Andrew and Joyce Kay Pride owned a house in Nodaway County, Missouri, which they placed for sale
Question:
Andrew and Joyce Kay Pride owned a house in Nodaway County, Missouri, which they placed for sale in 2002. The Prides moved to a farm, so the house sat empty for some time while it was on the market. To avoid that, the Prides found a tenant to rent the house for $450 per month until such time the house sold. Larry Lewis made an offer to purchase the house for $55,000, sending the Prides and their realtor a signed purchase agreement on April 9, 2003. The agreement indicated a closing date of May 13. The Prides changed that date on the agreement, crossing out May 13 and replacing it with June 1. They then signed the agreement on April 9 and initialed the change to the closing date. They informed their tenant that she would have to vacate by June 1. When June rolled around, though, there was a problem with closing. While the Prides and their realtor appeared and were prepared to close, neither Lewis nor his wife nor Lewis’s realtor showed up. The Prides’ real estate agent contacted Lewis’s realtor and was informed that Lewis had not responded to phone calls or otherwise communicated with his realtor. The Prides thereafter sent Lewis a letter notifying him of his default and re-listed the house. They eventually sold the house the following June for $40,000. Moreover, the Prides were unable to find a new tenant after their initial tenant vacated as directed prior to the failed closing with Lewis. Do the Prides and Lewis have a contract pursuant to which the Prides could sue for breach of contract and recover the difference between the $55,000 contract price with Lewis and the $40,000 for which the house actually sold?
Step by Step Answer:
Business Law The Ethical Global and E-Commerce Environment
ISBN: 978-1259917110
17th edition
Authors: Arlen Langvardt, A. James Barnes, Jamie Darin Prenkert, Martin A. McCrory