I'm in the process of a complicated negotiation with a buyer. The buyer's agent has sent addenda to my office asking the sellers to sign off on this and that, but in each addendum some of the language was vague. There was no real specific detail as to what the buyers were asking the sellers to do. There would be parts that were clear, but they were surrounded by ambiguity.
My sellers and I would just look at them and ask the buyers to clarify what they were asking for. Nothing. My sellers didn't sign any of the original ones. The buyer's agent would call and say, "You're in default because you didn't sign the addendum!" I always responded that we can't sign anything that makes no sense. I did offer to blank the entire form and send it back signed. She didn't want that. Her response, "You've got to agree to something." My response, "Send me something with specific details."
Whenever you're in negotiations, please make sure the language you offer to the opposite side is clear, specific and readable. It's unfair to ask either side to sign off on something that is not detailed. I understand agreed upon deadlines, but if the side writing the addendum cannot make a case that is understandable, a deadline means very little. It puts the opposite side in an untenable position. That is bad policy, and it is unfair.
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