Jan. 19, 2007: Phoenix-area home sellers who aren't motivated can create headaches
When Realtors speak of unmotivated sellers, what they normally mean are sellers who are unwilling to do what's necessary to make their home appealing to buyers - price to the market, attend to repairs or keep the home show-ready.
I have a home in escrow right now where the seller doesn't seem to be motivated to do anything.
I represent the buyer. When first we saw the house, it was graced by a great deal of debris. Not trash, necessarily, but not treasure, either, and none of it put away. When we were back in the home for inspections, nothing had changed.
And, to my knowledge, nothing has changed since then.
I have been driving by the home every other day or so, looking for external evidence of changes. Nothing discernible.
We were there on Friday for the final walk-through and we discovered one important change: The key in the listing agent's lockbox no longer works. The seller had changed the locks.
What does this mean? The home is about to close and, to all evidence, the seller seems unmotivated to move out. There is every reason to suppose that every bit of debris we saw in the house a month ago is still there.
What happens next? We close the transaction, withholding funds in escrow to pay to have the seller's personal property removed, if necessary.
After the deed is recorded, I'll show up at the home with a locksmith, and we will proceed to change all the locks. If necessary, I will arrange for the police to remove the former owner from my buyer's property.
What happens after that is anybody's guess. When this house closes escrow, the structure, the land and any remaining personal property will belong to my buyer. The personal property will have to be removed, and where it goes will depend on whether the seller has found a new place to live.
And where will I be? Up to my neck in debris, I'm afraid.
The next time someone tells you that the Internet will replace Realtors, remember this story.
Greg Swann is the designated broker for BloodhoundRealty.com, a full-service Metropolitan Phoenix real estate brokerage. This article originally appeared in the West Valley regional sections of the Arizona Republic.
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