimately moved from sellers agent to become a transaction broker, supposedly serving as a neutral party for the transaction. The Realtor disclosed to us early on that the sellers were family members. However, there were several indications along the way that - no surprise - the Realtor favored his sellers/family. There were additional indications that the realtor made errors along the buying/selling prices too. Also, the realtors licensed broker also became involved because of difficulties towards the end of the transaction.

I have been advised to contact our state’s Department of Regulatory Agency to discuss our situation. But I honestly wonder what good it would do for anyone, other than throw mud at each other. In the end, the deal closed and everyone is moving on. I doubt anything would be worth pursuing legally, and even if we felt that strongly, I doubt we have any legal ground to stand on.

I would appreciate thoughts of any kind, particularly if you have experience with “reporting” a realtor/broker or someone else having reported you to your state’s DORA, or what ever the equivalent might be in your state. There really was at least one issue of significant negligence on the part of the realtor/transaction broker.

Out of respect for the agent/broker/sellers involved, I might be a bit vague with additional details below, so please send a private message if you are interested in more of the details. Thanks for your time.



@Larry Zucker, thanks for your thoughts. This has been a consideration. We have thought about it, and we do feel that the situation could have been handled much better by the agent, including choice of words when communicating a forceful stance in the matter. It is people like this (and I will add, a largely inexperienced realtor) who give the profession a bad name.

@Jose L Torres, Thanks for your message. Please see my private message to you.