Don't buy from Relatives (Long)

[Spyke^]

Stress release right?

Well I have a lot of stress and I'd like to release it, right off the side of my aunts head!!

A little background, my aunt had her house up for sale for quite a while and was having no success.
Her husband had his eye on another house and jumped the gun and went and bought the other house.
Now they had two houses and two mortages.
They decided that they would have to rent the first house until it sold.
I was in the market for a house and told them that I would rent it.
We got talking and they offered me the chance to do a rent-to-own deal where as all of the rent money would go directly to the principal.
I told them that I would be looking at two years before I could get the financing together to which they said it was fine with them.
Right on!!
This was in November.
In March they said that if I didn't buy the house at the end of two years, it would mean that they would be stuck trying to sell a house in November. They said that they would like to move up the date to mid summer.Oooook. I understand that, they then said May which would make it 18 months. Still, I understand and agreed.

So here it is August, which is ten months into the 18 and I told them I've been approved and am looking at a Spetember closing. Excellent right?
Wrong!! It's been nothing but a friggin battle ever since.
We had to enter into a purchase agreement.Standard proceedure.

My aunt talked to her lawyer and her lawyer said that to avoid costs that my aunt could draw up the purchase agreement herself and get me to sign it.
So she hands me this agrement, it's like five lines and jumps down my throat when I refuse to sign before my lawyer has a look at it.
My lawyer looks at it and tells me I'm crazy to sign that and using a standard form cuts and pastes one that he says is good for both of us.
Now keep in mind that I have never bought a house before or have had any dealings what so ever with a lawyer.
I give a copy to my aunt and her and her husband freak on me and we end up in a cursing and yelling match for half an hour.
They threatened me about four times saying that they were going to call the whole thing off and that I am costing them money because their lawyer will now have to look at this agreement,and that their mortage is due for refinancing next month ( like that's my fuckin' fault or has anything to do with me) and blah, blah..
Goes on and on about how they are trying to do me a favour and that I don't trust them.
Gee, they give me a piece of paper that is useless and expect me to sign it without consulting a lawyer and then bitch about having to spend $100.00 to get their lawyer to have to look at the new agreement.
I'm looking at $1200.00 lawyer fees and they are pissing at me over $100.00 which could hae been avoided if they would have had a proper agreement drawn up in the first place.

Oh yeah, before I had even handed them the new agreement he pipes up " If i can't understand this agreement the whole deal is off, I'm not going back and forth to my lawyer".
Also " We're not doing anything more to that house, you buy it as is". I said I'm still renting it and if something breaks down it is still your responsibility to fix it.


Over and over, like this is my fault. We want this house sold now!!
WTF?
Here I was thinking that I was doing the right thing but apparently according to them I'm screwing them over..
Opinions?

Btw, there is a house about five houses down from this one for sale at around the same price.
I'm one curse away from telling them to shove it and buy that one.
I love the house that I'm in but this is just a bit too much..

[YogsVR4]

Your doing the right thing. Stay with what your lawyers says. Otherwise you'll have these same arguements and it won't be over a few hundred bucks - it'll be over tens of thousands. Stick to your guns. Either they come on board or the deal falls through. Just be ready to walk away if it comes to that.

[dugie6551]

[Jet-Lee]

I'd have already walked, but that's just me. If they didn't like my agreement, on to the next guy.

[lamehonda]

Never doubt a relatives ability to screw you over and make you feel bad at the same time

[Spyke^]

Thanks for the replies guys.

The shitty thing is that I am living in the house that I am trying to buy.
If this were a house that I wasn't living in, say the house down the street, then cya!!
I don't really want to move but I will no worries about that.
I just do not understand what the problem is.
I worked my ass off to get where I am and I finally got myself in a position where the bank has said " Yes, go find a house".
So I have the money, you want to sell, I want to buy..wtf?
I'm beginning to think that there is something sneaky going on.
Really though, would this be happening if I were not her nephew and just Joe Blow off the street? Do you think that she would be saying and doing this crap to anyone else?
It's not like I'm buying a friggin' bike, this is a house that involves a lot of money here so forgive me for talking to a lawyer.
(Also, forgive me if I seem to be shitting on any of you guys. I'm venting, relieving stress so to speak towards my aunt not you .

Arrrgh, this should be one of the happiest things of my life, and instead I can't sleep and my friggin nerves are shot.
Yes I do realize that my problems are insignificant compared to someone who say, has to sleep in a box, but this is just retarded.

[YogsVR4]

Having bought homes - its always stressful. You cannot spend that kind of money, go through all that paperwork and not get stressed out by the process. Its a rare thing if the buyer and seller aren't stressed out. The fact its your relatives means they seem to feel free to dump on you.

Hope it all works itself out and you can get the deal done the way you want

[Raz_Kaz]

Not everyone that buys something from a relative gets screwed over....

[lamehonda]

I am sure you are talking about the clipse you just got.

[Raz_Kaz]

/\ You got it BIATCH!!!!

[twospirits]

Like Yogs said, stick to your guns and listen to your lawyer. I would also add to get a home inspection before signing any papers. You never know what the home inspector might find that could mess you up in the future. Whatever the home inspector finds not to your liking you can then use that to reduce the price and or have them fix it if they want to sell. They can't throw you out cause I think every city/town has a set of rules to protect the renter, but I could be wrong in that.

Good luck.

TS out

[Oz]

Walk away now.

[carnut]

Didn't read the whole thread, but my basic rule is, don't mix business with friends and relatives, it usually doesn't work out.

[KatWoman]

Doing business with family n friends can almost always be a guaranteed disaster.

I was very fortunate though, my mom & I are close. For the last several years up until last year I had been renting her old house. Then she got remarried and told me that she would like to have the house sold in another 2 years. So I offered that if the house was to be sold eventually why don't I just buy it? So we agreed on a price. My stepdad had even suggested selling it to me for a "good price" so that we could keep it in the family and I could improve my credit. Everything worked out wonderfully. No realtors, and since I work for lawyers etc, we got a nice bill of sale and house titles drafted up and what not.

My mom and stepdad are probably the only people in the family I could actually have a deal with that would work out this smoothly. My siblings and other family members on the other hand.......................uh we'll not got there

[boingo82]

Originally Posted by YogsVR4

Having bought homes - its always stressful. You cannot spend that kind of money, go through all that paperwork and not get stressed out by the process. Its a rare thing if the buyer and seller aren't stressed out. ..

This is true. I think the idea is to go through so much hell that by the closing, you don't even want the goddamn house. Then it all works out.

Sounds like you are right here, stick to your guns. And congrats on buying a house.