5 Things Home Buyers Shouldn’t Expect Sellers to Be Ok With Before Closing Day

When you’re under contract to buy a house, it may be tempting to ask the seller for certain accommodations.

Sometimes sellers are super cool and agreeable with anything the buyer of their home requests during escrow. Others, not so much.

Obviously a lot depends upon the seller you’re dealing with, and the dynamics between you. But here are 5 common requests buyers make before closing day, that even the coolest seller may not agree to:

1) Endless Visits to the House

Of course the seller will expect you to need to get into the house for the necessary home inspections, and maybe even a pop-by or two for personal reasons. But some buyers think they can just ask to come over as much as they want to, and whenever they want to, to take measurements, get estimates from contractors, or even just to show their friends and family the home they’re buying.

Try to keep your need to swing by the house down to a minimum. The owner is still living there, and living their day-to-day life, on top of getting ready to move out. They don’t need a parade of people constantly coming through their home.

2) Moving in Early…

It’s not uncommon for a buyer to be in between places to live for a period of time before closing on a home. It could be because their lease ended, or the house they were selling closed sooner than the one they’re purchasing. No matter what the reason, it can be difficult and/or costly to find a short-term place to stay, so some buyers ask the seller if they can move in before closing day, and offer to pay rent for that time period.

That’s a tough request if a seller is trying to time their own move. But even if the seller has already moved out of the home you’re buying, they may not agree to let you move in early. While you may have no bad intentions, many sellers hesitate to agree to this because they don’t want to take on the legal risks involved with having a tenant, especially if the deal ends up falling apart before closing day.

3) …Even if It’s Just Some of Your Stuff

And that also goes for your belongings. They may have plenty of space in the garage, their attic, or basement, but that doesn’t mean they want you storing your stuff in it. Again, not only is it just the inconvenience or disruption it may cause in their lives, but it can also be that they just don’t want any legal issues if things go wrong before closing day.

4) That Also Applies to Deliveries

It’s pretty common for a piece of mail to be delivered to your new house before you even live there, since you’ll likely be changing your address ahead of time with many of the important contacts and services in your life. But deliberately sending things you’re ordering on Amazon and Wayfair to the house in order to save some effort on moving day is a no-no.

5) Getting a Head Start on Renovations

Whether the house is a fixer-upper, or move-in ready, there’s usually some kind of project a buyer wants to get done before they move in. But that paint job, or floor sanding should be scheduled for after the closing date.