I just wanted to give out a word of warning to anybody considering buying a short sale property. The house is a short sale because the owner is in financial straits. People in this situation can be a little unpredictable and do things you wouldn't normally have to be that concerned about. Things like stripping the house to the bone for instance.
A few days ago I wrote an offer on a short sale with some clients. It was a good deal on a really clean home in a nice area. Luckily, as I always do, I wrote into the offer that all appliances and fixtures were to be included in the purchase price. Our offer was accepted and I was getting ready to open escrow. Then, the listing agent called me and told me that the seller was going to take all the appliances and fixtures with him but we could purchase them outside of escrow for $2,500.00 . When I told her that we considered the appliances fixtures and would not purchase the house without them, she said she understood and would try to get the seller to come around. He didn't. It soon became apparent that he was probably going to strip everything he could take out of the house and then try to " Sell " it back to my clients outside of escrow in an effort to defraud the bank.
Needless to say, we refused and backed out of the deal. The seller basically bought the house, mortgaged it to the hilt, defaulted on his commitment to the lender, and then wanted to steal even more money from them. I don't know about you, but I found this unacceptable. I can only hope that the bank catches wind of this and puts a stop to it. I wouldn't be surprised if the window coverings, lighting, and bathroom vanities all end up in the sellers garage. Anybody who deals with somebody like this really needs to be on their toes and write everything they expect to come with the house into the contract. Also, make sure you do your walkthrough at the last possible moment. Don't give a guy like this the opportunity to take advantage of you.
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