Woman Buys Nashville House, But the Seller Won't Leave

When you buy a home, you expect to move into it. Seems pretty straight forward, right? Well, things don’t appear to be working out that way for one Nashville woman.

Tamara Holloway closed on her house on June 1 but the seller, Justin McCrory, won’t vacate the property, according to News 2. McCrory told a reporter for the Nashville station that he’s lived on the property for four years and that he “technically [doesn’t] have to go anywhere.”

“The transaction went through. They’re getting a good clean property. What’s the problem?” he reportedly said.

Signature Title Services reported the closing processor sent an email to McCrory telling him to vacate the property. Holloway also filed a detainer warrant, the first step in the eviction process, to get McCrory out of her house, the station said.

“It’s been a nightmare,” Holloway told News 2.

It is possible to put an amendment in the closing papers saying a former tenant could stay in a home past a closing date, but there reportedly isn’t one in Holloway and McCrory’s case.

Grover Collins, a real estate attorney with Collins Law Firm in Nashville, is helping Holloway pro bono and told News 2 that it could take up to another 30 days before McCrory is out of the home for good.

Buying Your Home

If you’re in the process of buying a home, or plan to do so in the future, it’s in your best interest to get the keys when you close on the house (something Holloway didn’t do) to help prevent this type of thing from happening. Denise Creswell, the president of the Greater Nashville Association of Realtors told News 2 that getting the keys at closing is particularly important if the seller isn’t working with a realtor. McCrory, for example, did not have one — the transaction was a sale by owner.

Creswell also told the station that buyers should not “panic or rush” into any purchases, given how hot the Nashville real estate market is.

As you’re searching for your home and the mortgage that will help you move into your dream house (assuming the seller vacates the property when they’re supposed to, of course), it’s a good idea to know where your credit stands. (You can view your credit reports for free each year at AnnualCreditReport.com and see your credit score for free, updated every 14 days, on Credit.com.) Your credit is an important factor in what mortgage rates you’ll qualify for and even how much house you can afford. And if your score isn’t quite where it should be to get you the best deal, there are steps you can take to help improve it, like paying down credit card debt and disputing any errors you may find on your credit reports.

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