Home sale

[CanIHunt]

We are selling our home.

The buyer is requesting to move items in our house prior to close (legal purchase), so to avoid storage fees. They will sign a document so we are not liable for damages.

Our lawyer says this is ok to him if they keep stuff in garage . They are now requesting this is not good enough as they will have to hire movers to return a few days later and bring their stuff out of garage and into home. They have small children.

I am conflicted because saying no to a full house move does not really jive with "loving my neighbor", as my reasons not to would be what if they damage the home or discover some problem that holds up the sale. On the other hand I feel like I am being kind by allowing garage storage. This also aligns with my lawyers advice.

What would you do? I can give them access to the garage or the whole house or nothing before they actually put down the money to buy the house...

 

[Xalith]

There's a difference between "Love thy neighbor" and "Put yourself at risk".

To be honest, you're already loving and caring by offering them the garage storage. They are trying to avoid expensive storage fees by using your garage as a storage facility, and it sounds like you are being very kind to offer this.

Now, after agreeing to that, they are trying to take it an inch further and go into a whole house move before the official closing of the sale, which puts you at a lot of risk. As you said, what if they find problems with the house? What if they get cold feet? Then everybody involved has to go through more inconvenience just to fix it.

IMO, you've already offered a lot of kindness, and it sounds like they are trying to take it another step, another inch. Why do they need to hire movers just to move stuff out of the garage and into the rest of the house? I'm not understanding this. Can they not round up a couple friends to do it for them? If they have large furniture, can't they just get a couple friends to help move the stuff?

There's a difference between "Love thy neighbor" and "Let thy neighbor take advantage of thee". Jesus loved everybody, even the unsaved sinful wicked people, that He offered everybody salvation. But yet, even though He loved everybody, He still gave this instruction to his disciples:

And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. (Matthew 10:14)

He didn't say "Plead with them, beg them, bend over backward for them, offer them money" or anything else. He said quite simply, "if they won't receive you, if they won't hear your words, then depart from them and shake the dust off your feet".

From this, we learn that Jesus wants us to love everybody as ourselves, but yet there is only so much we can do for some people. We are to be loving, kind, longsuffering, fair, in all of our dealings with others.

It certainly sounds like you fulfilled your part; now the buyers of the house need to do theirs. Offer to help them move the larger pieces of furniture so that they don't have to hire movers, if you are physically able to offer such help, maybe.

 

[Celticflower]

Be very careful!!
When we sold our place in PA, the realtor talked us into letting the buyers move "a few boxes" in before the sale was final. When we returned for the closing and to get the last of our stuff, we found the buyers had - set up their living room, taken all my art prints off the walls and replaced them with cheap dolphin posters, replaced the fridge and put up a ceiling fan. Some of our stuff had been moved out onto the deck - they said it was just that morning, but a neighbor said some of it had been out for days. It actually looked like they had been moved in and living in the place for a week. I was extremely angry. What if the sale had fallen through at the last minute? What if we had decided to move back and needed what was still legally our home?
I would say boxes in the garage, maybe. Stuff in the house - NO WAY!!

 

[joshuanazar]

Interaction with this world sometimes leaves us a little callused. Jesus did say that if some one asks for your coat, give them your jacket also. If they ask you to go one mile, go two miles. We think that we need to protect ourselves, but really God is our strong tower. I heard that we can't let people take advantage of us, but that is exactly why Jesus put on human flesh. We need to love people past the hurts we receive. Jesus also told us to pray for those who spitefully use us. I am not trying to tell you whether you should let them or not. I'm just asking is there a limit to the Love that we are supposed to show? Where exactly is the line that says we've been nice enough? Is it before or after we become ready to lay down our life for them?

Now do you know of any problems with the home that they might find? If not then what's the worry?

 

[dayhiker]

Every house I have bought or sold there was no exchange of keys before the finally signing. I had to have everything out before and they couldn't put anything in before the sale.

Everything is clean and no one can accuse the other of doing something wrong. There are costs in buying or selling a home. Its part of the deal. So pay the money to do it right or don't sell/buy the house is how I look at it.

 

[CanIHunt]

Thanks for great input by all

 

[Bobinator]

There's a difference between "Love thy neighbor" and "Put yourself at risk".

To be honest, you're already loving and caring by offering them the garage storage. They are trying to avoid expensive storage fees by using your garage as a storage facility, and it sounds like you are being very kind to offer this.

Now, after agreeing to that, they are trying to take it an inch further and go into a whole house move before the official closing of the sale, which puts you at a lot of risk. As you said, what if they find problems with the house? What if they get cold feet? Then everybody involved has to go through more inconvenience just to fix it.

IMO, you've already offered a lot of kindness, and it sounds like they are trying to take it another step, another inch. Why do they need to hire movers just to move stuff out of the garage and into the rest of the house? I'm not understanding this. Can they not round up a couple friends to do it for them? If they have large furniture, can't they just get a couple friends to help move the stuff?

There's a difference between "Love thy neighbor" and "Let thy neighbor take advantage of thee". Jesus loved everybody, even the unsaved sinful wicked people, that He offered everybody salvation. But yet, even though He loved everybody, He still gave this instruction to his disciples:

And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. (Matthew 10:14)

He didn't say "Plead with them, beg them, bend over backward for them, offer them money" or anything else. He said quite simply, "if they won't receive you, if they won't hear your words, then depart from them and shake the dust off your feet".


From this, we learn that Jesus wants us to love everybody as ourselves, but yet there is only so much we can do for some people. We are to be loving, kind, longsuffering, fair, in all of our dealings with others.

It certainly sounds like you fulfilled your part; now the buyers of the house need to do theirs. Offer to help them move the larger pieces of furniture so that they don't have to hire movers, if you are physically able to offer such help, maybe.

We are selling our home.

The buyer is requesting to move items in our house prior to close (legal purchase), so to avoid storage fees. They will sign a document so we are not liable for damages.

Our lawyer says this is ok to him if they keep stuff in garage . They are now requesting this is not good enough as they will have to hire movers to return a few days later and bring their stuff out of garage and into home. They have small children.

I am conflicted because saying no to a full house move does not really jive with "loving my neighbor", as my reasons not to would be what if they damage the home or discover some problem that holds up the sale. On the other hand I feel like I am being kind by allowing garage storage. This also aligns with my lawyers advice.

What would you do? I can give them access to the garage or the whole house or nothing before they actually put down the money to buy the house...

What you’re said at the end was a little confusing for me. But yes, it would be an act of kindness to allow storage prior to actual closing, and is not unreasonable. I would probably allow them based on the circumstances. It’s always good to grant a blessing on a new owner’s introduction to the property. However, you are not obligated in the least.


Closing takes time. In my State, the norm is 45 days because of all the inspections and loan processing work. So when you say you’re hesitant to grant storage without the buyer first putting money down is a little puzzling. The Purchase Contract usually requires a good faith deposit which demonstrates the buyer’s sincerity in acquiring the property. Otherwise, it’s not an accepted offer, and the Buyer is not really a “Buyer”.


I’m in the process of buying a house right now with the expected closing date within a few weeks, so I know what being a “buyer” is, and I’ve already expended a lot of personal funds up to this point. Good luck with your sale.

 

[SkyWriting]

We are selling our home.

The buyer is requesting to move items in our house prior to close (legal purchase), so to avoid storage fees. They will sign a document so we are not liable for damages.

Our lawyer says this is ok to him if they keep stuff in garage . They are now requesting this is not good enough as they will have to hire movers to return a few days later and bring their stuff out of garage and into home. They have small children.

I am conflicted because saying no to a full house move does not really jive with "loving my neighbor", as my reasons not to would be what if they damage the home or discover some problem that holds up the sale. On the other hand I feel like I am being kind by allowing garage storage. This also aligns with my lawyers advice.

What would you do? I can give them access to the garage or the whole house or nothing before they actually put down the money to buy the house...

 

[SkyWriting]

The buyer is requesting to move items in our house prior to close (legal purchase), so to avoid storage fees.

They may put one of those mobile storage lockers either on the driveway or in the front yard.
That way they tear up their own yard or driveway, have easy access, and lock it themselves.
The cost is less likely than storage and the benefits are even better for both parties.
And they have total liability. If you want to be a saint, you can pay 1/2 the locker bill
to them, in cash, the day it shows up so you have no additional liability.

 

[MWood]

We are selling our home.

The buyer is requesting to move items in our house prior to close (legal purchase), so to avoid storage fees. They will sign a document so we are not liable for damages.

Our lawyer says this is ok to him if they keep stuff in garage . They are now requesting this is not good enough as they will have to hire movers to return a few days later and bring their stuff out of garage and into home. They have small children.

I am conflicted because saying no to a full house move does not really jive with "loving my neighbor", as my reasons not to would be what if they damage the home or discover some problem that holds up the sale. On the other hand I feel like I am being kind by allowing garage storage. This also aligns with my lawyers advice.

What would you do? I can give them access to the garage or the whole house or nothing before they actually put down the money to buy the house...

In some States it is not always easy to evict.

 

[CanIHunt]

thanks for input, i am going to stop monitoring this thread now