Q: Has a vendor ever walked off with every little thing however the kitchen sink?
Konstantin Zaliznyak
Affiliate real-estate dealer, Triplemint in New York Metropolis
It was a $2.49 million, two-bedroom house, Midtown West in Manhattan. After I noticed the house with my consumer, it was stuffed to the brim with superb top-of-the-line home equipment—a SubZero fridge, Miele dishwasher, Gaggenau range—$50,000 to $60,000 value. One of many issues we observed was that there was a gorgeous built-in coffeemaker with a shelf—like a $5,000 Miele coffeemaker. It was one thing we hadn’t seen but, so we each made a touch upon it.
After we went to do the ultimate walk-through, I turned on the oven, turned on the dishwasher. Sooner or later my consumer mentioned, “Hey, was this right here earlier than?” And the place the built-in coffeemaker had been was some of the fundamental, most cost-effective drip coffeemakers—like a $20 coffeemaker, a kind of Walmart manufacturers.
After we noticed that we thought, “If [the seller] modified that, what else did he change?” We began to go searching. All of the superb fancy home equipment had been changed by some low cost model, but it surely was all chrome steel like the unique home equipment, so we hadn’t observed.
This was clearly not what was agreed on, so there was slightly forwards and backwards. The attorneys have been capable of negotiate a lump sum of cash that went as a credit score to my purchaser. Now, if there’s an inventory picture that has the home equipment nicely documented, I’ll put it aside, or take a fast picture or video for my information.
Griffin Candy
Actual-estate agent, The Company in Brentwood, Calif.
I had been working with these builders who have been dilapidated properties. I discovered a house that was in very poor form: a single-family house on a pleasant 6,000-plus-square-foot lot in prime West Hollywood. The vendor’s daughter lived there.
The builders have been going to buy it for $1.four million. My accomplice Ingrid Sacerio and I represented them. My guys have been like, “Possibly we repair it up. Possibly we scrap the entire thing and bulldoze it.”
We closed escrow after 30 days, with a two-month lease again—the lady wanted fairly a little bit of time to seek for a brand new house. The developer grew to become a landlord and he or she grew to become a renter—without cost, we didn’t even cost her. She closed on one other place earlier than the sixty days have been up. I bought the keys for my shoppers. After which he referred to as me and mentioned, “What the [expletive] occurred right here?” He mentioned, “Griffin, they took the whole kitchen.”
It was unbelievable. The home was fully stripped. Every little thing was gone, I imply from the dishwasher to the microwave to the rubbish disposal. She took out the kitchen sink. The cupboards have been gone. There have been two bogs. Each bathrooms have been gone. Lighting fixtures—they took all of it.
The lady had gotten a head’s-up {that a} developer was shopping for the home. It’s unclear who mentioned what, however she mainly had folks are available in and strip it. She was like, “You guys have been tearing it down anyway, so I did you a favor.”
Linda Feder
Affiliate real-estate dealer, The Corcoran Group in New York Metropolis
The itemizing was a gorgeous renovated Higher East Aspect house, a traditional seven. It was listed at $four million. Each single factor in it was new and in prime working order. It had state-of-the-art home equipment and state-of-the-art bathroom seats. They have been the flowery costly ones: heat water, heated seats, computerized flush. The lids opened with out your having to do something.
I’d present the house and the bathroom seat would open, and I used to be like, “No, I don’t want to make use of the lavatory, I used to be simply strolling via.” I keep in mind being within the grasp toilet and I couldn’t get the seat to shut.
The patrons have been a stunning couple with two younger children. On the ultimate walkthrough hours earlier than closing, we walked into the lavatory to check the water. The husband mentioned, “Oh my God. They took their bathroom seats.” I appeared down, and there was only a white bathroom seat with a lid, like a rest room seat from a ironmongery store.
I didn’t know what to say. I most likely mentioned one thing like, “Now you have got a pleasant, new clear one.”
I referred to as the vendor and mentioned, “You took your bathroom seats.” And he mentioned, “Effectively, after all!”
The patrons have been tremendous sad with the sellers however determined to not make an enormous deal about it. They traveled in the identical circles—Higher East Aspect, all the children are in non-public colleges. For all we all know, their child was in the identical class because the sellers’ child. They only mentioned, “Overlook it.” They weren’t hooked up to the seats.
Possibly two years later, the sellers referred to as me to promote one other house. They mentioned, “You probably did such a great job for us final time.” The house had three bogs. I went in and certain sufficient, there have been these fancy bathroom seats. Each time folks got here to see the house, I must say, “The bathroom seats are going to get replaced with plain ones.”
We by no means bought the house.
