About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

B-196263 1 (1980-02-13)

handle is hein.gao/gaobadhzv0001 and id is 1 raw text is: THE COMPTROLLER GENERA DECISION OF THE UNITED STATES WASHINGTON, O C. 2O54E9 FILE: B-196263 DATE: February 13, 1980 MATTER OF: James C. Steckbeck Reimbursement for Real Estate Expenses DIGEST: Employee is not ent led to reimbursement for real estate expenses paid on behalf of buyer incident to sale of his home upon transfer. Although it was common for seller to pay all or a part of purchaser's closing costs, such current practice had not ripened into custom in locality of home, as determined by HUD local or area office. Reimbursement to seller is not authorized unless sellers customarily pay. 5 U.S.C. § 5724a(a)(44) and FTR paras. 2-6.2c and d and 2-6.3c. Mr. James C. Steckbeck, requests reconsideration of his claim for real estate expenses that he incurred in selling his home inci- dent to a permanent change of station. Our Claims Division denied his claim by Settlement Certificate No. Z-2811952, August 9, 1979. The issue is whether a seller may be reimbursed for real estate expenses paid on behalf of the purchaser when it is common for the seller to pay such costs but the practice is not an established custom. Mr. Steckbeck, an employee of the National Security Agency (NSA) sold his residence in Hampton, Virginia, ipon changing his permanent duty station from that location to Fort Meade, Maryland. He paid at settle-me-nta general item characterized as Seller's Contribution of closing c .tus in the amount of $503. The real estate agency reported that in t qampton/Newport News, Virginia, area it is not uncommon for the seller to pay all or a part of the purchaser's closing costs. Rowever, by letter of January 25, 1979, the Regional Director, A p2)~ Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Richmond, Virginia, reported that while typically the seller paid par or a.i of t0Ti buyer's closing costs in the area, the practice had not been estab- 11shedi as a CusL~tomwhdicha2 evolved over the years. Also, the admin- trtiveET iepute accdS that NSA was informed by HUD's Alexandria office that the frequency of the seller paying all or a part of the purchaser's costs was not to the extent of constituting a custom in Virginia. Further, the administrative report says that the current practice has taken place in a buyer's market now existing in the

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most