What happens if the lender keeps delaying closing? Most sellers expect the hard part to be getting the right offer. But at 4355 Pennsylvania Avenue in La Crescenta, the real challenge began after the buyer was found, the offer was accepted, and escrow was already underway. I’m Robbyn Battles, The House Agent, and this Anatomy of a Sold story is about a 30-day escrow that stretched to 73 days, a buyer who wanted to perform, a seller who had the luxury of time, and the strategy it took to protect the seller while keeping the transaction moving forward.
4355 Pennsylvania Avenue, La Crescenta — Listed and Sold by Robbyn Battles
Listed at $779,000 — Sold at $804,600
How Did 4355 Pennsylvania Avenue in La Crescenta Sell Above the Original List Price?
4355 Pennsylvania Avenue was listed at $779,000 and was on the market for 10 days. During that time, we held two open houses, and the buyer who ultimately purchased the home came through one of those open houses.
That is one of the reasons I still believe open houses matter. Not every buyer comes from an open house, but real buyers do walk through the door. Sometimes the right buyer is the one standing in the living room, asking questions, picturing themselves in the space, and deciding whether this could be the home that works for them.
When the offer came in, the buyer requested a credit toward closing costs. Rather than treating that request as a problem, we structured the sale price to account for it. The final sales price was increased to $804,600, allowing the buyer to receive the credit while still protecting the seller’s net.
That is the part people do not always see on a “Just Sold” postcard. The final sales price is only one piece of the story. The terms, credits, timing, and seller’s bottom line all matter.
What Happened During the Inspection and Repair Negotiations?
The inspections were completed within the contractual seven-day inspection period. That part of the transaction moved the way it was supposed to move.
As with many home sales, the inspections raised a few issues. The buyers had items they wanted addressed, and the sellers had decisions to make about what they were and were not willing to do. This is where a transaction can become emotional if everyone loses sight of the bigger picture.
In this sale, the sellers stood firm on certain repairs. That does not mean they were unreasonable. It means they evaluated the request, considered the offer, looked at the overall terms, and made a decision. Repair negotiations are not about giving in to every request. They are about understanding what matters, what is fair, and what keeps the transaction on solid ground.
Can a Seller Stay in the Home After Closing?
One important part of this sale was the seller’s post-closing possession. The sellers needed to remain in the home for 59 days after closing, and that was negotiated as part of the agreement.
This is often called a rent-back or seller possession after close. For some sellers, this can make a sale much easier because it gives them time to move, find their next home, or transition without the pressure of being out the day escrow closes.
In this case, the buyer and seller agreed to a fee for that possession period. It was not just a casual handshake. It was part of the negotiated terms of the sale, and it mattered because timing was a major part of this transaction from the beginning.
What Happens If the Lender Keeps Delaying Closing?
This is where the story changed.
The escrow was intended to close in 30 days. Instead, it stretched to 73 days because of lender delays. The buyer continued providing information. The buyer wanted to close. The seller wanted the transaction to close. But the lender’s lack of communication and handling of the buyer’s file kept pushing the closing date further out.
One of the first questions many people would ask is, “Why didn’t the buyer just switch lenders?” In this case, the appraisal had already been completed at a cost of more than $700 to the buyer. The lender was also someone referred through the buyer’s family, and the buyer wanted to remain with that lender.
That is one of the realities of real estate. As the listing agent, I can advise, negotiate, document, push, communicate, and protect my seller’s interests. But I cannot force a buyer to change lenders. When something is outside of everyone’s control, the focus has to shift to what can be controlled.
In this transaction, that meant protecting the seller with written extensions, financial terms, and compensation for the additional time.
How Did Robbyn Battles Protect the Seller During the Escrow Delays?
As the seller’s listing agent, my job was not simply to wait and hope the lender would eventually perform. The seller did not want to cancel the escrow, and fortunately, the seller had the luxury of time. That gave us room to work through the problem without immediately forcing the transaction to fall apart.
But time still has value.
There were three extension requests during this escrow. The first extension gave the buyer additional time at no cost. After that, the extensions became more costly because the seller could not be expected to absorb the financial impact of repeated delays.
The next extension included two important terms: a partial release of the buyer’s deposit, which became non-refundable, and a daily per diem charge. That per diem was based on the seller’s PITI, which stands for principal, interest, taxes, and insurance.
In simple terms, the buyer paid the seller for the additional days the seller had to carry the property because escrow did not close on time.
Can a Seller Charge a Buyer for Escrow Extensions?
In this transaction, yes. The buyer wanted more time, the seller agreed to extend, and the extensions came with negotiated financial terms.
This is an important point for sellers to understand. An extension is not automatic. When a closing date is missed, the parties have to decide what happens next. The seller may agree to extend, refuse to extend, request compensation, or negotiate different terms depending on the situation.
At 4355 Pennsylvania Avenue, the seller remained committed to closing, but the seller was not left simply waiting without protection. The buyer paid for the delay through the agreed-upon per diem, and the seller was compensated for the extra time the transaction remained open.
Can a Seller Cancel Escrow When the Buyer’s Loan Is Delayed?
That is one of the questions many sellers ask when escrow does not close on time. The answer depends on the contract, the contingencies, the notices, the timing, and the specific facts of the transaction.
In this story, canceling escrow was not the seller’s preferred path. The buyer was still trying to perform, the seller had some flexibility, and the transaction still made sense if we could manage the delay properly.
That does not mean every seller should keep extending. It means every seller needs to understand the options before making that decision. Sometimes the right move is to cancel. Sometimes the better move is to negotiate stronger terms and keep the transaction alive.
At 4355 Pennsylvania Avenue, the better path was to keep moving forward while making sure the seller was protected.
How Did This 73-Day Escrow Finally Close?
Despite the delays, the transaction did close successfully. The buyers and sellers maintained a good relationship, even though the lender’s performance created unnecessary stress and extended the timeline far beyond the original plan.
The important part is that the seller was not left unprotected during the delay. Each extension was handled with purpose. Each decision was made with the seller’s best interest in mind. And when escrow finally closed, the seller had been compensated for the additional time.
This is the part of the story that matters. Real estate is not always clean, simple, or perfectly timed. Sometimes the transaction keeps changing, and the strategy has to change with it.
What Can Homeowners Learn From This Anatomy of a Sold?
One of the biggest misconceptions in real estate is that the hardest part is finding a buyer. In many transactions, the real work begins after an offer is accepted.
At 4355 Pennsylvania Avenue in La Crescenta, the buyer came from an open house, the sale price was strategically structured, the inspections were completed on time, and the seller negotiated post-closing possession. But the defining challenge of the sale became the lender delay that turned a 30-day escrow into a 73-day escrow.
Every transaction has a plan. Sometimes that plan unfolds exactly as expected. Other times, unexpected challenges force everyone involved to make decisions, adjust timelines, and find solutions that were not part of the original agreement.
These stories are not really about the houses. They are about the people behind them, the unexpected obstacles they face, and the decisions that shape the journey from “Should we sell?” to “We closed.”
Thinking about selling a home in La Crescenta, Montrose, La Cañada Flintridge, Glendale, Pasadena, Altadena, Sunland, Tujunga, Shadow Hills, Lake View Terrace, or the surrounding Foothill communities? Contact Robbyn Battles, The House Agent, for a conversation about your goals, timing, and strategy.
Listen to more details on my YouTube video.
