'We did exactly what they wanted': First-time homebuyers upset due to ‘missing items’ previous owners tried to leave for them, too late to back out of the deal now

Author image for Elna McHilderson
Elna McHilderson • Managing Editor
Jan 27, 2024 6:00 PM EST

Sometimes you can repeat yourself a thousand times and be as crystal clear as possible, and someone will still misunderstand you. Like, how much more do you need to spell it out? You literally spelled it out with written words multiple times. You would think this only happens from time to time, but nope. It happens all the time! 

It seemed to happen recently when these veteran homeowners sold their house to some first-time homebuyers. Now, they're not trying to play the blame game here, where the words got confused, they don't know and, honestly, they don't care. They put everything in writing and they are in the clear. Now, the new homeowners are in a pickle, but that's just how the cookie crumbles sometimes. So, to give a quick synopsis, the house they sold has an inground pool and the new homeowners demanded the storage bins be removed or no sale. They tried to explain that those bins contained everything you needed to care for the pool, but their agent insisted that they be removed. So they did just that, and lo and behold, the new homeowners are confused about why the pool equipment was removed. It's too late to get them back now and too late to back out of the deal. What would you do if you were in the shoes of the home-seller or the homebuyer? Read the entire pickle below! 

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  • 01
    www N
    via Joe Shlabotnik via Flickr
  • 02
    AITA: Sold our house, new owners angry items are missing We sold our house in early December 2023.
    via u/Consistent_Place8923
  • 03
    The house has an in-ground pool and it was closed for the winter months prior to the sale. To hold all the pool equipment, we had two large deck boxes near the pool. These held things that most every pool owner needs: a vacuum hose/head, skimmer baskets/jets, chlorine containers, a submersible pump for the winter cover, a summer solar cover, and most importantly the filter unit. Everything was very neatly organized/stored for winter.
    via u/Consistent_Place8923
  • 04
    Closing day comes and the buyers do their walkthrough. We get a call from our realtor that there are still items left outside by the pool that need to be removed. We asked what items and they said the deck boxes. We said that the boxes contain the pool equipment which is why we left them behind. Well, the new owners wanted them removed. We asked if they just wanted the physical boxes removed and to instead leave the equipment in the garage but they said
    via u/Consistent_Place8923
  • 05
    they wanted it all gone. We had them send a request in writing (through email to both realtors, our lawyer, and to us) specifically and clearly stating what they wanted removed from the property. We replied that what they wanted removed was the pool equipment and they replied stating it had to be removed or no sale.
    via u/Consistent_Place8923
  • 06
    So we agreed and removed it. Our new house doesn't have a pool so I either sold or gave-away most of it, including the filter. Last week we got an email from the new owners/their realtor asking where the pool equipment was. We were super confused and forwarded them the email chain where they told us to get rid of it.
    via u/Consistent_Place8923
  • 07
    They apparently didn't realize the boxes contained the pool equipment and thought we were leaving behind things like floats/toys. We replied that we had stated multiple times that the boxes contained "the pool equipment" but they still wanted it removed. They asked for reimbursement because now they have to buy equipment and we said no; we did exactly what they wanted and that this is no longer our concern. Our lawyer says we are in the clear.
    via u/Consistent_Place8923
  • 08
    AITA? They looked to be first-time homeowners (likely never owned a pool) but we were really really clear on what was in those boxes.
    via u/Consistent_Place8923
  • 09
    SnooPets8873 - 3 hr. ago Certified Proctologist [20] NTA I'm baffled that their real estate agent didn't advise them on the need for the items in there but maybe they didn't read your email so didn't realize they were mediating an effort to throw away necessary equipment? But that's not relevant, it's just my curiosity working overtime on how they missed this between a presumably adult buyer and a real estate agent. But no,
    via u/SnooPets8873
  • 10
    it isn't your fault even by a "be nice to the people around you" standard, because you not only got confirmation that they wanted you to do it, you tried to stop them and also, it wasn't unreasonable to think that they might have had a reason for it like having a new set already from a gift or them feeling uncomfortable with used equipment. It's not the same as if they insisted you do something nuts like scuttle the water line or else the sale is off or some other nonsense like that.
    via u/SnooPets8873
  • 11
    gothfru 3 hr. ago Given they were willing to cancel the sale over two deck boxes, I wouldn't be surprised if their realtor just let them scrow themselves honestly. They sound....a little unhinged.
    via u/gothfru
  • 12
    SparklingDramaLlama 44 min. ago When we moved into our new house, previous owners left all sorts of things from socks to Mr & Mrs champagne glasses (divorcing couple, so that wasn't shocking), dish soap, Tupperware, lamps...we've found uses for most all of it.
    via u/SparklingDramaLama
  • 13
    ZoneLow6872. 2 hr. ago Do you know what deck boxes cost nowadays? I was pricing some. Even if they were EMPTY, they'd be valuable. New owners are idiots.
    via u/ZoneLow6872
  • 14
    boomhauersthong 2 hr. ago Partassipant [1] Right? I'd gladly do a trip or two to Goodwill to get rid of a bunch of pool floaties if it meant I got to keep two outdoor storage containers. Those can be a few hundred a pop.
    via u/boomhauersthong
  • 15
    Entire-Level3651 - 1 hr. ago Yeah like I'd be like "let me post whatever is in there on fb marketplace and make some pocket change" or "i don't need whatever is in there so I'll take it to the curb" but to threaten to cancel?? Yikes
    via u/Entire-Level3651
  • 16
    KSknitter 2 hr. ago Aficionado [19] I am sure when they did the walk through, they could have... opened... the ... boxes? Sounds like the house was empty except for these 2 boxes. I would totally look inside if I was looking at a house because it seems weird to not have a look.
    via u/KSknitter
  • 17
    Peliquin 45 min. ago Partassipant [2] I'm surprised they even *noticed* the boxes. It's an outdoor storage box, it wouldn't ping my radar. Maybe I'm not house-with-a-pool class, but part of the fun of buying a house is figuring out what silliness was left behind in random spots people forget about.
    via u/Peliquin
  • 18
    My_Poor_Nerves · 2 hr. ago I think OP went above and beyond to be nice anyway. Their actions worked as a CYA, but there seems to be a strong attitude of "Are you suurrree?" behind it
    via u/My_Poor_Nerves
  • 19
    gtrocks555 2 hr. ago Right, OP made sure to get it in writing and mentioned POOL EQUIPMENT. How you get pool floaties and toys from that? I'm not sure.
    via u/gtrocks555
  • 20
    Spiritual-Ad-9106 . 2 hr. ago Realtor never bothered to open the boxes to see what was in them? Guess who the new homeowners should be asking for reimbursement from.
    via u/Spiritual-Ad-9106
  • 21
    Tapingdrywallsucks. 2 hr. ago Preemptive TLDR: I'm willing to bet the agent never once told the buyers what was in the boxes (nor bothered to read the incoming emails in full) and just went with a sweeping, "THEY WANT THE BOXES GONE. DO AS I SAY AND I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANOTHER WORD ABOUT IT."
    via u/Tapingdrywallsucks
  • 22
    We've bought and sold a number of houses. The easiest was our last sale, because the buyers were friends with their agent and bought the house directly from us, no sellers agent. All questions were posed and answered between all 5 of us, not them to their agent to our agent to us, back to our agent to their agent to them.
    via u/Tapingdrywallsucks
  • 23
    It was glorious, and we've made friends with the couple who now own the house. Every time we've used an agent, one or the other of them would strike out on their own and make demands or command decisions that weren't fatal, but always irritating. Like the one who insisted on brushed nickel fixtures on a house we were buying. WTF? Why would you make a design decision for us? (it was a new build).
    via u/Tapingdrywallsucks
  • 24
    Or the agent who agreed (after the purchase agreement was signed) that we'd paint the dining room the same color as the living room on a sale. Also WTF? This was well before anyone expected you to do anything besides broom-clean and make major repairs. I'm not decorating for new buyers. Yes, we made the agent do the work.
    via u/Tapingdrywallsucks
  • 25
    On our most recent purchase, the inspection came back saying that the furnace, hot water heater, and roof had all reached end-of-life. The roof was obvious in photos, the other 2 functioned, but not flawlessly. We got quotes on replacing everything, and were going to ask the seller to split the cost with us, fully prepared for them to vehemently decline.
    via u/Tapingdrywallsucks
  • 26
    But our agent took it upon herself to tell the sellers we we wanted everything replaced on their dime or we would back out based on the inspection. The seller was pissed, and ranted to the neighbor about what we are, but agreed to the tune of 25K. He railed about how he just knew we were gonna take the money and run, and not do the repairs,
    via u/Tapingdrywallsucks
  • 27
    so we made sure to do the furnace and hot water heater right away, and the roof was done as soon as spring hit. We also made small talk with the neighbor (who remains close to the last owner), regarding also replacing the water softening system, sump pump/re-did the french drains, replaced the well pump, and basement window wells. Agents forget they're working for you.
    via u/Tapingdrywallsucks

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