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Homeowner is confused as to who does repairs! "Who`s going to fix my A/C now that it`s broken?"

The call of the year arrived yesterday. We sold a home to a client 7 months ago. They seemed happy enough when they became "Homeowners" yet didn`t quite grasp the fact they were the "owners" of the property.

Simply put they seemed confused as to who maintains the home.

It happens to some, who`ve been used to living in a rental all of their adult lives.

Anyway, we wished them the very best and have kept in touch with them from time to time to see if everything is alright.

They called me yesterday complaining about the A/C needing repair.

The conversation is as follows:

Buyer: Hey, how are you doing we have a problem we need you to fix!

Me: Really! What`s the matter?!

Buyer: Our A/C seems to be broken. Can you send someone over to fix it?

Me: OH! You want us to recommend a good A/C company, sure no problem at all!

Buyer: Humm, no, actually we thought as our Realtor who sold us the house you`d fix it for us!

Me: Excuse me? I don`t own your home,you do! Why should I repair it?

Buyer: Because you`re our Realtor,right?!

I had to laugh! I`m thinking this is a joke or something, they`re serious!

For another 15 minutes i`m on the phone explaining to this client what "pride of ownership" means. They don`t want to hear anything i`m saying and continue to believe since i sold them the house, it`s my job to do all repairs long after they`ve moved in.

Wishful thinking at best! I guess!

www.browardbesthomes.com

Posted by Scott Daniels Florida Real Estate 2.0. Agents Earn 100% Commission. on 02/24/2009 05:49 AM

Comments (15)

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15 Comments on Homeowner is confused as to who does repairs! "Who`s going to fix my A/C now that it`s broken?"

FEB

Which is why our favorite home inspector provides a listing of expected repairs and costs for the first five years of home ownership.

And. . why we don't sell a resale home without a one year home warranty and advise our buyers to renew each year.

But, come on, these folks can't really be that dense, can they?????

I had this happen early off in my career. Leaky faucets, pipes, stopped up toilets, Heating ETC. First time buyers still think they are renting. I now have a HO responsibility that I go over with every first time buyer. Wala No more late calls about heat or AC.

These are adults...? That's a first for me, I've never heard of someone expecting the agent to repair a home.. :) :) that's darn funny.

This is a really good example of why we offer to pay for a year of the home warranty (up to a certain amount) and if they want to have more covered the buyer pays for the amount over what we'll do. You can never be too certain about the condition of the home, especially in this market.

I think buying an agent buying a one year home warranty for the buyer just promotes this kind of thinking.

It's a reflection of how many see their problems as the responsibility of someone else. Health problems? That's the responsibility of the insurance company. Need insurance? Well that's the responsibilty of your employer. Retirement savings? That's the responsibilty of government. Can't pay the mortgage? Just wait for the Stimulus Plan. Don't have a job? Obama's coming to the rescue.

Scott, it is called "creative" financing of repairs. I think as we see more and more people attempting to deal with the natural expenses of something they perhaps couldn't afford to begin with, we will find them looking at ALL POSSIBLE OPTIONS----including home inspectors and agents to get these things paid for:)

Scott, I have a few things around my house, when are you available? I remember when my friend sold his first house. The people that purchased it never owned, their family never owned, always in apartments. It took him a long time to explain how a thermostat worked. They thought you just opened a window in the winter if it got to hot inside. The things we just take for granted!?

Scott, There is a large number of people in our society who don't believe that anything is their problem. I had a buyer call a couple of months after she moved in and the dryer stopped working. She wanted to know, "who can I blame?" I chaulked it up to inexperience and moved on. Rich

And then there are the buyers who 5 years after buying a house see a lawyer who responds in filing suit against a homeowner cuz NOW their basement flooded...........grrrrrrrrr.

That tyype of mentality just amazes me. I get that they were renters for years, but to really think that their Realtor is going to come over and fix their A/C? Come on!

your post reminds me of the Seinfeld episode when they discuss home ownership and not being able to call "the guy" to fix things. I guess they thought you were the guy

I always, yes always, get the new homeowner a 1yr warranty, usually the seller pays for it.. then I have the opportunity to explain to the new homeowner, this is now your responsibilty.. to care and take care of your home. Like you do your car. It breaks you find out how to fix it or call a repair man at on your dime.

Yikes that's scary. How in the world could they believe it is your responsibility. I am sure you explained and explained until they got "it". Were they toying and trying to get you to do it? Pay for it? or are they just that stupid?

"pride of ownership"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ya they only own it when everything works fine in that house huh :-)

We run into that with our Solar Installations from time to time, fix something that is not related at all to our installation.

this one is a classic a few months ago a client called in and said my roof leaks now but when the installer showed up to make the repair, IT's ON THE ROOF that is SEPERATE from the House...?? Its a garage NOT connected to the house and NO were near our new solar install.... ahhh some people are truly amazing.

Good luck out there,

Bob

FEB

I have never purchased a home warranty for a client, just to ward off these phone calls! Take some level of responsibility, please. You can have an inspection, move in a house, and have ANTYHING happen... from the roof leaking to a pipe breaking. That's called home ownership.

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