What to do about seller unmotivated to close?

[Taylor Robertson]

What can I do as a buyer about a seller unmotivated to close?

I was set to close on my first house on 2/24. The day before, there was a chimney fire that caused some damage. Insurance paid out to the seller for the repairs and we set a new closing date for 3/17. We have had to extend the closing two times now due to the house not being ready. My agent says the seller is dragging her feet via not putting her crew to work (she is a contractor). In the meantime, my lender has graciously extended my rate lock but will not continue to do so as it costs him money. My local market is still quite competitive right now so I’m not in a position to back out and find a similar property. Long story short, seller keeps breaching contract by not meeting her obligation to be ready to close. My agent let her agent know we would be requesting an interest rate buy down and her agent scoffed at that remark. My agent said she’s playing hardball because she thinks I have no other option to purchase. What can be done to either motivate the seller to close or receiver some sort of compensation for wasted time?

[Marc Rice]

You can hire an attorney due to the breach of contract and file an affidavit of interest so if she does anything in the future with the property your lien on the property will prohibit her from selling or refinancing. I would consult an attorney, most realtors will not be able to properly help you here.