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As some of you might know from the end pages of my thread on "Preliminary Settlement Sheet," my husband and I have been seriously butting heads with our realtor over whether or not we should do a walk-through (she REALLY did not want us to do it, but finally we pushed for it today--the last day before we sign the papers, closing is on Monday). She was guilt-tripping us by saying we would "upset" the sellers and "break bridges" with them, since they are packing and their home is a mess... or so this is what our realtor told us. But she finally did what we asked and set an appointment for a few hours from now.
Thing is, we have had really great rapport with the sellers at every point--they have been very courteous and answered all our questions (sent indirectly, from us to our agent to their agent and then finally to them, and back the same way with their answers). It's terribly annoying, though, to be told that we're somehow angering people simply by insisting on our right to a standard walk-through before signing our lives away on the biggest purchase we have ever made (first-timers). Sounds like a load of BS from our agent just to make sure we follow through to closing without any delays, regardless of how we feel.
I doubt the sellers are really that upset, but instead of relying on our mediocre agent to do the talking with them and burn the bridges all on her own (since it's clear she's not interested in going to bat for us, whatsoever), I have considered e-mailing the sellers directly and just reassuring them that we are 100% taking the house, and we loved the repairs they did (they sent pics and invoices), and really we just wanted to see the house one more time for peace of mind before sitting down at the signing table. It has nothing to do with them, really, in the end--just the fact that we are nervous and want to follow standard procedure.
We don't care if their place is messy, and we don't mistrust them--but we just want to go into the signing with total confidence that we are doing the right thing. Also, my husband has only been inside the house once, during an open house--he wasn't there for the inspection, so he would like to see it one more time before signing, too. We feel like these are not unreasonable things, and that they would understand if we could explain it instead of relying on two people in between us with their own agenda to convey it.
I have their e-mail address because their agent just forwards everything to ours, and she forwards to me, so I have the seller's e-mail address. Thoughts? Or am I crossing a boundary? I'm so PO'd at our agent, I've been seeing red for a couple of hours, so I could use some advice on how best to proceed without stepping on anyone's toes tonight.
You are in total right to see the home before closing. It's a must. The sellers have no reasons to be mad or worried. Their listing agent should of told them of the possibility of a walk through before closing.
It sounds as if your agent is trying to cut corners and save herself the time. She probably had other plans, but that's not your problem.
I am not a realtor , but I would not state in an e-mail that my husband wants to
see the house one more time for peace of mind before we sit down and sign.
he might feel that way but don't say it out loud.
we have always done a walk thru right before closing but never
to make 100% sure that we are doing the right thing.
by then we were confident about that.
I do get the vibe that you are not totally sure about this house and your agent is most
likely right in not wanting you near the house at this point in the game.
IMO ,bottom line is that your agent has noticed your wavering and don't want the deal messed up.
Movedtothecoast: We love the house, period. We have $20K earnest down, we are not going anywhere even if there's a leaky toilet or whatever. We basically want to verify with our own eyes that the house is in the same condition as it was when we first saw it 3 weeks ago, that is all (without taking into consideration the "disaster zone" of packing, which we totally understand and will not judge).
We backed out of an earlier contract on a home during an inspection period for very valid reasons, but I can tell you that I did NOT feel comfortable with that earlier house and was glad we had a reason to back out. I have none of those feelings about this current house--I can't wait to move in and make it our home.
But it is also our very first home purchase, and it's nearly half a million dollars... so yes, we'd like to make sure that all is right within those four walls before we sign. Isn't that why most people do a walk-through? Not to look for reasons to get out, but just to check for any last-minute overlooks?
Additionally, our agent has not wanted us anywhere near the house at ANY point in the game. We went to the open house (without her), so my husband saw it once. I went to the inspection (her only time seeing it), and was pleased with how it all went--my dad was also there. I wanted to check out the house again after that, but she held me back. We wanted to request repairs, and she told us not to. We requested them anyway, and the sellers graciously complied. I wanted to do a walk-through earlier this week, as I believed it was standard, and she told me it was unnecessary. I felt dismissed at every turn, by someone who is signed to represent me.
Frankly, she doesn't give a crap about how we feel about our first home purchase... she just wants her money and to get out of there. If you ask me, you might be right about our agent's motives, but that is terrible business on her side and she's asking for negative reviews from us in the future if anyone needs a realtor among my friends.
I am not a realtor , but I would not state in an e-mail that my husband wants to
see the house one more time for peace of mind before we sit down and sign.
he might feel that way but don't say it out loud.
we have always done a walk thru right before closing but never
to make 100% sure that we are doing the right thing.
by then we were confident about that.
I do get the vibe that you are not totally sure about this house and your agent is most
likely right in not wanting you near the house at this point in the game.
IMO ,bottom line is that your agent has noticed your wavering and don't want the deal messed up.
I'm sorry, but that's wrong! As an agent, the last thing I would want is someone buying a home they aren't sure about. Her agent is likely WRONG in not wanting her near that house. Not right.
A walk through isn't just for assurance, but also to make sure that nothing has gone wrong or been destroyed after they originally saw it. You'd be surprised how many times sellers leave the home with holes or missing fixtures/small appliances. Even switched appliances in the end. Stainless switched to white.
The buyer does NOT need to explain why they want to do a final walk through. They just need to schedule it before closing, that's all.
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The walk through is there so that the buyer can assure themselves that the property is substantially the same as when they made the offer. It's in our standard contract and you have every right to make the inspection. I wouldn't email the seller at all, you've expressed your intent to purchase with your contract.
Some agents think they sell homes, when they really are selling a service. My condolences on your not having an agent that understands the service part.
I'm with DMenscha, but if you feel you must, then only send a brief note thanking them for the opportunity to view the home one more time before signing, but avoid committing yourself on the state of the home and your intentions. If something were to come up in your walkthrough, you want to leave yourself options to deal with it. If you say you are "100% committed" then find an issue, that would not be helpful.
The buyer does NOT need to explain why they want to do a final walk through. They just need to schedule it before closing, that's all.
Okay, so then I won't e-mail them after all... I assume that if they are normal people they won't be angry, and it's our agent that has the problem if she thinks they are going to be upset. We scheduled the walk-through before closing (escrow hasn't even called us to set the signing date, and we close Monday!), so we have done our duty.
Apparently, earlier this week when our agent shut down my request for a walk-through, she went ahead and told the sellers that we didn't want a walk-through. Great!! So now she's saying they will be upset because we "changed our minds," and we should have decided earlier that we wanted it. What the heck?!... she has totally twisted this reality around, I tell you, and if anyone is to blame for burning bridges, it will be her.
We did not do a walk through oh our first house. If we had, we would have seen how dirty the previous owner was leaving it -- dirt in the tub, unflushed and unwashed toilets, etc. It was a divorce situation and i really think she was very angry at having to sell, and took it out on us.
You might send a brief note thanking them for the opportunity to view the home one more time before signing, but avoid committing yourself on the state of the home and your intentions. If something were to come up in your walkthrough, you want to leave yourself options to deal with it. If you say you are "100% committed" then find an issue, that would not be helpful.
Good point, rjrcm--maybe I should send them the note after we sign, just so everything has a chance to shake out before that point.
Thanks also to DMenscha and others for your support. I swear, I need a big massage after these crazy three weeks under contract are over with.
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So now she's saying they will be upset because we "changed our minds," and we should have decided earlier that we wanted it. What the heck?!... she has totally twisted this reality around, I tell you, and if anyone is to blame for burning bridges, it will be her.
