The One that Got Away

I have written several posts (that have not been published) on the cancellation of Ari's sale. Simply put there were issues in the logistics and legalities of this sale and to not cancel would have put Ari in financial jeopardy. Given the eerily silence of the selling side since Wednesday, I believe not fighting for this house was the right course of action. I am about 95 percent sure the selling side was going to fight for Ari's earnest money if the sale had gone on one more day.

My paperwork has been filed now. However, I added several notes, chronicling the course of events that led to this cancellation. If Mama Bear or the seller at some time get the urge to raise hell, I want to make sure my ducks are in a row. Mind you, my conscience is clear--but the judge wouldn't care about my conscience as much as he would care about the chain of events.

The house in question was a flip. I have seen enough flips in my time to know slip-shod work. This seller slapped some new paint, used carpet and new floor tile on the place and tried to pass it off as a dream. It isn't in the scope of my license to be the expert on this particular issue. So, I directed Ari to his paid home inspectors and others who could best advise him. However, the house he loved so much came with a lot of red flags these inspectors found that Ari wanted to ignore.

Part of what bothers me about that particular sale is that Ari, a first time home buyer, loved this property. He is thoroughly disappointed. But that isn't my biggest level of heartburn.

I believe the selling side was playing dirty. I couldn't prove it. The selling agent was sloppy and unprofessional enough that he was skirting into the gray area of real estate--that landscape that isn't quite unethical but just shady enough to make one raise an eyebrow. I looked the selling agent up, he has been with a lot of brokerages in his time in the business. Sometimes he stayed as long as six months. Nobody voluntarily wants the expense of changing brokerages that much. So, I am guessing he was asked to leave his brokerage more than once.

Later today Ari and I are looking at two more properties. Perhaps one of these new homes will be the one he decides will take his mind off of the home that got away.