Ah, I just can't keep to myself any longer ;)
Every house I've bought, the agent readily provided a copy of the
restrictions. That is such an important part of the property that it IS
considered part of their jobs with every agent I've talked to. Boiling the
job down to just showing houses that look nice to prospective buyers, and
saying "that's not my job" to everything else (paraphrased), does not add
enough value to warrant the commissions. Another area one might expect a
little more help is in choosing the home inspector, roof inspector, mortgage
company, etc. However, in every case the only one offered or available was
the 'one' they always use, and not one with a particular expertise in the
transaction at hand, such as age of the house, which can present issues a
particular inspector may not know much about.
In general, the minimal approach must be the one most do take, which
explains the rapid growth of the various sell-it-yourself assistance
companies and FSBOs in general. Before that were (are) the 'buyer's agents',
who promise to have the buyers interests more in mind. If the traditional
system was so effective for buying a house, members of the industry wouldn't
have broken rank to offer that to begin with. This isn't pointing fingers at
a single broker or agent, but comparing my experience with a few dozen
agents and brokers and looking at the macro-view of the industry. Even
before I was in the market for an antenna friendly property, there were
clueless and deaf agents who couldn't return with anything within criteria,
and others who see and understand the critical decision points of their
customers and provide the information. They are worth the money, the others
aren't.
I've also had agents brag about the restrictions in certain areas, such as
house colors, antennas, etc, as if to say I'll be better protected there
from 'free' people! It's a positive part of the sale - for your protection
(especially in upscale suburbs). So, you could always look for properties as
one who would WANT restrictions and want to read them to be sure they are
'good enough'. I guarantee they would be provided and you could check then.
It might be a little bit roundabout, but as a last resort.....
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