After a long search you finally found your dream house. This is the property that you and your family plan to live in for the foreseeable future. After back and forth negotiations and possibly competition from other bidders you come out on top and the seller accepts your offer. All the terms have been agreed to including the price, closing date, and conditions. For many people this will be the largest purchase of their lives. You might have already sold your existing property in anticipation of moving in to your new home. You might have already made arrangements for a new job and enrolled your children in a new school. Then suddenly you receive notice that the seller is backing out of the deal and won’t close. All your plans are put on hold and your life is thrown into turmoil.
Sellers may refuse to close for a number of reasons, including:
- The real estate market has suddenly gotten hot and the seller now feels they have sold the property for too little and wants to back out
- The seller argues that the buyer did not fulfill their obligations under the agreement of purchase and sale
- Other parties (i.e. spouse, dependent) claim ownership or entitlement to the property and claim they never agreed to the sale
Whatever the excuse the seller provides for refusing to close, you may have the right to ask a court to force the completion of the sale and handover of the property. You may also have the right to sue the seller for damages. If the seller won’t close call real estate litigator Mark Yazdani for a free and confidential consultation regarding your case. 416-630-8880.