Hanging on by a Thread

I have a deal that is just barely hanging on by a thread! 

What could have helped to move things along a bit would have been for the Seller's Agent to have actually visited the property -- let alone reviewed the Sellers Disclsoure document -- before actually taking the listing!  

• Major defects that came up on the inspection were completely ignored by the seller and listing agent - such as leaky main waste lines - eewww. 
• Major items indicated on the MLS sheet were completely out of line with what was factual.   
• A little fact like "who pays for heat" in a tenant-occupied property "is" a big deal when it's mis-stated.  When finally reviewing the actual bills from the utility company, they were completely out of line with what was estimated verbally to us.

My investor buyer has been very patient through the entire transaction, while I've been clenching my fists.  The seller on the other hand has really been dragging her feet with just about every request and seems to not know much about the very property she owns - a true blue "absentee" landlord who is in above her head, or so it seems.

Negotiating repairs has been a very slow process, and with settlement scheduled for a week from today, my buyer is ready to walk away.  I can't blame him.  I almost feel sorry for the seller who clearly doesn't know any better and is relying on her agent to sell her property.  In this case, he hasn't done much to help move things along in a timely manner, which is very close to resulting in the seller not selling the home. 

So what will happen?  It's very likely that this will go back on the market, and my buyer will continue to look for something else.  Lancaster investment properties are a dime a dozen, and he'll find something worthwhile, I'm sure.  The seller, on the other hand, will now have a ton of defects to disclose or repair when putting the property back on the market as 'active'. 

It will be interesting to see how the next week will pan out.

*photo by MeHere @ Stockexchange