Please Leave Utilities on For New Owners
I get asked a lot when the sellers should turn off the utilities. I almost always reply, "One day after the house is sold." Sometimes we negotiate a day or two extra if we're closing late in the day on a Friday. So many things can go wrong if utilities are turned off and have to be re-connected - not to mention re-connect fees for the buyer!
There's a saying for this. "Penny-wise and pound foolish." Or, in other words, don't sweat the small stuff - look at the big picture. Or I could always invoke the Golden Rule!
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Please leave utilities on for new owners
This morning I received an "urgent" E-mail from one of my Sellers. Apparently now that we are under contract with an October 3rd closing date, this person thinks it's perfectly acceptable to just turn all utilities off including water. At first I really didn't know how to respond. I mean, we're almost there. You really want to do something like that when closing is within our reach?
Three reasons you should leave your utilities on after signing a purchase agreement:
1) If you turn the water off and all of your wonderful landscaping dies you are breaking your contract to keep the home in the same condition it was when the contract was written.
2) We still have to make it through inspections and appraisal. They will need to access these utility services for these reports.
3) It's just rude. After all the time we both spent marketing your home and finding the right buyer you want to turn around and make them pay exorbitant re-connection fees?
Be kind to people. It's likely going to come back to you some day.
Be rude and nasty to people. The same rule applies.
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