Matt,

Around this area, a seller will have the utilities shut off when they move out even if their house is on the market.

Most think they can save a few bucks doing so but it can actually slow down the sale of a home and some instances just kill the deal.

The State of Texas sales agreement states that the seller should be responsible for turning on the utilites for inspection purposes.

Some are throwing up the saying, We'll were selling the house "as is" and we're not turning the utilities on. Where does this logic come from when your trying to sell a home you probably need to get rid of?

I had one the other day, that the seller had everything off and when told that it would take a few days to get them on had the nerve to tell the buyer he's hoped they were on before the option period ended or the buyer would be buying it anyway.

I told my client about the clause on the contract and that actually his contract didn't mean jacks*@# because the seller hadn't fullfilled his obligation of "providing utilities for inspection purposes" and maybe we should just look elsewhere for another home. Afterall who in their right mind would buy a home without having the utilities on to know their going to work once they have moved in?

The seller extended the option period.

rick