Agent Lady team member Brittany Loeffler writes about the reality of buying a home in Philadelphia through a series of short stories.
Run While You Can
Priscilla stared at the home inspector in disbelief. “What do you mean you found termites?” Her arms were tight across her chest and she felt her heart start racing. After months of searching for a house, she had finally found the one and got it under contract only to find out that she wouldn’t be able to move forward with the buying process.
“I found some termite damage on the doorframe leading down to the basement. I don’t think it should be too big of a problem if they haven’t reached the structure of the house yet,” the inspector explained as he wiped a drop of sweat from his forehead. “I’ll have to come back to do another full termite inspection to give you the full details of the damage done.” Priscilla couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
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She could deal with a leaky roof or having to buy a new water heater, but termites? That was pushing her over the edge. She pictured herself falling through the floor with the next step she took into the basement due to the infestation of unwanted tenants. “Is that all?” she asked with a sigh.
“There were few other things, but you can read it in the final report. I should have it to you by the end of the week. I’ll come back tomorrow for the full termite inspection, it’ll cost you extra though.” Now Priscilla was getting angry. She had already spent so much money in the home buying process and she hadn’t even bought the house yet!
“Before you commit to coming back tomorrow can I call my realtor and let you know?” The inspector nodded and walked towards the door after handing her his card.
The car was warm from sitting in the sun for the last couple of hours. She dialed the number of her real estate agent, Philadelphia’s own Cherise Wynne who liked to go by Agent Lady. She was lucky enough to meet Cherise at a networking event and scheduled a time to sit down to learn a little more about buying a home. Fast forward four months and she was under contract with her first house!
Cherise picked up the phone immediately. “Priscilla, how did the home inspection go?”
“Termites! The house has termites!”
“Okay, okay. Take a deep breath. How much damage did they cause?”
“I don’t know. They have to come back another day to do a full inspection of the house. I don’t want to move forward. I don’t even like this house that much!” Priscilla had made her decision. She didn’t want to deal with termites and the damage they had already or could potentially cause.
“Why don’t I give you a call in a couple of hours, okay? Think about it a little more and then we can talk about it and make a decision,” Cherise suggested.
Priscilla had witnessed her parents deal with termite damage when she had gone off to college. For months, her parents had to stay with her aunt while the damage was fixed. Luckily enough she had just left for school and living in her dorm. After seeing the money and stress her parents had spent on the situation, she made her decision. She called the inspector back and informed him that she would not be scheduling the inspection.
The conversation with Cherise was a back and forth, but Cherise knew that Priscilla had her mind made up and that the next weekend they were bound to look for houses again. She sent Priscilla a termination form and asked her to sign it immediately. Luckily, she would be able to get her deposits back, but the money she had spent on the home inspection was gone. “Now, you’re positive you would like to terminate the deal? There is no part of you that is willing to negotiate with the seller for seller’s assist or have them pay for the repairs?”
“No, I don’t want to deal with this. I want a house that is move-in ready and nothing is wrong with it!” Cherise knew it was useless to keep up the conversation. She saw the signed termination form enter her email and sent it off to the office to announce the deal was dead.
Priscilla may have been overreacting, she realized that once she was under contract with a new house. This one had a lot of little changes and after having an in depth conversation with the inspector about termites, she wish she hadn’t made such a rash decision before. What’s done is done though, and she could only move forward with the contract she had just signed last week.
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!
