This just in from the “who am I going to blame file”....

There is an interesting article in today’s New York Times about a California woman who is suing her real estate agent because she feels she paid too much for her $1.2 million home.

The woman claims that her agent “ordered an appraisal of the house” for her and her husband but “...did not respond to the couple’s request to see it.” Shortly after moving in they got a flier from another realty agent showing a house just up the street sold for $105k less than theirs.

This reminds me of a hair-brained CNN story which was published recently about a woman who was debating the merits of suing her doctor for complications she suffered after a surgery.

Hmm...homebuyer purchases a home without ever laying eyes on an appraisal, then sues ‘cause she overpays. Patient suffers a complication during a major invasive surgery then sues her doctor for pain and suffering.

The who’s the blame phenomenon in American culture is one that I’ve written about before, but unfortunately I think we can look forward to reading a rash of stories in the real estate field in the coming months. Real estate is, in the best of cases, an inexact science. With prices falling these may be treacherous times for real estate agents in our litigious society.  So Realtors: when the guy down the street cuts a better deal than your client just inked, be ready to call your attorney.