Watching Out For Our Clients and Ourselves!

Could this happen to your buyer?

It is mid December and your buyer has paid HUD $150 to turn the power and water on so they can inspect the HUD property they are purchasing. The inspection is completed, and the buyer removes this contingency. HUD is to have the home re-winterized, but 1 week later, the buyer’s Windermere agent checks on the property. The power has been turned off, but the house has not been re-winterized.

The agent emails the company HUD contracts with to winterize their properties, and expresses concern that the property has been left without heat, in the middle of December, and there is water in the pipes left from the buyers’ inspection. Multiple emails are sent with no response. The agent takes pictures that show the house has not been winterized, copies the log that shows this work has not been done, and finally tracks down the contractor who does the winterization. The contractor confirms that he has not received a work order to re-winterize, and that there is probably going to be damage from frozen pipes.  Three weeks pass and HUD informs the buyer that they will incur a penalty if they do not close as scheduled, and that they will forfeit their earnest money if they do not close. BUT HUD HAS STILL IGNORED ALL REQUESTS BY THE AGENT TO HAVE THE PROPERTY RE-IN SPECTED AND WINTERIZED!

Is there a happy ending? We don’t know yet, but last week we wrote a formal letter of complaint, and involved Congressman Raul Labrador’s office. And late Friday afternoon, HUD agreed to re-inspect the home for potential water damage. The buyer is waiting to discover the results. We are hopeful that everything will work out. 

That we know for sure though is that due to the diligence of his Windermere agent, this buyer is not going to move into his new home, turn on the power and water, and discover broken pipes and water damage because the house had not been re-winterized after the inspections. His Windermere agent was watching out for him!

How can you watch out for your clients? How can you bring value to your clients and their transactions?