After being on ActiveRain for so many years and writing over four thousand posts, I thought it was time to go back a few years to see if the information was still relevant. Here is a post from five years ago.
But I Thought...
How many times have we heard a buyer or seller say: "But I thought__________!''
Go ahead and fill in the blank.
These words are not something any of us want to hear. This means there is some misunderstanding.
Many years ago, after settlement, a buyer had her agent call me asking where the stained glass panel was. Her statement:
"But I thought it came with the house, and we want it returned."
The agent, adamant about the art, had her manager call me.
Note: the item was a personal piece of art; it hung from a hook over a side door panel. It was not attached.
The buyer, the agent, and her manager suggested that an attorney be called to ensure the piece of art was returned.
I suggested we go back and take a look at the contract. Was the item mentioned? Was it made part of the inclusions?
The answer, of course, was 'no' but again those dreaded words... "But I thought..."
The buyer felt because it looked so good that it was part of the decor and was supposed to stay.
I was told it should have been 'excluded' in the contract. My response if they wanted a piece of art that it should have been written in and negotiated at the time of the offer. After all, they didn't expect all the other hanging art to be left behind.
Hard feelings by the buyer, a seller who had already moved on, and someone saying...
"But I Thought..."
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