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Will Wu
  • Rental Property Investor
  • West Palm Beach, FL
50
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81
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Is this seller playing games with me?

Will Wu
  • Rental Property Investor
  • West Palm Beach, FL
Posted Oct 14 2014, 20:11

I recently engaged in a negotiation to buy a portfolio of rental apartments from a seller whom just inherited these properties from her late father. The properties were off market. I contacted her to discuss if she might be interested to sell the whole portfolio and she immediately said she really wants to get rid off it because it is too much for her (a white woman with little kids) to deal with low income tenants in the "hood". I managed to get an appointment with her to discuss the price and terms. After a couple of weeks and some back and forth she finally told me the price she was wiling to sell. I agree to pay the price she asked because I believe it was a fair price. This is a 50+ units apartments deal for a seven figure cash deal. During all the negotiation I was very proactive calling her trying get the deal done. She never called me once (even when she always promised to call me a certain time). I felt like I was chasing her all the time. She just did not acted like a person interested to sell. I asked her many times if she is "really interested to sell" and she assured me she was but she is always so busy she does not have time to reply emails or phone calls (how busy can a person be that chooses to ignore a buyer willing to buy cash for seven figure deal and pay her full asking price).

Anyway, last Friday we agreed on the phone on the price. It was the price she wanted and she confirmed verbally that we have a deal. Then I proceeded to send her the sales contract on Friday giving her the weekend for her to go thru the terms. I called her 6 times on Monday and she finally answered my phone late afternoon confirming she received my contract and she will send to her attorney to review and get back to me tomorrow. Once again "tomorrow went by" and she did not called me back as promised and did not pick up her phone during the whole day. I finally got someone to pickup the phone at 7:30pm today. It was her husband and he told me she is at bed now and asked me to call her tomorrow during from 9:00 to 3:00pm (yeah but you guys never pickup the phone during that time). 

I'm an investor and I've done many transactions before and this is the first time that I'm dealing with a seller that does not respond professionally and does not pick up the phone or call you back. I've finally sent her an email today asking her to contact us if she still wants to close the deal or not otherwise we will take our money to pursue other deals. The only reason I have not quit this deal is because it is a good deal that fits our portfolio. I'd love to hear what do you guys think about this seller? What will you do in this situation?

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