Ask Phyllis: a blog series of frequently asked real estate questions. Email us here
Buyer – Seller communication
Dear Phyllis,
I have been enjoying your column for years and believe I have a new dilemma. We sold our Sunland home pre-COVID, and for the most part, it was very smooth. Two weeks before we moved, we began notifying credit cards and magazine subscriptions. And of course, the post office at our new address. Although we completed the post office form online for whatever reason, a lot of our mail still went to our old home. Our real estate agent called to tell us that there was mail, and we asked him to just have the buyer forward it to our new address.
The buyer forwarded the mail, but soon started writing us notes with questions about the house. I called him, which was a mistake. After that first call, he began calling me with more questions. He called each time something broke. He inspected our nearly 100-year-old home, but I’m not sure what he expects. Now, I feel stuck. I don’t know how to respond or handle this situation. I’m hoping for some advice on the best way to manage this buyer-seller communication. In the middle
Dear Middle,
A Realtors job does not end once escrow closes; sometimes it’s just the beginning. In hindsight, it would have been best for your real estate agent to pick up your mail and personally forward it to you. Unfortunately, you are now in a difficult position, and you should get your Realtor involved.
Perhaps your buyer has a home protection policy (home warranty). A home protection policy is simply a one-year contract that covers the repair or replacement of built-in appliances and systems. If this is the case, your Realtor® can simply remind the buyer’s real estate agent that the buyer has this coverage. This dialog should be buffered between the real estate agents.
Sometimes, when a buyer begins with a complaint, it snowballs into a litany of complaints. Often, your Realtor\ should have the buyer address his concerns in writing.
Call your Realtor and enlist his help.
This is just plain rude on the part of the buyer if you ask me. Once a house is yours it’s yours. It would never even occur to me to bother the prior owner