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Agent's Parents Want to Buy |
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We listed our house with a 6 month contract. We are 5 months into the contract, and suddenly, the agent's parents want to buy. We have information that they have been looking at our house for months, waiting for the price to come down. They submitted an offer ($140,000 less than asking price with several conditions-one of which is "$7500. for buyers recurring and non recurring costs", also a deposit of $2000. on a $630,000. offer). We are of the opinion that our agent is no longer working for us, but for her parents, and need to seek advice elsewhere. We think the agent is scrambling to make this sale because she has invested probably $2000. in newspaper ads and printing of fliers. They also want "back-up offers only" for 60 days after acceptance, (this would be a contingency sale.) What do you think of all of this? |
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You've had five months to find out if the buying public is ready to pay the price you've been asking, and nobody was. So I don't think you need be suspicious about these particular buyers holding off till your price came down. It sounds as if nobody else is ready to buy anyhow, and that's after newspaper ads and flyers. The request for what are known as "seller concessions", that $7,500, is not out of line either, as long as it's made clear to the buyers' lending institution with no fake contract involved. And the fact that the agent disclosed the identity of the buyers is also as it should be. But you are right in thinking that there's a possiblity of double agency, divided loyalty, involved here. You might want to talk with the managing broker in that office about the problem. By all means, get your own attorney involved in the transaction. Actually, the one thing that bothers me here is the contingency. Before tying the house up in a contract, I'd want to know about the buyer's current house, whether they'll price it at a no-nonsense level for prompt action. And I'd want the right to call them on it if I want to accept another offer -- give them three days to decide whether to remove the contingency or drop out so I could accept the other offer. I'd want that escape clause from the beginning, not after 60 days. |
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Edith Originally published on June 29, 2007 |
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