Homeowners sell house, new owner demands they mow the lawn at 9 PM the day before closing: 'We have had weekly lawn service'

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Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
Sep 28, 2026 2:00 PM EDT

How many things can you demand when you buy a home?

There is nothing like the opportunity for a fresh start with a new property, but at the same time, the stress of going through a move is second to none. As if the constant negotiating and paperwork that comes from buying a house wasn't enough, you have to pack up every last thing you own and make sure that the place you are leaving is a decent state for it to be passed on to another owner.

Many people who go through the experience of selling their home find that the euphoria of getting somebody to buy it can quickly make way for frustration as they prepare for their move and make demands about the place they want to move into. It is the last thing that anybody wants to do when they are ready to move on. Nonetheless, there can be undesirable consequences if this kind of thing gets ignored. Nobody wants to deal with the fallout from buyer drama when they want to focus on their own next steps, either. It is tricky to find the sweet spot that is less stressful for everybody involved.

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  • A white house with a large lawn and a ‘for sale’ sign out front.
    via Paris Bilal (Unsplash+)

    A white house with a large lawn and a 'for sale' sign out front. Recreated scenario included to enhance reader understanding.  
     

  • A couple was happy to have finally sold their house and was getting ready to close the deal. However, their realtor called them the evening before and informed them that the buyer had driven by and was not happy with how the lawn looked. They wanted them to mow it before they closed.

    The sellers did not feel like this was an unreasonable request, not least because they had a landscaper work on the lawn on a weekly basis. They weren't sure what their rights were in terms of responding to the buyer.

  • The day before closing and seller wants us to mow the lawn

    Is this normal? It's our first time selling a house. We received a text from our realtor at 9pm saying the buyer drove by today and thinks "the grass is long." We have had weekly lawn service and
    via sunkissedinfl
  • never stopped it when we put the house on the market. It was last mowed on Friday. What's our obligation here? My husband is ped. Is this a reasonable request?
    via sunkissedinfl
  • Close-up of a lawn with a black ‘keep off the grass’ sign.
    via Gunnar Ridderström

    Close-up of a lawn with a black 'keep off the grass' sign. Image for illustrative purposes.
     

  • It didn't have to be an obligation for them.

    Mysterious_Error9619 No obligation. They ain't backing out over it. And it can't be irresponsibly long if it was cut 5 days ago. They are just making a power play because they don't have a lawn mower or a service yet. Ignore your realtor. Don't even respond to your realtor. They
    via Mysterious_Error9619
  • should know better. If your realtor thinks deal will fall through and they'll lose their commission, trust me...they'll get the grass cut themselves.
    via Mysterious_Error9619
  • NoliaButtercup We have it mowed every Friday. If we still own the house on Friday, we'll mow it again then.
    via NoliaButtercup

  • It was something they could do themselves.

    pooppaysthebills It's not a reasonable request, no. It was made less than 24 hours before closing. It's less than a week of growth.
    via poppaysthebills
  • It's grass. It's not an expensive fix. If the realtor wants it mowed before close, they can pay to have it mowed.
    via poppaysthebills
  • Any_Ring_3818 You don't have an obligation. After tomorrow, its their problem. I would encourage your realtor to tell the buyers to lose your number after tomorrow cause it sounds like they are going to be a handful.
    via Any_Ring_3818

  • They could protest.

    ciscopete Mow a middle finger in the lawn. Lol
    via ciscopete
  • Sharp-Direction-6894 Call your realtor at 2am and tell him no. It MUST BE AT 2AM.
    via Sharp-Direction-6894
  • Burghpuppies412 Lots of snippy answers, but I really do think the best response is to tell them your service cuts the lawn once a week, it was cut last Friday, and here's their number if you'd like to contact them. The lawn is no longer your concern.
    via Burghpuppies412

  • The sale still went ahead.

    UPDATE: We closed! I did not expect this to get so much attention but thank you to everyone for your responses. It made us feel much better because we were seriously doubting ourselves last night. We did reply to the realtor with photos of the cut lawn. To the agent's credit, they also
    via sunkissedinfl
  • think this is a ridiculous ask but at the same time still asked us to "compromise" by having the lawn cut a day early. We will not be asking our landscaper to drop everything with virtually no notice to do this but we did tell them he comes on Fridays and forwarded his contact information. Appreciate all the replies!
    via sunkissedinfl

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lawn mower selling house new homeowners realtor
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