Our son had a couple of warts on his feet a few years back, and a doctor suggested applying Compound W and covering with duct tape. A few lay people recommended the duct tape even without the medication. I was astounded to find that the process worked and young Tom was finally wartless.

Year in and year out, Realtors are summoned to price houses and prepare for the listing presentation by researching property through the Metro tax records. Based on square footage numbers recorded there, Realtors prepare a comparative market analysis and trot to the homes to tell the owners that the home is not worth as much as the owner thinks – or hopes – it is.

Upon arrival, the real estate agents discover that the houses have grown, all unbeknownst to Metro. The owners have friends in the construction business who saw no need to get permits, and they saved thousands of dollars with the decision to erect these structures with no input from architects.

Unfortunately, all the Compound W and duct tape in the world will not remove the 2,400-square-foot, two-story wart that has overtaken the home.

To make matters worse, it is difficult to sell a home that has an addition with new wiring, plumbing, HVAC, roof, framing, footing and foundations completed without proper permits.

In order to pass the electrical rough-in, the inspector must be able to see the wiring that is now covered with drywall, trim and paint.

The same goes for all of the inspections and permits and, yes, these regulations apply to finished basements, attics, garages or any other construction.

What you can see isn’t much better. The design is a hodgepodge of extra nooks with no windows as neither the owner nor the friend had the expertise and education to properly design living space.

The savings on contractor fees and architectural work quickly disappear when the permits are pulled or when the house is discounted due to the absence of the permits.

Sale of the Week

There are some bargains left out there in Nashville, opportunities for comfortable living with price tags that, coupled with low interest rates, can bring affordability into play.

Located off Highway 100 near Temple Road, the Enclave at Harpeth Village offers numerous dining opportunities, as well as a Publix and Kroger within reasonable walking distance. Having escaped the Flood of 2010 and others before, no flood insurance is required.

With the Barn Dinner Theater, the Loveless Café and barn and the Natchez Trace a couple of miles away, residents are never lacking for excitement.

Unit No. 1 at 801 Silkwood Drive sold last week for $348,270. It has 2,394 square feet and three bedrooms, two full baths, and one-half bath. Last year, the price would have been $287,545.

The development has been under construction for three years, with Marlena Merritt and Steve Jacobs of RE/MAX Masters managing sales and guiding buyers through the selection process, as well as delivering lectures on the Metro Codes procedures on a daily basis.

“What do you mean six more weeks? But you said…..” And no, “You cannot move a few things in prior to closing.”

Builders and developers are fighting the same battles with permits. Use of any new construction is forbidden until the final use and occupancy permits are granted.

The homes at the Enclave on the Harpeth are well-designed with a master bedroom on the first floor and a living room with a fireplace warming the hardwood floors.

Many of the openings are arched, providing charm and character as the builder dropped a few extra bucks and the balconies are capable of housing chairs and cooking devices – no Juliet balconies in the Enclave.

When Juliet balconies became trendy, Jen Carlson, writing for Gothamist, described them as “the worst architectural design in history,” adding they are “as good as a mirage – giving one the feeling that there is usable space without delivering it.”

No need to worry about these in the Enclave.

Jennifer Caywood of Georgia Evans Realty in Murfreesboro heeded the words of Horace Greeley and went west with her buyer, way west, past both of Horace Greeley Hill’s centers, or those named for him by his offspring and their offspringso on.

The Enclave at Harpeth Village is a horizontal property regime(HPR) which means that these townhouses that resemble condominiums nearby are, according to Metro zoning, single-family residences that just happen to be connected.

Richard Courtney is a real estate broker with Christianson, Patterson, Courtney, and associates and can be reached at [email protected].