[LAFwUs]

I'm am more than a bit displeased and not sure how to proceed.
Brief background:
We are current 1yr residents of the Villages, on a LT lease on the farthest south end's new construction for the sake of finding what/where we wanted to be.
Found a VLS home in the north end that checked most of the boxes and proceeded with purchase at the beginning of Sept.
Seller bumped the close out to 60 days after accepting our offer, citing they "needed more time" we agreed w/out complaint, even though the slipped in extension was not appreciated.
In fact, needs to be noted, we went with the flow at every step. Not a single complaint voiced, not a single thing asked from anyone.

Literally everything got pushed back to the very last minute, as in the last 2 weeks. No time cushion at all.
VLS "assistant" would constantly pipe us totally wrong info, then take a week to reply, if at all when we asked for clarification. we just rolled with the bs.
Home was literally just cleared of belongings this past weekend (or 56 days post offer acceptance) Some repairs were done very sloppy/shoddy and other things to have been repaired (badly leaking outside spigot being 1) still not done at all.
We were also told home would be "thoughly cleaned to VLS standards" by start of this week! Anyway,

Today was closing day.

Closing time was pushed back 2hrs due to weather. No biggy. Understood.
Closing location was then changed 1 hr before new closing time.
We were not told any of this BTW, had to find it all out on our own. Still trying to go with the flow and adjust accordingly, but the no preemptive contact from anyone starting to not sit well.

No one shows up at the now revised closing time & location, except the title clerk and us, despite being told repeatedly, they'd all be there and everyone knew the new time/location.
The weather was not an issue by then, we drove it, the title clerk made it from outside the villages, bank staff was there no issue, in fact it had stopped raining hours earlier.
Title clerk just wanted to go home, but least she showed.
Kudos for that.
Sales office where we were to get our new gate cards & rez IDs post closing (original closing location), would not let us in, even though there were people inside and we were told we were "excepted". It was 2 hrs before their posted close time. Grrrr.

So, I sit here, end of the "big day" we waited 2 months for.....,
I have No KEYS, garage remotes, etc to our new house.
(because neither agent showed at close)
The house has not been cleaned out, as promised.
House still has belonging in it we ask to have removed.
Some repairs not done.
*Inside was trashed during the move out (nails and screws from wall decorations being pulled out, littered every floor, literally hundreds of holes & scratches in the walls, dirt, clumps of pet hair & debris everywhere, including a small amount of junk we asked to have removed during the walk thru last monday..none of it has been corrected or remedied.

Our agent txt says "another week" to get a cleaning crew over, but I was told "I have to arrange" that thru the sellers agent - whose name & contact we were never provided, despite our asking.

I don't know when we are to get keys, etc. Have to now drive back down to get ID cards in addition to all this.
Not a single congrats or made to feel welcome at all by anyone, just a big fat nothing at almost every turn....SMH.

I'm not sure where to go from here?
Do I escalate these issues to a higher level and if so, whom?
Certainly this is not how it is..is it?
Advice appreciated. thnx.

[Velvet]

When you look back on this day, you will say I bought my house in the middle of a hurricane. You could nick name your new home as “Nick or Nicole”.

I had a hard time getting my keys too, to the point I wrote on the Title company’s invoice that I will pay them WHEN I get the keys as my real estate agent wanted to look after my home while I was a snowbird and the agent simply wouldn’t part with the keys. The Title company said it had nothing to do with them and I said if no keys I won’t pay. They called the broker, what’s going on? I got my keys they got paid etc. The house was not clean, I hired someone, loved the home, it was worth it. Hubby pulled the nails, color matched the rooms, fixed the small problems. I cleaned inside, but found help easily later. I had a home inspector check the home before my offer and again before I moved in. A few things had to be done and they were or I’d let the Title company know. Lol, I know, it had nothing to do with them, but the more visible you make your situation, the more help you get.

Good luck, in a few months you will chuckle about all this.

[retiredguy123]

Sorry that happened. But, if you signed the papers, you own the house. I wouldn't have signed. I also wouldn't have delayed the closing for 60 days or given permission for the seller to leave anything in the house. There is not really much you can do now, except that you can remove the belongings and change the locks. One thing that I would clarify is that, as a buyer, you don't have an agent.

[Two Bills]

For the life of me I cannot understand why you completed the purchase
You have basically agreed too, and accepted the situation.
Go to main Villages VLS office as soon as it opens.
Find the head honcho, and get an answer.
You want the organ grinder, not the monkey.
Forget Phones, emails. etc. get a person in front of you, and don't leave until you get it sorted.
JMO.

[Dotneko]

Wait, you actually signed the closing papers? I would not have and put up a stink - threatening non performance, financial damages, anything to get attention.
Id still do it today, though your position is much weaker today than it was yesterday. But threatening to publicize the whole thing including naming names might get a fire lit under someone.
Sorry, but you have been way too accommodating throughout. Squeaky wheel and all that....

[BrianL99]

Originally Posted by LAFwUs

I'm am more than a bit displeased and not sure how to proceed.
Brief background:
We are current 1yr residents of the Villages, on a LT lease on the farthest south end's new construction for the sake of finding what/where we wanted to be.
Found a VLS home in the north end that checked most of the boxes and proceeded with purchase at the beginning of Sept.
Seller bumped the close out to 60 days after accepting our offer, citing they "needed more time" we agreed w/out complaint, even though the slipped in extension was not appreciated.
In fact, needs to be noted, we went with the flow at every step. Not a single complaint voiced, not a single thing asked from anyone.

Literally everything got pushed back to the very last minute, as in the last 2 weeks. No time cushion at all.
VLS "assistant" would constantly pipe us totally wrong info, then take a week to reply, if at all when we asked for clarification. we just rolled with the bs.
Home was literally just cleared of belongings this past weekend (or 56 days post offer acceptance) Some repairs were done very sloppy/shoddy and other things to have been repaired (badly leaking outside spigot being 1) still not done at all.
We were also told home would be "thoughly cleaned to VLS standards" by start of this week! Anyway,

Today was closing day.

Closing time was pushed back 2hrs due to weather. No biggy. Understood.
Closing location was then changed 1 hr before new closing time.
We were not told any of this BTW, had to find it all out on our own. Still trying to go with the flow and adjust accordingly, but the no preemptive contact from anyone starting to not sit well.

No one shows up at the now revised closing time & location, except the title clerk and us, despite being told repeatedly, they'd all be there and everyone knew the new time/location.
The weather was not an issue by then, we drove it, the title clerk made it from outside the villages, bank staff was there no issue, in fact it had stopped raining hours earlier.
Title clerk just wanted to go home, but least she showed.
Kudos for that.
Sales office where we were to get our new gate cards & rez IDs post closing (original closing location), would not let us in, even though there were people inside and we were told we were "excepted". It was 2 hrs before their posted close time. Grrrr.

So, I sit here, end of the "big day" we waited 2 months for.....,
I have No KEYS, garage remotes, etc to our new house.
(because neither agent showed at close)
The house has not been cleaned out, as promised.
House still has belonging in it we ask to have removed.
Some repairs not done.
*Inside was trashed during the move out (nails and screws from wall decorations being pulled out, littered every floor, literally hundreds of holes & scratches in the walls, dirt, clumps of pet hair & debris everywhere, including a small amount of junk we asked to have removed during the walk thru last monday..none of it has been corrected or remedied.

Our agent txt says "another week" to get a cleaning crew over, but I was told "I have to arrange" that thru the sellers agent - whose name & contact we were never provided, despite our asking.

I don't know when we are to get keys, etc. Have to now drive back down to get ID cards in addition to all this.
Not a single congrats or made to feel welcome at all by anyone, just a big fat nothing at almost every turn....SMH.

I'm not sure where to go from here?
Do I escalate these issues to a higher level and if so, whom?
Certainly this is not how it is..is it?
Advice appreciated. thnx.

& that folks, is why amateurs should use Lawyers when purchasing real estate.

[Malsua]

The hurricane really screwed it all up for you. I would have probably just asked them to push it back a few days, but so it goes.

That said, If you signed, you own it. Go to home depot, but a couple deadbolts and either break into the home or get a locksmith to open it for you and change the locks.

You should change the locks anyway since you never know who might have a key.

As far as the trash and garbage, there's always something. Just clean it up and move on. If there was a list of agreed upon fixes, hold them accountable. If you don't have it in writing, don't expect anyone to fix problems unless you nag them relentlessly.

You should have done a walk-thru just prior to close. You could have made notes and had it addressed and held off signing until an agreement was made.

At this point though? It's yours, go enjoy it and waiting for other people is just going to be frustrating.

[walterray1]

Originally Posted by Malsua

The hurricane really screwed it all up for you. I would have probably just asked them to push it back a few days, but so it goes.

That said, If you signed, you own it. Go to home depot, but a couple deadbolts and either break into the home or get a locksmith to open it for you and change the locks.

You should change the locks anyway since you never know who might have a key.

As far as the trash and garbage, there's always something. Just clean it up and move on. If there was a list of agreed upon fixes, hold them accountable. If you don't have it in writing, don't expect anyone to fix problems unless you nag them relentlessly.

You should have done a walk-thru just prior to close. You could have made notes and had it addressed and held off signing until an agreement was made.

At this point though? It's yours, go enjoy it and waiting for other people is just going to be frustrating.

have you ever purchased a home before? Sorry for all that but really. How and why did you sign papers when the other side was not there? Something doesn't make sense.

[oldtimes]

So sorry to hear that you went through this. Our VLS agent was the best. We closed from up north and she made sure that we had everything we needed. She also made sure that everything on the inspection list was taken care of. She sent us many pictures. Our close in The Villages went a lot more smoothly than our close up north. Some VLS agents are much better than others and we were lucky to get her.

[ElDiabloJoe]

Sounds to me like you bought from one of three different Sellers:
1. A person(s) getting evicted and leaving unwillingly;
2. A person(s) under financial duress who did not want to leave willingly;
3. A person(s) amidst a divorce or relationship breakup who did not wish to leave willingly.

Regardless of which, the above advice is exactly right. Since you signed and it is essentially fait accompli at this point, you can either choose to be bitter and hateful, or be happy it is done and move on with lock changing, cleaning up, repairing, etc. to make it "yours" and put this unfortunate experience in your rearview mirror.

Either way, good luck, and CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NEW (to you) HOME !!!!!

[shut the front door]

Originally Posted by Malsua

The hurricane really screwed it all up for you. I would have probably just asked them to push it back a few days, but so it goes.

That said, If you signed, you own it. Go to home depot, but a couple deadbolts and either break into the home or get a locksmith to open it for you and change the locks.

You should change the locks anyway since you never know who might have a key.

As far as the trash and garbage, there's always something. Just clean it up and move on. If there was a list of agreed upon fixes, hold them accountable. If you don't have it in writing, don't expect anyone to fix problems unless you nag them relentlessly.

You should have done a walk-thru just prior to close. You could have made notes and had it addressed and held off signing until an agreement was made.

At this point though? It's yours, go enjoy it and waiting for other people is just going to be frustrating.

The hurricane has nothing to do with it. All the hurricane caused what a slight change in time and location. Did the hurricane cause the previous owners to not clean up their mess? Did the hurricane cause agents to ignore their obligations?
Sorry, for your experience, OP. I guess you see what being nice gets for you.

[Papa_lecki]

How was the pre closing walkthrough?
If the stuff was still there and the house wasn’t cleaned, that’s on the SELLER, not the VLS agent.
Not sure why you settled without an agent and the keys. But the agent got his/her commission.

You own the house, don’t expect it to get cleaned out or cleaned.
Find a service to get the stuff out, and enjoy
Congratulations on the house.

[asianthree]

Guessing the agent knew what you were walking into, and choose not to participate. Sadly you were not the winner, agent got their commission, guessing neither care about their reputation.

[Papa_lecki]

Originally Posted by asianthree

Isn’t there a Code of Ethics, for MLS? If there wasn’t any keys would not have signed. Guessing the MLS agent knew what you were walking into, and choose not to participate. Sadly you were not the winner, MLS agent got their commission, guessing neither care about their reputation.

Not MLS, he said he used a VLS agent.

[LAFwUs]

Thank you for those that have helped by reply & congrats.
After way too much BS, we are supposed to meet to get keys, etc this evening.
Cleaning & repairs I suppose are on us at this point. Given how other things have been handled on the sellers side/agent, that's probably for the best.

As far as the pre-close walk thru; that was conducted this past monday. It was the 1st time we had seen the house void of 20yrs of personal items inside. We noted the issues of concern and we were "assured" at that time, the remaining item removals, cleaning, repairs, etc would be handled before close!
That was 57 days into the 60 day process and 3 days before any storm arrived. So yes, that doesn't make sense why it wasn't done.

We were not told, none of that had not been done - until after close.

Since no one showed up for close as repeatedly promised and we had to jump thru constantly changing last minute hoops, just to get that done, we had no access to the house to see one way or another and as of the time of this writing - still dont. Hopefully tonight.

Regarding the seller, she is out of state (so I'm told). All matters were done via her VLS selling agent. All her signings were done electronically. We have purchased two previous properties in WA state, never once had the seller attend closing, but agents did attend and all things were done well before that particular date without hiccup.
The whole process was filled with lots of final hour BS, tons of unkept promises and the whole "trust us, we're the villages, we got this!", which has lead us to where we are now....

A previous reply, said it best - we were simply too accommodating and this was the result.
Lesson Learned!
Perhaps this thread can serve as a warning to others.