Whether you are buying or selling property, there are a lot of things that can go wrong. Oftentimes it’s small things that trip people up. Some recent examples I have been involved with are:
• My buyers were to take possession of a home at 5pm and the sellers were still there moving their belongings out. While we were waiting for the sellers to finish moving out, we noticed two window screens were missing. Double-oops.
• My buyers forgot to wire their down payment because in the excitement of buying their home, they forgot.
• My buyer did not bring legal identification to closing. Luckily, the lender accepted an alternative photo ID.
• My buyers’ belongings arrived from across the country days before their home actually closed.
• My seller did not leave his home in broom clean condition, in accordance with the contract. He left a bunch of junk in storage that was discovered by the buyer.
• The renters took the refrigerator that the seller was contractually obligated to leave in the house for my buyers.
I have a fiduciary responsibility to act in the best interests of my clients and to protect them. This inevitably involves a lot of worrying on my part. But, more important, it means I have to be a creative and resourceful problem solver. Each one of the above examples were real problems that I successfully solved. At times, I have had to do the title officer’s job, part of the lender’s job and most often, the cooperating agent’s job. I look at that as part of the territory. I’m always very pleased when at the end of the day, my buyers get keys or my sellers get a large chunk of money. Then I know the worrying was all worth it.
I can not stress the importance of competent and caring representation.