In our area, so many contracts do not make the period of refusal after the inspection that we do not even put the earnest money into the escrow account after the contract has gone past the inspection and acceptance by both parties. If you want them to buy the house more than you are willing to walk away from these buyers, then you give in. If they want to buy the house more than you are willing to lower the price, then they give in. This is just a business transaction and you are coming to a new agreement about the price within the bounds of the contract law. You need to know what the contract says in your particular situation and in your local area or trust that your real estate agent will advise you correctly/appropriately. In general, the investor does not have to buy this house. Another house will come up for them. So they maybe willing to walk. You HAVE to sell this house. You are not in the driver's seat. They have the money, and you want their money. Unfortunately, if you call their 'bluff' you may hurt yourself more than the potential buyer precisely because they DO NOT have to buy this house and buy another house just as easily. It is just a commodity to them. Your real estate agent should have advised you this fact about the investor buyers. If your local area allows it, it does not matter what the reasons are, they have the right to terminate (within the deadline) the contract based on the inspection; as least that is the law in my state. I can simply say that there are thing about the house that I don't like 1,2,3 etc, and I have the right to terminate. The contract says that the condition of the sale is based on inspection. (there is always something one can use to get out if one really does not want to buy the house...) It seems harsh but in the buyers market, the buyers have that option. You need to know your market to know how much you can leverage the market conditions. If the market is so hot where there will be another buyer quickly, then you hold your position. If the market is soft and you are not sure if you will have another buyer quickly, then you renegotiate to get the best price that you can. If they are investors, they maybe more savvy than you about buying and selling houses and have a better real estate agent to negotiate for them. Don't take any of this personally. Evaluate each position methodically and take the one that meets the most of your needs. Take the emotion out of this and ask yourself what is an acceptable price to you to close the deal and negotiate toward that. In business transactions, unless the deal closes, no one gets paid; the seller, the real estate agents (yours and theirs), the loan officer etc. This is why all agents really work for the 'sell' and not the 'price'. Most of all, you don't get paid until the deal closes.

That speaks to the importance of equity, doesn't it? When you go to sell, equity is everything. People really go out on a limb when they take on a home where their expenses to maintain it max them out. And, if the market isn't appreciating, then the only equity they are building is what they are putting toward their principle. We all know that after a year of making large payments, you might own the doorknobs. Equity is the only portion of your home investment you have some liquidity with. How many of you who have purchased homes in the last ten years took out a conventional loan and put at least five percent down on your homes? How many have built up equity and then used it up with a Heloc, or refinanced because you bit off more than you could chew comfortably? I find it really scary to see the constant ads and billboards urging people to use the equity in their homes for debt consolidation. I also get uncomfortable when I see some of those shows on home improvement channels where an expert comes in to appraise a home's worth so that the owners can feel free to use up that cushion to spend more money on their homes and feel "safe" doing it. If and when they do use it up, their homes revert a more expensive home needing to bring more on the market to just meet the debt. I am nearing retirement. I have gambled on real estate for a long time now in a modest manner, but the whole goal in the game has always been to increase the equity I have in my property(ies). It has allowed me to work at a job I like, when so many of my friends who are as old or older than I "can't afford to quit" a job they dislike because they keep spending their equity like it were somebody else's money.

Lyfia- I understand what you are saying. For our house we decreased the price 25% under market with us paying closing costs because we need to get out. There is nothing so humble as feeling like a rat on a sinking ship. My neighborhood truly feels like it is going downhill. I don't need a market analysis to tell me this. I just need to look at the discarded beer cans on my front lawn. I think my potential sale (keeping finger's crossed) is helped by other listings in my area which are overpriced. I am talking 2007 prices. BTW- I love your term "incurable defects". Makes me feel less like a loser. My home was a source of pride, but in the end it is just worth what someone is willing to pay for it. I don't think potential buyer's gave a rat's behind that the yard was beautifully landscaped, or that the house had fresh paint, slate floors, or new carpet. They just see comparible houses and think "I can make this what I want it to be" and if the prices for a comparable house is lower, they want that house. In the end for a quick sale you need to get serious with the pricing. I did and my neighbors are angry. They can live in 2007 but the reality is that it is now 2013. Things have changed.

Found out today that the buyers actually attended the homeowners association meeting last week. Not sure how they got the information on the meeting, as it certainly didn't come from us. How bizarre is that? It's a little bizarre but not necessarily a bad thing. I met a couple like this once. They were just the type of people who get very involved once they make up their minds to do something. Now for you, it sounds like they are committed to buying this house and making the deal close. The couple I knew also attended a homeowners association meeting either before they closed or soon after they closed. The funny thing was - it was the WRONG association. Talley Sue, I don't know how coop meetings work but if the HOA is small enough, some neighbors may already know that this couple are buying becca's house and allow them to stay for the meeting.