Fear Of The Oil Slick Is Beginning To Jeopardize The Florida Real Estate Market

This just strikes me as really strange. A sign of the times, maybe. Of course, under the circumstances, no 60-day guarantee would be worth the paper it's printed on:

FORT MYERS — A Naples beachfront homeowner filed a class-action federal lawsuit Thursday seeking at least $5 million from BP and others to reimburse Florida homeowners affected by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

...Joannou, 48, a North Naples Realtor who sells properties in Collier and Lee counties, also alleges buyers of coastal homes are watching the growing oil slick and asking for guarantees before purchasing homes, while some Realtors are offering oil-spill addenda allowing contract cancellation or a delay of closings up to 30 days if signs of the spill show up within 48 hours of a closing.

“Realtors and brokers are reporting that homebuyers are either shying away from buying homes on the beach or requiring a 60-day guarantees that the oil will not affect the beach before signing real estate contracts,” the lawsuit says.

...The lawsuit alleges Joannou and others have been subjected to a substantial and unreasonable invasion of the use and enjoyment of their homes due to the fumes from the oil spill and “chemical stew” and Joannou has experienced a “repugnant and unbearable odor and fumes ... like heated oil coming off the water.”

No oil or tar balls have washed ashore on Naples beaches and there are no reports of wildlife being affected in Southwest Florida, although some property owners did complain of a smell when the rig was burning.