With all the foreclosures and short sales going on, and all us Realtors trying so hard to help our clients, it amazes me how the banks try so hard to be as uncooperative as possible. My latest experience in this involved a listing that I had been trying to sell for so long it turned out to be a record in our office! My client had just lost her job and could no longer pay the mortgage payments. I rushed to get a buyer so she would not foreclose. We get into escrow all the inspections and FHA requirements have been passed, the buyers has signed the loan docs. The seller has signed off the house……..We cannot get chase to send the payoff demand to escrow so we can close. I requested the demand again and again by phone after the title and escrow company had sent in a written demand and got no response. Every time I called I was on the phone with them for at least 40 mins. and 30 of those mins. I was on hold! I asked to speak to a supervisor and was told there were none I could talk to. Over and over I got various customer service reps. who told me they were very sorry it has taken so long and they would fax it to escrow in 24 to 48 hours…to no avail. Mean while they were calling my client three times a day demanding to be paid, while the whole time I was calling three times a day trying to pay them. I finally had to find the main number for chase in New York by looking online. I called and was told by the executive resolution dept. that I would need to talk to the attorney that was assigned to the loan. ( you would think that after I had called 15 to 20 times that someone would have told me I needed to talk to the attorney????? ) Well, I called “customer service” back up asked to be given the name and number of the attorney assigned to the loan and low and behold I was given a name and number. I called said name and number and was e-mailed the payoff demand right then. I don’t know, but I would think the banks would be more cooperative when someone is trying to pay them???
Been out looking at started homes? Finding out that the nicer, lower priced, homes are getting so many offers, its hard for you too get your offers accepted? 
I have a listing in San Jose. The seller hired a handyman to remodel the home for her. He is a non-licensed contractor, who after 4 months of working on the home, talked the seller into letting him stay at the house (for free) while he worked on it. She agreed. BIG MISTAKE! We received a accepted offer on the property and he decided he did not want to leave. After giving him verbal and written 60, 30, and 3 day notices we were forced to do a unlawful detainer. I was able to help her with the unlawful detainer saving her the expense of an attorney, she had spent all her cash on the remodel. If the property you are listing has a tenant I recommend that you start the removal process as soon as the contract is signed. I was lucky and the buyer wanted the house enough to wait out the eviction, but we had to remove him before she would agree to close.