09/21/2026
Three weeks from closing, the resale inspection comes back and there's an item on it nobody knew about. A deck. A bathroom. A converted garage.
The first instinct is usually to argue that it's been there for thirty years. That almost never works.
What does work is establishing what's actually required to legalize it, and how long that takes, before anyone panics. Sometimes it's a permit and an inspection. Sometimes it's drawings and an engineer. Occasionally it's a credit at closing and the buyer takes it on.
All three are survivable. What isn't survivable is finding out in week three that you needed to start in week one.