Agent Lady team member Brittany Loeffler writes about the reality of buying a home in Philadelphia through a series of short stories.
Fridge Fight
“What do you mean they aren’t getting the fridge?” Cherise demanded on the phone with the listing agent.
“I mean that the fridge doesn’t belong to the seller. It belongs to the tenant who rented out the property last. Your buyer will not get the fridge.” Cherise took a deep breath and calculated how to handle this situation. When they had signed the Agreement of Sale, the refrigerator in the kitchen had been included, along with the washer and dryer.
“Phil, your seller signed the Agreement of Sale that states my buyer will get the fridge in that house. It’s a contract.”
“I know, but it was obviously a mistake. The fridge is not his to give.”
“It’s legally binding!” she wanted to scream. Instead she settled for, “Phil, I tis not my fault that you and your buyer did not look over this contract close enough or review what was being included, but you owe my clients something.”
“Listen Cherise, let me talk to my seller and see what he says. I’ll try to convince him.” Without saying goodbye, Phil hung up the phone leaving Cherise with a raging bubble in her throat.
She wanted to kick and scream in her office, but instead she sat with her head in her hands and tried to work out how she was going to tell her first time home buyer, Aidan, just how annoying and complicated real estate could be. She had worked with Aidan’s family before, helping his parents buy their new home in Chestnut Hill. Now Aidan was ready to buy his first home. He was looking for something that he could move into, but still needed some work done to make it perfect. He was looking for a project that he could be proud of and call his own.
Cherise dialed Aidan’s number after she had calmed herself down some. “Cherise, it’s good to hear from you. How are you?”
“I’ve been better Aidan. I wish I this call had some better news to it.”
“What’s going on? Is the deal dead?” Aidan started to sound worried.
“No, no, everything is looking good, except for one thing. The seller is refusing to give us the fridge in the kitchen.”
“But, it was in the contract!” Aidan knew that buying a new fridge would put him back a few hundred dollars and he had not planned to spend the money he had saved to go towards this house on a new fridge.
“Believe me, I know. I just want to check with you to see if it is a deal breaker. If we can’t get the fridge, are you still willing to go on with buying this house?” Cherise bit her lip as she waited for the answer.
“Ugh, yeah I guess so. It’s going to put me back a little, but I do love the property.”
“Good to know. I’ll see if I can get the seller to give us something if not the fridge.” They hung up and Cherise thought of other ways to satisfy her client.
It had been a couple of days since Phil had promised to call her back. It seemed as if he was dodging her calls and avoiding her emails. One day, she finally got him on the line. “Phil, I’m willing to compromise. Give us a seller credit of $500 so my buyer can get a new fridge, and your seller can keep the fridge that is in the house.”
“Ugh, Cherise, I don’t know. He’s a tough guy to negotiate with,” Phil said, coming up with yet another excuse.
“Listen, if your seller is unwilling to stay true to the contract, then this deal is dead.” She new it was risky to say, but she had a good feeling. She had to fight for her client. “It’s been on the market for over three months now Phil, you think you’re going to get another offer like this? It’s above asking price!” There was a pause.
“Fine, let me talk to him.”
Later that night, Cherise received an email from Phil giving in to her request for the seller credit. She was so happy to call Aidan with the good news. She did a little hop and skip in her apartment and felt that she had won yet another victory for her clients. Cherise knew that if she worked hard enough and was persistent enough, she could do anything.
About Brittany: Brittany is the super organized (and awesome) office and marketing assistant that helps home buying and selling clients have the best experience possible. She also shares her creative side by writing compelling short stories about the home buying process that are loosely based on actual client situations. Expect to receive emails and phone calls from Brittany if you decide to work with the Agent Lady team to buy or sell a home!
