This article – Homeowners Trash Their Homes Before Handing Over the Keys -from the Real Estate Journal really hits a nerve with me.

A while back, we had a short sale in contract. Going through a short sale is no picnic – for the seller, the buyer or the agents. The deal is never done until the ink is dry.

In this situation, the holder of the second would not sign off on the deal – and they waited to the last possible second to say so. This in spite of all the national media spin they are spinning telling the public how they are bending over backwards to help homeowners in trouble.

The homeowner was so enraged that they removed many items from the remodel they were doing on the house including French doors, cannister lights and the new furnace.

The whole situation went from a bad situation to a neighborhood nightmare.

If you are considering purchasing a home through a short sale or a foreclosure – work with an agent, the anxiety and frustration you save yourself will be priceless.

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