Absolute Integrity
Recently, I was involved in a real estate transaction involving a FSBO (For Sale By Owner), which was one of the smoothest FSBO sales that I have ever made. Sometimes, when dealing with FSBO sellers, it can be a difficult transaction from the time when the offer is submitted until closing, because FSBO sellers may not be completely educated on the legal process of selling a home. Real estate agents are trained to understand the full contract and offer greatly needed representation to their clients (either buyers or sellers).
Well, it just so happens that this seller, let’s call him Mr. Integrity, completely changed my perception of
all FSBO sellers being difficult to deal with. He was definitely a breath of fresh air compared to the other FSBO transactions I have been through. From the four times that my client wanted to see the home prior to making an offer, through the offer negotiations, through the home inspection and their negotiations, through the radon inspection and their negotiations, and through the remaining inspections Mr. Integrity was responsible for, he was a dream. Mr. Integrity was a reasonable and responsible seller. He followed all the steps needed to get us to the closing table without batting an eye.
Unfortunately, Mr. Integrity misinterpreted a part of the contract that made for a wakeup call on the Friday before a Monday closing. He misunderstood the 3% seller concessions to be my 3% commission. (The 3% seller concessions essentially means that he agreed to pay the buyer’s closing costs up to 3% of the sales price.) Definitely not a mistake that any seller wants to make, and especially not to learn of the mistake 3 days prior to closing. I never once questioned his understanding of the contract since he informed me that he had sold two previous homes by himself, and he never asked me any questions. Well, this could have ended badly for both of us, but he stepped up to the plate without any controversy. After speaking with the title company and rereading his listing agreement with the “.com listing service” he used, he realized his mistake and said, “I’ll see you at closing.” Since he wasn’t walking with enough proceeds to cover a 3% commission he was unsure how he was going to come up with the extra money, but he committed to having it by Monday. Mr. Integrity did exactly as he said and showed up at the table with the extra money to close on Monday. I don’t know the last time I met someone with such Integrity. Not only that, he maintained a smile and joked with everyone at the closing table in spite of the situation he was in. I’m extremely happy to have met such an honorable man with GREAT INTEGRITY. In the world we live in, we should all be so fortunate to come across an individual like Mr. Integrity. What a pleasure it was to work with him, and for what it’s worth, I am truly sorry such a good easy going person had to endure this ordeal.
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