Should the Realtor be painting the carpet?

Question

Someone I know is purchasing a house? A lot of the paper work has been completed, but no money has changed hands yet. The appraisor couldn't finish the job because of some repairs that need to be made. The buyer and seller have both agreed that repairs need to be made and the seller is going to make some of them. One of the repairs is replacing the carpet. Today, the buyer decided to pay the home a surprise visit and found the realtor painting the carpet. My thoughts were 'WTF?' but I'm not very knowledgeable about these kinds of things so could someone please enlighten me? Do realtors usually get this involved when trying to get a home appraised and what's up with painting the carpet?

Answer 1

Carpets are never painted.

Your Realtor should not even come close to become a repairman neither a serviceman, so I suggest you get  a new person as your Realtor and if in Arizona, California or Utah, I surely can refer to you the Real McCoy and not a desperado do-it-all guy.

Answer 2

As a Realtor, it's not unusual to do what needs to be done, legally of course, to help a sale go through.  I've known Realtors who paid for repairs before hand, did some repairs themselves (painting, pressure cleaning, landscaping) or had the lawn mowed weekly to keep up the curb appeal.  I know one Realtor who even let a client stay with her in her spare bedroom because his sale fell apart days before closing, 300+ miles from his current house, and he already had a new job to start the following week in the new town so he lived in her own home while he found and bought a different house.  I, myself, have driven 250 miles for a morning closing to hold my first-time buyers' hands at closing as their mortgage company was located out of town and I thought they should have someone there who was on their side, especially being first-time buyers.  So, for the Realtor to get that involved is not necessarily unusual.

However, my husband does home repair (flooring and paint, etc.), and he would NEVER paint carpet.  That's a huge no-no.  First, it'll be VERY obvious that the carpet was not replaced just painted (ever notice how hard paint gets when it dries?).  Second, I agree with others - what else if lurking in this house that will be "fixed" but done shoddily and perhaps dangerously?  

Tell your friend to find a different house.

Answer 3

back out and get out!  If this is going on with the carpet (cheap enough), what other problems are lurking out of sight regarding property condition elsewhere.

Stay only if you have money to lose.  and get a lawyer who can sue for damages on your behalf for expending all the effort to fill the papers, only to find coincidental fraud on behalf of both the real estate agent and/or the seller too.

Answer 4

it wouldn't be that bad to dye a dirty white carpet.

but paint it?????  no way.

Answer 5

Oh lord...the appraiser is going to spot that in a skinny minute.

I have paid for minor repairs before out of my pocket when I had someone that didn't have cash on hand, but that is few and far between.

What the Realtor is doing is fraud.  Replacing the carpet doesn't mean to paint it.

I would be ending that deal if the carpet was not replaced fully.