☕ Coffee with Michelle®

Coffee & Closings

Episode 3: The Missing Buyer

"Where did the buyer go?"

Grab your favorite cup of coffee, because this is a closing I'll never forget.

Picture the perfect transaction.

A signed purchase agreement.

A cash buyer.

A 30-day closing.

A three-day inspection period.

Clear title.

No major hurdles.

Everything was moving exactly as planned.

Until it wasn't.

About a week before closing, I started my routine follow-ups with everyone involved. The seller was ready. Title was ready. Our team was ready.

The only problem?

The buyer had disappeared.

At first, I wasn't overly concerned. This particular buyer wasn't always quick to respond, so I figured I'd hear back in a day or two.

One day passed.

Then two.

Then four.

Now we were only three days away from closing, and I still couldn't reach the buyer by phone, text, or email.

That's when the red flags started flying.

I knew I couldn't just sit and wait, so I reached out to the disposition manager—the person responsible for working with the buyer.

I explained everything and asked if they had heard from him.

The response stopped me in my tracks.

"Michelle...you haven't heard from him because he was arrested."

Wait...what?

I honestly thought I had misunderstood.

After asking a few more questions, I learned the buyer had been arrested due to a case of mistaken identity. While the situation was eventually sorted out, he had been unavailable while everything was being resolved.

Thankfully, once the issue was cleared up, we were able to move forward and get the transaction to the closing table.

Looking back, this experience reminded me of something I'll never forget.

As Transaction Coordinators, we can't control every situation.

But we can control how we respond.

When communication suddenly stops, don't assume everything is fine. Ask questions. Follow up. Escalate when necessary. Sometimes the answer is something you never could have imagined.

☕ Coffee Thought

Not every delay has a simple explanation. Stay calm, communicate often, and never be afraid to ask the next question. Sometimes the biggest surprises have nothing to do with the transaction itself.