Tom Polk, CRS 
Excellent, Elegant Residential Real Estate Marketing

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Surprises

    A home seller was surprised when she received an offer that was different from her expectations.  I'm used to all kinds of offers and my clients are not.  So it occurred to me how convenient to home sellers it would be for real estate agents to have available a list of surprises that sometimes occur during transactions.   Thankfully, all these issues usually don't arise in the same transaction.  But any one, or some could pop up in your transaction.  Because there are so many possibilities, each of which is unknowable at the time the property is being listed, most often an agent will discuss them and deal with them only when they come up.   So I don't think you'll see this information in one place anywhere else in print or on the world wide web.  This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of nonexpectations.  It is simply a list of surprises (some unwelcome) that home sellers could encounter.   I'll not list the welcome surprises, for obvious reasons...

The Purchase Offer Low offers Seller asked to pay buyer's closing costs Seller asked to leave non-realty items with property Seller asked to repair items seller disclosed as not to be repaired Seller asked to repair items when he sold the property "AS-IS" Seller unaware that FHA and VA costs seller more money than conventional or cash Buyer wants to use Seller's survey Buyer offers seller more money for house to pay for carpet, paint, flooring, roof, etc. Buyer wants to move in prior to closing Buyer wants seller to make a loan to buyer

Negotiation Buyer doesn't respond as expected Buyer doesn't respond Buyer lowers offer Buyer changes what he wants

Renegotiation during option period Buyer requires seller to make more repairs than seller expected Buyer asks for a credit in lieu of repairs Buyer changes financing Buyer changes terms of contract Buyer asks for longer option period

Inspection results Toilet loose on floor Various leaks and other plumbing issues Water heater not vented properly Need for GFCI devices or other electrical issues More fogged windows than seller thought Rotted wood Termites or carpenter ants Disintegrating AC ductwork A/C needs servicing Roof needs repair or replacing Foundation worse than seller thought

Buyer's loan problems Buyer can't get contract interest rate at closing Buyer can't qualify for loan, even with approval letter Property appraises for less than sales price Contract has to be renegotiated for any of the above three problems, or buyer gets earnest money back

Seller's loan problems Seller forgot to include current month's interest when estimating payoff Seller forgot that interest and taxes are paid in arrears Escrow shortage FHA requires extra month's interest paid

Title defects Last title company did incomplete research Mechanic's liens Released liens not recorded Seller has name similar to someone who has a judgment against them Seller's marital status changed

Survey problems Last survey was inaccurate Fence not on property line Undisclosed easements

Buyer changes mind   Buyer changes mind

Acts of God  Fire (spontaneous or otherwise)  Lightning, hail  Flooding Tornado Accident, sickness or worse       I hope you found this list to be of value.  My appreciation goes to Mrs. Carter, who gave me the idea.       Not all the surprises listed above are problems.   Of those that are problems, most have solutions.  Some surprises are situations that just need to be viewed in proper perspective.  In either case, an experienced Realtor can be helpful.       The main thing to remember here is that in real estate, everything is negotiable.  That doesn't mean that everything is achievable or that either party always gets his way.  It simply means there are a thousand roads to the same destination.  I hope your trip is safe and pleasurable!