A gaggle of plugged-in reader’s came to the rescue when another reader was seeking advice with regard to approaching their walk through at Arterra (or any other new development for that matter). For that we thank you. And to the follow-up:
We just got our 30-day notice as well…[o]ur letter indicated the following:
“You appointment [for walk through] will last 30 minutes, so we encourage you to arrive on time in order to allow the full 30 minutes to walk-through your home.”
“Only parties names on the Agreement of Sales, and their representating broker are permitted on the walk through and no one else will be allowed.”
I find it difficult to believe that the Seller can impose rules such as this. I want to know from the other Arterra owners that have moved-in whether the Sales Office enforced the above rules.
The short answer: they really can’t (enforce such rules). The longer answer: to the comments the last time this topic came up (and the eventual outcome).
∙ Arterra Is About To Be Occupied And A Reader Seeks Some Advice [SocketSite]
∙ RandomRumors: One Rincon Hill Walkthroughs Without An Agent? [SocketSite]
∙ From Tough Love Comes Positive Change Over At One Rincon Hill [SocketSite]
You are legally entitled to have a certified home inspector inspect your home, it will be under $1,000 (but perhaps not much?) But it will give you great peace of mind. And it will take WAY longer than 30 minutes. But don’t back down on your rights especially when you are paying this much and especially in these big conglomerate mega developments where attention to detail is not a concern.
I asked my realtor about this item when I received my letter from Arterra. She indicated that inspectors cost about $500 and that while she would ask, as a courtesy, if I could bring someone else (friend, inspector, or otherwise), there was nothing preventing me from bringing someone not listed on the Agreement of Sales.
can anyone recomend an inspector?
I am an insurance and lender inspector, and training to be a home inspector but I don’t be able to help you for at least a couple of months 😀
To finish my last comment, when looking for an inspector, look for one that is at least NACHI or ASHI certified. These are trade organizations that serious inspectors join, because their membership fees can be pricey.
GCIS is good
I don’t believe anyone has moved in yet. Have they? I am going for my walk through later this week and would be curious to know other buyers experiences.
We will get the keys tomorrow (the5th) and move in 8-8-8 (no we are not Chinese). Because we are out of state our trusted realtor did the walkthrough, she was not under any time pressure and the Arterra agent pointed a few things out to her she didn’t notice. I feel confident that any defects we discover will be repaired. We have used inspectors on re-sales previously to great advantage, but never on new construction, FWIW.
Note that while the building is livable, not all the amenities will be available (roof garden? gym? & ???). And I am not sure ATT or Comcast [who doesn’t believe the building exists in spite of the fact that their techs are working there now installing lines] will be ready when we move in, so I don’t know if I will be able to post later this week.
JJ, I’m sure your walkthrough will go fine, look forward to meeting you, watching the sun go down with a glass of wine from the roof! (same to you Ellen).
I live across the street, it looks like the major construction is wrapping up and maybe they are now finishing interior construction. For example, I saw pallets of washers waiting for installation. I don’t think anyone has moved in just yet.
About walkthroughs – I didn’t get a chance to respond to the last string about what to look for. I went in expecting perfection in everything – carpet, paint, etc and found many small problems that the developer fixed before move in.
Two things I missed and want to warn others about: (1) grout in kitchen tile backsplash – mine has flaked away in many spots despite light kitchen use. At inspection it looked perfect but now I realize it can be scratched away with a finger nail. And (2) meeting points of floor materials like hardwood to carpet and tile to carpet – looked fine for about a month but then developed gaps, some worse than others. I should have pulled the seams apart at inspection to simulate real usage and make sure the meeting points were as tight as possible.
I think I caught everything else on my own. Of course it wouldn’t hurt to have a professional come along and I will consider it if I buy another new construction condo in the future. It would be worth the extra expense (only a fraction of the total cost) to have the peace of mind. Even if the developer’s letter says “Only parties name[d] on the Agreement of Sales” are allowed, based on my walkthrough, I don’t think the developer’s representative would have said anything if I had had an inspector with me. The developer’s representative seemed to be the low man on the totem pole just getting walkthroughs scheduled and completed.
Leningrad, Thanks for sharing your experiences and looking forward to meeting you as well. 8-8-08 is a very lucky day in the Chinese culture, so it’s a good day to move in!
I know that AT&T laid down a fiber optic network(which, I believe, is faster than broadband provided by cable) at Arterra. Throught this, you can get phone and internet service. You may have seen this new service via commercials marketing “AT&T Advanced TV”. I plugged in Arterra’s address and it said that Advanced TV is available in that location. People in nearby buildings (Beacon, Avalon and Park Terrace) have already subscribed to this service. I don’t know if regular telphone lines/DSL and cable TV/cable internet are not potential choices for residents.
I toured the building after the models opened. The roof garden is ready, and the BBQs will be installed soon. The gym equipment has been delivered as well, but I’m not sure when the gym is “officially opened”.
Sorry for going off-topic.
As long as construction is active, the upper floors may not be accessible without an escort. Once the 10th floor is cleared, then the residents should be free to access the roof deck. Residents moving through construction zones can be a liability and delay work.
I toured the building on Thursday and the place is really starting to take shape. I’m hoping the lobby gets a few accents like furniture or plants. It’s still a couple months before my unit will be ready. See you guys at the x-mas party. 🙂
I sign papers tomorrow (so it’ll take a few days after that to fully close). I was delayed a bit, but should be moving in in about a week and a half.
For those that are moving in (Leningrad…anyone else?), what movers are you using? Are you having a particular hard time reaching someone to schedule an appointment to move in? I finally reached the moving scheduler…. just to ask questions…but it was after countless times of unreturned phone calls and emails.
I never thought just scheduling a move could be that stressful.
Anyhow, its been stressful, and I am looking foward to moving in.
Looks like the first Arterra unit has hit the secondary market:
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/reb/898396594.html