Seller Stunned After Couple Who Bought Their Home Demands They Leave Lawn Decor And Do Landscaping

Buying and selling a home is best left to the professionals.

There are many pitfalls in a do-it-yourself situation.

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But even with real estate agents involved, some people still cause problems.

A home seller dealing with problematic buyers turned to the "Am I The A**hole" (AITA) subReddit for feedback.

Just_A_RN asked:

"AITA for not leaving my planters or landscaping my lawn when I move?"

The original poster (OP) explained:

"So I'm moving soon. I bought a house, and I can't wait!"

"Recently, the people who bought my current house stopped over at my house, which I always thought was a no-no unless you are selling to people who you actually know. Which is not the case here."

"I was always under the impression you are not supposed to have any contact between the parties because if there is anything that needs to be discussed, it goes through the agents. If you are selling to someone you know, then, of course, it's different."

"But this is not the case. So, to me, they have done a couple of things wrong."

"The reason for their visit was because they want me to leave my lawn decorations including my planters,  and they also want me to landscape the lawn for them. They said they saw pictures of the lawn last year, which was one of the selling points."

"We have a yearly lawn contest, and I won last year. The buyers saw the pictures in the park office."

"And they want me to do this at no extra cost to them."

"I plan on doing a mowing and weed wacking. A general lawn cleanup. I assured the buyers that the house was going to look nice and presentable."

"I told them no, that the planters were very expensive, and the cost to buy the plants and do the landscaping work was more than I wanted to take on when I have a new lawn that I need to take care of."

"Everything that is in the ground is staying. I asked why they thought I would leave the planters when they already signed the contract."

"They said they were thinking more and more about it since they did the walk-through and loved the color and style. I told them the contracts are final, and nothing is changing."

"But if they wanted, I would leave the information about where I bought them. I think they are just wanting something for nothing."

"They said they may need to back out of the sale if that's the case."

"Here's the thing. I know a few things about real estate. My mother and her husband work in real estate, and so I have picked up on a few things."

"When all this started, I made it clear that all I was leaving was the stove, microwave (over the range), dishwasher, washer, and dryer, and swapping out the refrigerators. The refrigerator at the new house will be left at my current house and my current refrigerator goes to the new house."

"The planters go with me. They were difficult purchases because of how expensive they were."

"I have always struggled with spending money, and those were the first things I purchased, and I didn't have any buyer's remorse. I already had one broken by the neighborhood kids, and it almost went to court to get the parents to replace it."

"So, yeah. They go with no matter what."

"They agreed to all this. Everything else goes with me. They signed and accepted the agreement."

"Both houses are under contract, and if they were to try and pull out of the sale, then I can exercise a no-cancellation clause. I could either sue them or force the sale of the house on them."

"I told them this as well. I also told them it's a small lawn, and between the two of them, it wouldn't take long to do, and they can add their own touches."

"They called me an a**hole."

"And one of my neighbors told me I should just do it to leave the house on a good note. I think the only reason the neighbor is on their side is because he doesn't want me to move.

"But I did tell him to help them since he really does nice work. His lawn looks better than mine."

"I told them I'm already leaving on a good note because I'm scrubbing all the rugs, washing the windows, and painting and fixing holes aside from just the general deep cleaning."

"I contacted my agent and he has assured me that I'm in the right. He contacted the agent for the buyers and explained the situation. He told the other agent that if they tried to cancel the sale, they would be fined a heavy cancellation fee."

"The thing is that neither agent is making much money. We are so far into the sale that canceling at this point would cost them more than anything."

"I'm selling a double-wide modular that I rehabbed. It's not going for a lot. But it's going for enough that it will at least help with moving expenses and setting up my new house."

"Anyway my agent told their agent that they will have no further communication with me and that it all goes between the two agents."

"We are two weeks away from closing, so long past any point of being able to cancel without any issues."

"I have handed it all over to my agent to deal with. He told me that there is nothing to worry about."

"So AITA for not leaving my planters and landscaping when I move?"

The OP summed up their situation.

"I'm moving soon, and the buyers of my current house have asked me to leave my planters and landscape the house for the season. I have told them no because I won't have the time and there is no extra financial incentive. On top of that, the planters were extremely expensive, and I don't want to give them up.

Redditors weighed in by declaring:

• NTA - Not The A**hole
• YTA - You're The A**hole
• NAH - No A**holes Here
• ESH - Everyone Sucks Here

Redditors decided the OP was 

"NTA. I would also have contacted my listing agent and talked to them about this. That buyer should NOT be coming around talking to you about anything outside the contract." ~ carl63_99

"This is absolutely not OK. And unless the planters were included in the contract amongst the chattels—anything not affixed to the property—after negotiating it, they go. And fancy having the cheek to ask someone to landscape before leaving!" ~ drowningindarkness-

"Chattels are anything that isn't 'affixed' to the property. Furniture. Rugs. Lamps."

"Fixtures are things that are fixed to the property like wall-mounted towel racks, light covers, carpets etc..."

"Installed curtain rods are fixtures because they're attached to the wall. Curtains are chattels."

"Most contracts only include chattels if they're written into the contract."

"And it has to be specified, unless the property is being left with EVERYTHING like a home being sold after the owner's death with no heirs. The contract may include something like 'the property and all related extant chattels at time of final inspection'." ~ TrashPandaLJTAR

"NTA. If the sales contract did not say that planters were being left, there is NO obligation to do so. Landscaping the lawn is the new owner's responsibility (again unless there is a provision saying otherwise, which would be weird, but very noticeable)."

"They are demanding what they want, NOT what they are entitled to. Tell the neighbor he can help them and be on great terms with his new neighbors, if you even speak to them again." ~ catskilkid

"The buyers are ridiculous. Planters are not part of a home sale, and their request about the lawn is delusional."

"You're right, they cannot back out now without consequences. NTA, this isn't your problem." ~ ImpossibleReason2204

"NTA. It's literally part of the contract as to what stays and what goes. If they wanted the planters, they should have stated that in the contract."

"And that's why you have a contract because it prevents this type of thing."

"I would figure out an estimate on the planters or find similar planters that they can purchase."

"I mean, it's too bad there's not companies or people they could hire to do the landscaping and lawn care. Like a landscaping company.... Oh wait! I think there are a few out there."

"Tell your neighbor if they want to buy them new planters to build good will, they're welcome to,  but wanting to give away your stuff to their new neighbors is not something you're going to do."

"They're trying to threaten you and I really doubt they're going to back out on a contract because of this. It's going to cost them and they still have to find another house to buy—probably without a real estate agent."

"If they do, my guess is they really want out of the contract for some other reason and they're using this as an excuse." ~ CanIStopAdultingNow

The OP provided an update:

"I just got off the phone with my real estate agent and he is saying that it's under control. They will have to follow though with the sale."

"This is what they don't understand. The landscaping is done. What they don't seem to realize is that when they did the walk-through and stopped over, it was April, and nothing had bloomed yet."

"I have this beautiful lilac bush on my front lawn. It's one of my favorite things, and I have to leave it behind."

"The only thing that hasn't been done is the planters, and initial yard clean up. I told them when I leave, they will have a cleaned-up lawn. It will be mowed, weeded, and weed wacked."

"That's all I'm doing."

"All the plants, bushes, and everything not planter-related are done. They just haven't bloomed yet."

"They started all this drama over the planters they were never going to get."

Alls well that ends well. Hopefully, these new home buyers learned something about contracts and negotiations.