The Old Man and the Knife

So yesterday I get this call from the ad I run in the paper. Man tells me his sister has died and dad wants to just sell the house. He'll take 65k. I go look at the house, and I figure it's worth around 75k fixed up. It needed paint and a little TLC, but not much. Total cost would have been round 5k. I tell him that b/c of the circumstances and the pain associated with the house I wouldn't even want to insult the man (since I'd only offer in the mid 40s) and that he should check out a RE auctioneer instead. He said that the least his dad would take is 55k. I tell them I'll check it out.

I go home, reverify my numbers and call the son back that afternoon and tell him the best I can do is 47500. "I'll tell my dad tomorrow morning. It's been a long day for him." That's fine... selling your dead daughters house can be a bit trying.

Next day I get a phone call. "Dad will sell it for 50k." I say I'll do it for 50k, but all the appliances stay. "Let me talk to dad." Son calls back and agrees to the price. We agree to meet at 3:30 to sign the papers. IN AN HOUR the dad calls back and says he's decided to sell it to his other son for the same price he agreed to with me.

So I don't know which is worse... that the old man went back on his word with me or that he originally was trying to get as much money out of his son as he could. Either way the knife in my back is killing me.