I'm curious if there is any part of the country where it is common for the buyer to ask the seller to provide a clue report on the home prior to purchase. If you don't know what they are go to choicetrust.com.

I have found most seller's agents have never heard of them - I'm surprised.

Most agents (buyers or sellers) have never heard of them. I personally think it's a valuable piece of information. Especially, if you live/sell in an area that has had natural disasters. I happen to live in one of them along the Gulf of Mexico.

They are kind of like a CarFax for properties.

Have you had much success getting sellers to provide them?

Let me preface by saying I've only had three occasions in the past few months that would warrant viewing one.

That being said, I have had better success getting sellers to provide them when it's a contingency! They are inexpensive.

Humm, 3 occasions. How do you decide when it is warranted. The cost to the seller is minimal (about $15) and until you see it you can't tell if there have been any undisclosed claims by the current or prior owner in the last 5 years.

All three properties were direct gulf front & definitely sustained hurricane damage, were repaired and my buyers were curious as to the extent of damage.

If your offer is verbal put it in writing and date it, keep a copy, and give the written offer to the agent. (preferable by email and by fax to have a paper trail) At least then if they are playing games they have to deal with the fact that they have an obligation to submit written offers as soon as possible. They don't have an obligation to submit verbal offers.

Not sure why you veered off to the verbal offer idea. I never said anything about verbal offers. I thought we were discussing CLUE reports.

I never negotiate via verbal offers. My motto: "Put it in writing or go waste someone elses time".

I think I must have had too many windows open on my screen and put the comment in the wrong one..sorry

The homeowner get one free clue report per year,at least in my state they do.

The purpose is if the property has had excessive claims on it in the past the homebuyers will have a hard time obtaining homeowners insurance at the standard rate.

Unless the homeowners are hiding a claim they filed and did not want to disclose it should be no problem furnishing the report.

"people who have nothing to hide,hide nothing"

So, Do you request CLUE reports from sellers for your buyers? What is you experience with this?

It seems to be off most peoples radar. I want that to change.

I do request the CLUE report. I had an incident with one of the properties I wanted to buy as an investment that my insurance company, who is doing both residential and commercial insurance for me. They would not insure the property due to the CLUE report. The reason was that they received the report and checked up on repairs that suppose to be done after a fire claim and discovered that only 50% of the repairs where done.

Needless to say I did not buy the property.

We have an insurability clause and buyer resolution deadline in the contract. To ask the seller to provide a clue report is important to protect the buyer, especially when under agency with the buyer.

Clue reports are absolutely essential in markets that are prone to natural disasters. If youre in Florida with hurricanes, California and earthquakes or anywhere else where it reasonable to believe an event will occur best practices would dictate requesting a clue report.

Remember that the large carriers weren't writing policies in Texas a few years back because they paid big mold claims. In California after the Northride quake several carriers withdrew from the state and did not write new HO policies. Same was true in Florida after one of the hurricanes before Katrina.

Insurers will block an address based on claims. Meaning they will not renew the existing policy, will not sell a policy to a new owner and won't necessarily tell the truth so its important to know all this well in advance before you invest too much time or money on that property either representing the buyer or seller.

Most State Farm agents across the country can get a CLUE report for you with address, owner or seller names and SSN's.