If Your House Can’t Be Sold Why Should I List It?

If your house Can’t be sold, I can’t list it!

I was looking for a 55 inch flat screen TV.  I went to the Internet and began my search.  The TV’s had all different amenities.  Some had split screen, some enhanced audio, the screens were made using LED technology, OLED Technology and TFT Technology.  They differed with the inputs and outputs, their ability to record, save, beam and deliver recorded video into other rooms in the house.  I spent 4 weeks going to stores like HHGregg, I went to the discounters like Walmart, even the high end boutique AV retailer that has to buzz me in before I can enter the store.

I made my decision, after months of investigation, countless hours on the net, gallons and gallons of gas driving from store to store, I was Buying the LG 55 inch, on the perfect stand at the perfect price. THEN… Much to my surprise the EXACT TV I was looking to buy was on sale, at the very moment I was ready to buy. Can you feel my excitement?  All my hard work, all those countless hours with salespeople getting all their knowledge for free, Sundays at Best Buys with Free customer coffee and donuts, The weeks of Free “loaner” try then buy TV’s and in the blink of an eye, the “Salesperson” and the store I was going to buy was instantly replaced by an entity I never even considered, they came out of the blue, the price was not to be believed and for the exact set. (Sound Familiar if the players were different)?

Can you feel my excitement? It was Sunday morning, my wife and I rented a moving truck so we could bring our new purchase home.  We invited friends to help us unpack it, set it up and get it ready for the game.  We drove the truck to the store, it was 9:54, the store opened at 10:00.  We stood outside the store glaring as the manager stood holding the keys in his hand, waiting until exactly 10:00am staring back with his self appointed big-shot, I have the keys and you don’t glare, that gets under my skin. But I digress!  At 10:00:01 we entered the store, grabbed a flat bed cart, wheeled it over to the TV section and picked up our new 55 Inch Flat Screen TV, ahhh like the name on the TV, Life is Good! We navigate our way to the checkout counter, and we meet Maryellen, the cashier.  She scans our TV and our excitement builds. THEN, the frown comes to Maryellen’s face followed by the bad news.  She states that she apologizes but she cannot sell us the set because it appears as though LG has an outstanding issue or lawsuit and until that is settled, discontinued or ended that TV cannot be sold.  I explain that I have wasted countless hours in search of my purchase, I go on to mention the amount of gas we have spent and the fact that the moving truck is outside and my house is full of people waiting to see our new purchase.  Maryellen tells us that it is not her fault, she didn’t put the lawsuit there, the creditor did, she is just the messenger, and we shouldn’t kill her.  She goes on to say that there are plenty of other sets to choose from and if and when I do she will gladly let me know, at time of checkout if that set is free and clear and available for purchase.  I ask, why not perfect the ability to sell the product before you offer it for sale?  She says she guesses that they learned that from the Real Estate industry.

I have owned Family Abstract, Inc, a title insurance company licensed in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Florida for 26 years.  I cannot for the life of me understand why the seller is not responsible to perfect their title prior to entering into a listing contract.  Why should buyers and their Real Estate Agents spend time and money even considering a property that can’t ultimately be sold? How many 11th hour issues cropped up at the table that could have been avoided with a policy that could be bound for successors in title? The buyers could reimburse the seller for the cost of the policy at time of escrow or closing.  Imagine walking into a home with your buyers and on the kitchen table is a Title Policy, or let’s really go crazy and say that there is an appraisal and a home inspection there too, is that to easy? Does that remove most of the last minute canceled closings? Why not just put the horse back in front of the cart.

Stop with the Ready, Fire… Aim and instead go… Ready, Aim and Fire.

In my world, I want to be hired by the seller prior to them listing their home and be able to place a final policy that is assigned to the buyer and then reimbursed by the buyer to the seller at time of escrow or closing.  I am working with my underwriters on this proposal, and I would really like your thoughts.