Vox Day has an interesting post on his blog today about four homeowners that jumped the gun and ended up screwing themselves. He says:
From the Pioneer Press: “It was just devastating,” said Marlys Lundeen, her feet in gravel where her patio used to be. “Somebody owes us.”
Let me get this straight. Somebody offers to buy your house. Since the house is going to be destroyed to make way for a new strip mall, you ask if you can remove things from the house. Permission granted, your greed runs amok, you go nuts and rip out air conditioners, moldings, flooring, cabinetry and skylights. You do this with your very own hands. And then, the sale falls apart. Whose fault is it that you now own a half-ruined house?
Nobody owes you anything, lady. YOU DID IT TO YOURSELF! I’d feel bad about being so amused by this, if it weren’t for the all-too-typical attitude expressed here. The lesson: if it sounds too good to be true, it surely is.
Here’s an idea, write it into the purchase agreement that the seller has 48 hours after the close of the sale to salvage whatever they want from the house. If the buyer refuses, c’est la vie, you wouldn’t normally have that opportunity anyway.