It’s not easy being a home seller. You spend days, weeks, and sometimes months preparing your home for sale. You have throngs of people through your home and then sell your home and open escrow. Big sigh of relief…… Until you come across the psycho real estate agent.
And usually that’s the way it works, but not when the psycho real estate agent is involved. First the inspections start, a lot of them, mostly different days and times and usually without much notice. Most California real estate contracts are written with an inspection contingency. The buyer has an investigative period to conduct inspections.
Generally the buyer and their real estate agent will make an appointment to conduct an inspection at the seller’s home. Often the general inspector will make further recommendations. Just like sometimes your doctor will advise you to see a specialist. Perhaps the roof, chimney or foundation need further evaluation. This is all reasonable and normal providing that the buyer’s real estate agent tries to pinpoint these additional inspections to one or at most two additional blocks of time.
There are crazy people in all walks of life and unfortunately in the real estate profession there are a few psychos too!
Years ago, I sold a home in Burbank and the real estate agent was nuts. Once the contract was signed the real estate agent insisted that the first inspection would be the baby inspection. The buyer had a two year old and the agent was adamant that the toddler do their inspection Sunday morning. The sellers were having a birthday party at their home on Sunday and asked me to check with the buyer’s agent to find out if the baby’s schedule was flexible. Apparently it was not. The toddler had to inspect the two story home. And it could not wait! Apparently the two year old approved but the entire escrow was chaotic because the buyer’s agent wanted it that way.
When we are fortunate to sell a home in multiple offers and at the seller’s price the seller’s listing agent can guide them in accepting an offer from anyone other than the drama queen (or king or nutball). But sometimes that’s all we have. And as the seller’s Realtor we need to keep as much of the drama and stress away from them. We also need to try to keep the buyer’s agent from drawing the buyer into the madness. Buying a home is also stressful. Additional drama and chaos can sometimes result in a buyer who will cancel escrow because they are too stressed out.
I have seen buyers cancel escrow and lose their earnest money deposit simply because their lender kept asking for more documentation. (If the buyer is unable to obtain a loan they typically get their deposit returned, but they can’t just refuse to jump through the lender’s hoops).
Currently I am working with a nutball (hence this post) but the last psychotic real estate agent I worked with was in 2011. At that time, I represented the buyer and we closed escrow but with constant drama. I guess it’s just part of the real estate business, every couple of years, I need to expect it.
Related Post: Real Estate Drama
