纽约买房一词保命！“on or about”救了买家！

最近我们在一个纽约买房交易中代表买家。

按照合同的要求，过户时间是 on or about 7月18号，也就是说，我们的客户可以选择最迟在8月18号过户。

7月份的时候，卖家的租客提前搬走了，所以卖家就非常着急，急于过户。于是他就问我们的客户是否愿意7月份过户。其实我们的客户本来可以坚持8月18号过户的，但出于善意，就答应了7月过户。

但是偏偏不巧，我们的买家客户其实人在中国。他原本计划在过户前一天飞过来，但因为飞机延误，没能成行，导致约定的7月份过户无法进行。

这时卖家非常着急，说买家没有办法过户，租客又提前搬走了，因此要求买家赔偿损失。

作为买方律师，我们立即出面与卖家沟通。我们指出：第一，租户提前搬走是卖家与租户之间的决定，与买家无关；卖家是在租户搬走之后才通知我们的。第二，根据合同，买方有权最迟在8月18号完成过户。买方提前同意7月过户只是出于善意，没有法律义务。

因此，卖家的赔偿要求自然站不住脚，我们也成功维护了买家的权益。

这件事让我感触很深。合同中的一个小词“on or about”其实非常关键。有时候，它就是买家的保护伞。签合同的时候，一定要让律师仔细审核条款，否则若对方甩锅，损失可能会很大。

如果你也希望在纽约买房，不妨找我们聊聊。关注纽约曾晖律师，不再无计可施。

Recently, we represented the buyer in a New York real estate transaction.

According to the contract, the closing date was “on or about July 18,” which meant our client could choose to close as late as August 18.

In July, the seller’s tenant moved out early, making the seller very anxious to close. He asked our client if they would agree to close in July. In fact, our client could have insisted on closing on August 18, but out of goodwill, they agreed to close earlier.

Unfortunately, our buyer client was in China and planned to fly to the U.S. the day before the closing. Due to a flight delay, they couldn’t make it, and the July closing could not take place.

The seller then became very anxious and claimed that since the buyer failed to close and the tenant had already moved out, the buyer should compensate him for his losses.

As the buyer’s attorneys, we immediately stepped in. We explained to the seller that, first, the tenant’s early move-out was a decision between the seller and the tenant and had nothing to do with our client. Second, under the contract, our client was entitled to close as late as August 18. Agreeing to close earlier was purely an act of goodwill and not a legal obligation.

Therefore, the seller’s demand for compensation was baseless. We successfully protected the buyer’s rights.

This case gave me valuable insight — a small phrase in a contract, “on or about,” can make a crucial difference. Sometimes, it serves as the buyer’s umbrella of protection. When signing a contract, an attorney must carefully review every term; otherwise, if the other party shifts blame later, the losses could be significant.

If you’re also planning to buy property in New York City, feel free to reach out to us. Follow Zeng Law Group, PLLC — never be left without a solution.

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