Unlike some other counties in North Carolina, Chatham County doesn’t maintain records of building permits for more than five years. With that system, an eight-year-old attic renovation into living space might not show as a permitted space renovation. Some buyers or their agents might have a problem with paying for space that there’s no record of a building permit for. Then, they ask for the record of the permit, and when the sellers can’t produce it, they shy away from the transaction.
Unpermitted Space Can Be Costly for Sellers
If unpermitted space has been renovated into living space, it must be disclosed, but it can get costly to check the electrical service for an area that has been dry walled for nearly a decade. The dry wall needs to be pulled out, the electrical inspected, and then, the dry wall has to be re-installed. What do you do about the paint on that wall? A seller just doesn’t want to do that.
Look to Whether It’s Performing It’s Purpose and Function
What’s really being overlooked is whether the space is performing its intended purpose and function. If it has been performing that purpose and function for almost 10 years, it’s unlikely going to be a deal breaker. That attic space, Carolina room or Florida room might be the deal maker as opposed to the deal breaker.
