Buyers demands! What would you do please?

[rattlesnake]

I have had several issues come up in a survey that our buyer wants put right. He want to complete and move in middle January 2018. The work that would have to be done is: all ceilings in house re plastered, parts of bedroom wall and bathroom wall chipped off, sealed for damp and plastered. Spraying for woodworm in loft. Electrical work in loft. I assumed he would take an adjustment in price. However he wants me to get all the work done myself before completing. We are 20 days from Xmas and I have children and a disabled person at home with me. It would be a major disruption and I would rather know money off for the work to be done later. Do you think this is reasonable?

[xyzandabc]

Absolutely reasonable. That's the sort of stuff he does after he's moved in. You're selling it as seen and price should reflect that.

[ThereIsIron]

Completely reasonable. Tell buyer to do one.

[HundredMilesAnHour]

Your buyer sounds like a selfish idiot. I'd be clear that you cannot start any work until January at the very earliest, and that realistically that means it won't be done until the end of Feb. He either accepts a price reduction (you need to specify how much) if he wants to complete in mid Jan or pays full price and waits until end Feb. Assuming these options work for you. If you don't want to / can't do the work, just say no and tell him it's a price reduction or nothing.

[xyzandabc]

I mean you are being reasonable. He is not. Just in case that wasn't clear!

[frogsoup]

Eh, I'd tell him to get lost! You make an offer on a house based on the condition it's in, which the original asking price will also take into account. You can't then ask the seller to refurbish it before moving in

[CustardDoughnutsRule]

More than reasonable. Apart from the disruption (which would be huge) why should you spend money on the house knowing that he could walk away any second, for any reason or none?

Is there something the matter with the ceilings, walls, loft etc that was not visible when he looked round? Or is it just an artex design he's not keen on and bog standard recommendations that the surveyor would put it any survey of a house this age, ie normal and already accounted for in the price agreed?

[NoSquirrels]

Did he have a damp survey done? Has he shared it with you, and is it an issue you agree with?

Woodworm spray - again, specialist survey done & treatment required, or just a "recommendation" on the general survey.

Electrical work in loft - what needs doing? Do you agree it is necessary?

Ceilings would be a straight fuck off from me - sold as seen.

I would push back, hard. If work is genuinely needed, then a price reduction is what can be offered. If he doesn't want that, then you need to be tough and front it out - he's backing on you being so desperate to sell you'll take all the inconvenience on. Don't do it.

[MyKingdomForBrie]

Nope, he can piss off! Cheeky sod.

[rallytog1]

Absolutely do not fork out for the work. There's nothing to stop him walking away. Agree a reduction in the price if you must, but never go to the trouble and expense of doing that sort of work yourself.

[Bluntness100]

Depends. We sold a house and got the damp proofing done due to survey results.

It seems like there is a lot of work to be done which the buyer didn’t expect and doesn’t want to organise the work themselves, which is fair enough. I would offer a price reduction based on quotes, and they can then walk away if they choose.

[whiskyowl]

As someone who is in the middle of a lengthy and highly disruptive build, I really think you shouldn't take that degree of work on. It's a large amount of extremely disruptive and messy work for you to deal with on top of a house move. The jobs he is requesting are the kind of things that you do once you've bought. My guess is that he's trying to avoid a month or two of rental accommodation because he's not prepared to live in a house where all that is going on. Which begs the question why you should be expected to, particularly given your caring responsibilities.

[lynmilne65]

Say No !!

[IceFall]

No way would I be doing the work.

All ceilings replastered? Having a fucking laugh. Didn’t he look up when he viewed?

Get the survey so you can have a good read.

If you are desperate to keep your buyer then agree some price reduction but you should absolutely not be paying for all of that.

[Lucisky]

Totally unreasonable. You buy as seen. If a survey picks up faults you either get them remedied yourself, after moving in, or if they are really severe you might ask for a price adjustment or walk away. Is this a first time buyer? They can take surveys rather literally, and expect every point raised, however small, to be fixed by you.
If you want to keep your buyer, offer a small price reduction and then stick to your guns, or tell him to jog on.
There can't be a house in existance that doesn't have SOME faults.

[DustandRubble]

He wants the ceilings done? Fuck right off. Where you guys meant to sleep while that happens? I’d not even be knocking that much money off unless it is for something really unexpected and therefore isn’t reflected in current price - he’s not buying a new build.

[senua]

He wants to complete and move in middle January 2018.

So you need to find tradesmen, get quotes, fit in with their availability, get the work done, get it signed off by buyer, exchange contracts (hopefully, but they could always walk away at any time) and then complete - all within six weeks, with Christmas in the middle!!!
Even if you wanted to do it, it's impossible. He's deluded.

I hope that you haven't taken your house off the market.

[DustandRubble]

I’ve just seen your other thread asking if you can put it back on the market. Assuming you have not exchanged contracts yet you can do whatever you want. Tell him hell no and it is going back on the open market immediately.

[BubblesBuddy]

I guess some of this depends upon whether you think you will get another buyer for a house that needs work. Personally , if I was the buyer I would want a big reduction based on estimates. It could be better for you to take it off the market, get the work done without the pressure of a deadline, then remarket in the spring. I can see other buyers being put off by the need to do work of this nature as indeed you are. They may also have tricky circumstances where they want a house they can move into.

[Whinesalot]

He's chancing his arm. There will be other buyers if he doesn't accept it for what it is or for possibly a small price reduction.

[CotswoldStrife]

I wouldn't personally buy a house with damp or woodworm, and that will show up on any survey.

The ceilings - that is quite a bit of work, it would depend on the reason for the work but I'd ignore that bit probably. Not sure what the electric work is in the loft, again would depend on what it is.

[QuiteLikely5]

No way.

[ThroughThickAndThin01]

I wouldn't do any of that.

He has bought the house as seen. If the survey has bought things up he thinks is urgent, he can try and renegotiate the price a bit to cover this. Then do the work in his own time.

Just imagine if you paid out and had all the work done at your cost and inconvenience - and then he pulls out. You'd be left high and dry.

[Slightlyperturbedowlagain]

Just say sorry it won't be possible and that you understand if he wants to pull out. That timescale is completely unrealistic.

[butterfly56]

Keep your answer short ....no absolutely not!

All this stuff can be done by him...how are you going to cope with all that disruption and the spraying of chemicals whilst still living in the house...it's impossible and cannot be done!

His requests are totally unreasonable and he is a CFB(cheeky Fucking Buyer)!

Tell him to get lost!