Remember the old phrase that "it's not over til the fat lady sings"? Real estate transactions are like that often. Things happen, and they happen right up until the papers are signed. We have heard -almost- everything, but new stories keep popping up. There are issues of sellers getting cold feet, buyers getting sick, or having children who get sick, sudden job losses, sudden divorces or separations or reconciliations, financial issues arising, and nearly anything else that you could imagine.
That's why a calm attitude and a good sense of humor both go a long way toward making the experience better for everyone. Often it's the person who insists upon locking down the dates, who in the end can't meet them. Or the seller who won't let the buyers postpone the closing, and then is the one who can't get out in time. Given all of this, and more, I recommend that all parties expect at least one thing to go wrong (or maybe two or three things), so that they aren't thrown by a sudden change. I would say that it's less the exception than the rule that something in your new home will stop working, or start leaking, right after the closing. If you take that in stride, you'll be a lot happier. Try to make it into a good story, that will get everyone laughing at a future dinner party or family reunion, and see whether anyone else can top your entry into a contest. In our family, although it's not a real estate tale of woe, we can recount the day that one car caught on fire, one child got hit in a different car, by someone turning illegally, while the other child broke her arm, and the dog ran away. You can't help but laugh when you tell it!
So, if you are ever annoyed because your real estate agent is not outraged by a request, a change, or a problem, now you know why. We have memories of worse!
