Uncharmed and Unhappy

An encounter today proved my point about the pitfalls of buying from the onsite agent without a buyers agent involved.

I was out with my clients at a new home subdivision.  We were in the sales center, helping ourselves to coffee and hot chocolate, when a couple approached me.  “Are you a lawyer?” they asked.  “No,” I told them.  I’m a Realtor.  Want one?”  My clients laughed but these poor people did not laugh.  They had left laughter behind.

They told me a bit of their story.  They had signed a contract with a December closing date, but then the lender — the builder’s in-house lender — told them it would be January.  So they changed their plans accordingly: extended their apartment lease, rescheduled the movers, etc.  Now, in mid-December, the builder was pressuring them to go back to their original closing date at the end of the month — or lose their incentive package!   First, the change of date had not been their preference; they were told it had to be changed.   Second, it would be inconvenient and expensive to change their plans back.  Finally and most distressing, the house wasn’t ready!  The quality of the finishing work was not what they expected, and they were afraid that once they moved in, those items would never be fixed.

I felt bad for them.  “I’m sorry,” I said.  “There’s nothing I can do to help you at this point.  You should have had an agent.”

“We didn’t know,” they said bitterly.

I gave them a few words of  basic advice, like “Get everything in writing.”  That was all I could do.

Without an agent, that young couple has no clear idea what their rights are.  They don’t know how to protect themselves from being taken advantage of.   They don’t know the usual and customary way to handle issues such as unacceptable workmanship.  They’re on their first home purchase — how would they know these things?

But I’m at 250 and counting.   It makes a difference.