"Water Peep" Views - Appraisers Count on Truth in Marketing!

“Water Peep” was my mother-in-laws term for broken views available from homes across the street from waterfront properties.

Several years ago, we listed a second row property in Hampstead, NC 28443, across the street from the Intracoastal Waterway. The home, a 40 year old brick ranch, was never built for views. To make it worse, the waterway home on the ICWW side had a leafy privacy screen. Yet, my client’s home was on higher ground and, in leafless seasons, permitted “water-peep” from outside. On the inside, if I stood in one or two spots and looked hard, I might glimpse blue water. But, our client asked we advertise “water view” in our remarks.

She’d lived there for years, long before the trees across the street grew up. I had no doubt her “water view” still existed in her “mind’s eye.” We listed the property in late fall with leafless trees and, as requested, included "water view" in our remarks. Our pictures included a fall photograph taken from the yard showing water in the distance through a leafless tree screen. Come spring, when the leaves appeared, the “water view"disappeared Below, from a different angle, but from the same yard, you can see how completely the “water view” vanished!

One day in spring, I received a call from an appraiser working on comps for a nearby property. He got right to his point and chewed me out royally, reminding me that appraisers rely on remarks and photographs for appraisal comparisons. In his opinion, I was misrepresenting the properties features. I made a lame attempt to defend the seasonal aspect of the “water view” and promised myself never to be in that situation again.

Today, I've evolved and could handle my Client's request much better. I'm sure I could demonstrate how we'll market her properties unique location and features, representing it well to Prospects, Buyer's Agents, Appraisers and Lenders without crossing the line into misrepresentation. Experience is a great teacher!