It’s honestly insane to be fussing over carpet when you’re buying a house. Your friend is going to be responsible for maintaining the whole house. Stuff is going to break! This is how it works! “Removing half the carpet” omg! |
Your friend and you sound pretty gross to want to screw the sellers due to these minor things. If your friend wants the repairs done she can easily et that done by asking for credit or just making sure they get repaired before everything is signed. If she's just looking for an excuse which it sounds like she may be it's just so unethical to try to get out of your deposit. That's why you pay it in the first place. It's a really low amount relatively speaking too. |
They need to ask for money or a credit to receive at closing. When we bought there was a major issue that was found, the sellers said they fixed it, we checked and it wasn't done to any standard. Our realtor went back and demanded money. We got it. They didn't want to put it on the market again. But our issues were not cosmetic or carpets, think plumbing, electric, etc. I spent more $ than we were given fixing the issues, but I wanted it done to a certain standard.
Also, did your friends use a real estate attorney? If they did maybe the attorney could look over the contract quickly for a small sum. I read everything we had to sign. Your friends should check over the contract. OP here. There are additional fixes she'll have to do that the agent conveniently left out of the work the seller was to do (a big one was removing carpet in half the house, which has to be done to help with the smoke smell). I think my friend was too trusting of her agent. And yes, the work that's been done badly is cosmetic, but at the same time, why should she be told the work would be done and then have to pay to redo it? |
OP here. There are additional fixes she'll have to do that the agent conveniently left out of the work the seller was to do (a big one was removing carpet in half the house, which has to be done to help with the smoke smell). I think my friend was too trusting of her agent. And yes, the work that's been done badly is cosmetic, but at the same time, why should she be told the work would be done and then have to pay to redo it? This is absolutely bizarre and they shouldn't have to remove the carpet. New owner can do it when they purchase it. |
They should have asked for money from the get-go or a credit. Two things can happen when a seller fixes something. 1. It is done cheaply / not done correctly /quick fix 2. They have to redo it several times because buyer not happy 3. Occasionally Done correctly.
I have heard 1 and 2 from friends and my former realtor many times! Have your friends ask for a credit and have them take pictures if the “work” they should have had estimates if the cost they can go back to in order to know how much credit to ask for. It’s in the realtor but it’s also on your friends for not doing their own research when buying a home. |
OP back again. People are right, I don't have all of the information, and the ones who said that my friend didn't read the contract are probably also correct. There's a walkthrough this weekend, and my friend is going to ask for money at closing to re-do the repairs.
Also to clarify, most of the work that my friend wanted done was to remediate the smoke smell (so, painting and replacing carpets). I personally would have passed on this house exclusively for that reason, but as I said before, there are a bunch of positive things about it, and my friend decided to overlook the gigantic glaring red flag of the smoke smell in the hopes that she would get the rest of what she wanted (house size and location). |
It's interesting when people say to never buy a house where a smoker lived. Odds are for any house that is at least 50 years old, a smoker probably lived in at one point. Smells do go away over time, and there are companies who specialize in getting the smell out -- though as your friend seems to know, paint and carpet are the biggest parts of it. Placing bowls filled with vinegar around the house can also help. |
Painting and carpet aren't going to fully remove the smoke smell. |
This is absolutely bizarre and they shouldn't have to remove the carpet. New owner can do it when they purchase it. You're an idiot. |
+1 Personally, I'd redo the interior walls. |
You need to remove everything down to the studs. |