A voice of reason from Jacque. I would agree that there is no legal requirement, but I think it just shows a bit of a mean spirit to not at least mow the grass one last time and pull some weeds if needed. How bad can it have got since signing the papers?
As a vendor, I would hate to disappoint them when they love the house as we presented it because I have been on the other end of it.
I have seen and experienced the sour taste of this scenario. As a buyer it makes me disappointed in the vendor and kills any goodwill I felt. Don't forget, these people are going to be the ones who will forward on the mail, badmouth you to your old neighbours and who will always feel a bit let down, all for the sake of a lawn mow.
I have also been on the other end, where our purchaser's brother was acting as solicitor, and who was such an obnoxious tosser that we took the newspaper full page feature from 1932 that featured the house, and which we had a framed copy of that they had admired. We had planned on leaving the photocopy for them with a bottle of champagne and a nice note for them to enjoy their new house.
Because of the brother trying to screw us down on price after signing, and which we agreed to so as not to lose the house we really wanted, all goodwill went out the window.
To further ram home his requirement that we reduce the price by $2K (so they could have a small win - we got them up $2K from their initial offer
), the brother even quoted in his letter that the cubby house (made from packing crates) was not up to building code
......
Our solicitor (who also had major issues dealing with the solicitor brother) told us that it was a chattel and to remove it if we wished. We did that, and left a hole in the lovely garden and they then looked from the back deck and kitchen/family room into the ugly back of the neighbour's shed, with stacks of old pots etc. They had a son six months later. Pity about the fantastic cubby. I'll bet the woman was cranky with her brother. They really shot themselves in the foot.
I sometimes ponder on whether they spent days in the State Library searching through newspaper after newspaper looking for that magic full page spread featuring their house.
I didn't like being mean, as it is not in my nature, but they ruined the enjoyment of the sale for us, not the financial stuff, but the showing of themselves as being mean and tricky. I wanted to leave things for them, including our good wishes for their future in the house we had loved, but they ruined it.
My husband has not got a mean bone in his body, and about six months after selling to them, we saw them at a local auction. The solicitor brother wanted to buy it, missed out (pity!!) and my hubby invited them back to our house for a cuppa. I nearly wet myself. They declined, but what a man my hubby is. He doesn't hold a grudge
.
