Anyone ever experience this after putting offer on home?

We found a house that we love about 3 weeks ago. We put in an offer and it was accepted. We completed the inspection and requested that the sellers fix a couple of things. The things were fixed more than a week ago. We have been waiting since then for their attorney to send the contracts to our attorney. Our attorney placed multiple calls to their attorney and we have not gotten a response. My attorney found out that the sellers attorney is a bit of a loser and has a history of multiple allegations of professional misconduct, professional license suspensions and history of not being responsive to letters and calls. Our attorney notified the sellers that they must get their attorney to release the contracts immediately or find a new attorney or we will take action against them to reimburse us for legal fees and other expenses we have incurred. Has anyone had an experience with this? How easy and fast will it be for the seller to get out of whatever contract they may have signed with their attorney and hire a new one? All of this is so frustrating.

Re: Anyone ever experience this after putting offer on home?

The first house we planned to buy, the sellers decided to take it off the market after we paid for the inspector to go out.

We were told that we could probably try to sue them, but it could take awhile and a lot of red tape.

We decided to just eat the $400 or whatever it was we paid.

Honestly, it ended up working out for the best because the house would've needed a lot of work, wasn't in as nice of a neighborhood and I've heard from my friends who are still friendly with the homeowner that they've since gotten broken in twice.

So I guess this is my long-winded way of saying that sometimes these things happen for the best and while it sucks, walking away is still in your court.

But, at the same time, if I am reading your post correctly, it sounds like it's really been only a week. Given the weather and such, that's honestly not a super long time. They may still come through if they are eager to sell.

Anyone ever experience this after putting offer on home?

when i bought my first house the sellers attorney and my attorney did not get along. the seller ended up firing their attorney and hired another one immediately. it can be done with no problem

Re: Anyone ever experience this after putting offer on home?

It's not a big deal to switch attorneys, but obviously the seller has to want to do so.

My question is - what do the agents say about this? The agents usually want to move the transaction along and get to contract ASAP, so they will usually stay in contact with each other and stay on top of the attorneys.

The contract is boilerplate, and can be generated quickly. But keep in mind that the attorney knows nothing about the house or the negotiated terms, so it's up to the listing agent (or seller) to supply that info. So I would have your agent, if you have one, find out from the listing agent whether the attorney has all info and what the delay is. I've had cases where the sellers attorney was hospitalized or had some emergency, but that should be communicated. And your attorney's calls should be returned.

But I do think good feelings go a long way on a real estate transaction and nothing good comes from the attorneys being at odds with each other. So I would inquire as to what is going on prior to making any demands or threats.

Of course, my first thought if the seller is dragging their feet is that they are entertaining another offer.

As an aside, I am curious why contracts were delayed while home inspection repairs were made. Typically, if repairs are negotiated, they go in a rider or side agreement to the contract, and the seller has until closing to complete the repairs. We don't usually hold up contract for repairs. As a buyer, it's to your benefit to get into contract ASAP, and I would have advised you not to wait for repairs. Until the seller signs the contract, they are free to change their mind or take another offer, so delaying contract for weeks while repairs are done gives other buyers an opportunity to come in with an offer, especially now that inventory is down and it's more competitive.

But everything may be fine. The seller's attorney may be slow and unprofessional, so I would advise getting the agents involved to see if they can resolve this. Good luck!

Anyone ever experience this after putting offer on home?

we had a small delay in getting contracts, but that was a handful of days the attorney was unresponsive, and about a week to get them. The attorney was tied up in court.

I agree with Christine, I don't understand why the repairs hold up the contract, if everyone agrees on them.

I'd start with your agent and go from there.

if it seems like they are dragging their feet.... you could ask your agent to schedule a few viewings of other houses for the weekend/next week, and see if that moves things along.

Anyone ever experience this after putting offer on home?

the repairs are not holding up the contract. they fixed the things we requested while the contract was being written up. their lawyer is the issue.

Anyone ever experience this after putting offer on home?

We just went through a similar situation but it was with the seller's real estate agent, not the attorney. It took just about 3 weeks to get the contracts and that was only after I told them to have it asap or we were walking away. Some people are just lazy and dishonest. Keep on top of them every single day.

Anyone ever experience this after putting offer on home?

thank you for your responses everyone. Apparently the sellers lawyer finally decided to respond after we threatened to walk and she said we should have the contracts shortly. I don't think they are entertaining any other offers because we are paying almost full price for the house. hopefully everything works out and we can sign soon.

Re: Anyone ever experience this after putting offer on home?

Great news! Hopefully, things go smoothly from this point forward.

In my experience, almost every sale has a glitch somewhere, so hopefully this delay was yours and you will be good to go from here on out.