Hi Value Market, I am not sure what you mean when you say we could have walked. Once the sales agreement was signed we could not walk without losing our down payment which was 10%. We had 10 days to get an inspection. We got two because the first inspector we felt did not work on our behalf. After the second inspector there were 2 cracks in the foundation and a number of cosmetic items that the seller did not have to fix. My point is that had we known this information before we put in an offer we would have offered less money than we did. We were not allowed the option to walk because we were under a sales agreement. In Illinois where we are from there is an attorney review period and once the inspection is completed there is a negotiation process between the buyer and the seller to determine who is going to pay for the work that was identified in the inspection report. Florida is very different. That is why I am writing this to help anyone who is coming here and may not understand some of the differences. Since we have been renting every person we have met has been exceptionally kind. I just feel bad that I did not realize that our agent from the Villages was not really representing us. I thought he was "our" agent. But all sales people in the Villages work on behalf of the Villages and do not look out for buyers which is very different from what I know or expected This is an important distinction because you can't count on them to interpret or explain the contract fully and when I asked for different terms my agents response was that is not what we do here. I like the Villages and I want to live here so I took him at his word. It was only after I spoke to the manager later that I learned on pre-owned homes you can change the agreement and he was wrong for example by telling me I could not change 10 days for inspection to 15 days. I agree with you that I was kind of a "dumb ass" about this but I have found this process very stressful. Retiring, selling my home, moving, leaving family and friends, being in a temporary rental have taken a toll on me and my thinking probably wasn't what it should be. But this sales agent fostered a relationship with us and I took him at his word that the contract had to be done the way it was written without being allowed to make changes. My goal in writing this is just to help others. You are right .... it is my fault...I am not trying to say I am a victim but I do want others to get some benefit from my mistakes.
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