It's when things go wrong that you see someone's real mettle - their integrity, and whether they step up to the plate.
Several years ago I sold a home where I was representing both the seller and the buyer (that was back in the days when Florida had disclosed dual agency). The home was in a neighborhood that had reclaimed water (a system that takes waste water, processes it in a treatment plant, then sends it back through a separate piping system to be used for landscaping purposes - it's much less expensive than metered water and not as restricted if there's a drought), the seller said that he had reclaimed water, and I saw the purple fittings that indicate reclaimed water. Naturally I put in the MLS that the property had reclaimed water.
The transaction went fine, inspections were done, and the closing was smooth. Shortly after the closing, I got a panicked call from the Buyer who said that the city water department had red-tagged his system and locked it off, pending payment of an $1800 connection fee - seems there was reclaimed water to the property, but the seller had never paid for it, he had just tapped in to the system!
My immediate response was that I was on my way to the utility department with a check to have it turned on. I'd represented the home with reclaimed water, and that's what the buyer was entitled to. I'd deal with the seller later, but in any case, it was my responsibility and a quick turnon was essential. Situation dissolved/resolved - buyer happy.
Later I discussed the illegal tap with the seller, who had bought another home nearby (through me). He did agree to pay half of the cost, but it was still a $900 lesson for me. Added to my listing checklist is to verify through the city that a reclaimed water connection is legal.
Sharon you are so right! I recently had a short sale which became known in my office as the "closing from hell" and there were days when I was sure the deal wasn't going to hold together. By putting one foot in front of the other, just cleaning up each problem as it arose to the best of my ability, we closed the house 4 months after the first contract was accepted. I really felt great after it was all said and done.