4 Reasons to Leave Utilities on For New Owners

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Real Estate

4 Reasons to Leave Utilities on For New Owners

 

 

 

This morning I received an e-mail from one of my long-distance sellers. We had just accepted an offer and were now under contract. The seller explained that they decided to turn all of the utilities off. Say what?

 

 

 

After you get an accepted offer on your home, it is not the time to shut off your utilities. Below are four really good reasons why.

 

 

 

4 reasons you should leave your utilities on after signing a purchase agreement:

 

 

 

1) If you turn the water off and all of the landscaping dies you may be breaking your contract to keep the home in the same condition it was when the contract was written. 

 

 

 

 

2) You still have inspections to get through. The Inspector will need the utility services on for the Inspection Report. Every buyer has a right to these home inspections and they can make or break a real estate deal.

 

 

 

 

3) You may be breaking your contract with the buyer. Your contract may state that buyer requested Inspections and it may also state that the seller will be responsible for turning utilities on during these Inspections.

 

 

 

 

4) It's just courteous and creates a smoother transition from the negotiating table to the closing table.

 

 

 

 

Keeping the utilities on long enough for the new owner to be able to have the services turned over in their name is not only expected, but considered the right thing to do. Now, of course if the buyer does not take action after the closing, the seller has every right to shut things down.

 

 

 

Sometimes a little kindness is what a real estate transaction needs, so leave those utilities on!

 

 

 

Updated November 28th, 2017