Would you call their bluff?

[claricebeansmum]

We are trying to buy a house due to job relocation. We have to have moved by the time the children start school. We have been very open about this - need to complete in August.

We found a house. No other serious interest and we are the only people to put in an offer. There has now been protracted and ongoing negotiations about every stage of the sale and every time something new comes up the vendors have changed their story.

They have now changed their story again about moving out date and want us to move basically 2 days before the children start new school in new city. All through the negotiations they have said they can move out at "any time" because they are going into a rental belonging to a family member.

I think we should pull out from purchase, rent for six months and take our chances that the house will still be there in six months. DH thinks we should proceed on their terms which for reasons that are so complicated is the most impossible day in August for us.
There is a rental house available in same part of town which would be fine.

So, would you call their bluff?

[bran]

I would call their bluff personally. It's not as though house prices are rising so you won't loose out.

I would give them a range of 4 or 5 days that you want to move and say that you will pull out of the sale and rent if they don't confirm one of those dates by the end of this week (but be prepared to wait until the beginning of next week).

We did do this and they stood their ground, but back-pedalled and grovelled when they realised that we meant it. We had already found a rental that we liked though so we rented for about 8 months and ended up buying something much better in a different area.

[Teddimac]

Would definitely be tempted to call their bluff - especially as it's not a bad idea to rent for a while when you're going to a new area (I'm assuming it's new to you?), can give you a much clearer idea of where you want to be and what's available.

[Twiglett]

god pull out and rent

you will be in the strongest position looking in the area you are already living in and will have local experience by then

you'll probably also save 10 - 20% on house prices I reckon (although that is a gamble)

no point in buying now, particularly if they're being painful

[MamaGLovesMe]

Definitely call their bluff.

They have lied before and they will lie again.

[unconvinced]

what bran says

[lalalonglegs]

I don't really see the point of dealing with people like this if you don't have to. Walk away.

[claricebeansmum]

Thank you all!

My gut feeling is that they are p*** us around. We are paying over the valuation price already and are not in a chain so are to all intents and purposes the perfect buyer in todays market.

I already have suspicions that they are going to turn around the day before exchange and ask for more money and now they are screwing us further.

My parents went on holiday for a week when there was a "gap" in their chain.

I thought they would be wanting to take our money and run...

[Flibbertyjibbet]

Agree that you should pull out and rent. Especially if there is a rental house in the same area.

When the vendor comes grovelling say that you have had a rethink about finances in the current market and ask for a price reduction.

[claricebeansmum]

FIL - voice of calm and reason in the family - has just called to say he thinks we should call their bluff...
DH might listen now

[Winetimeisfinetime]

We were in exactly the same position as you clarice when we bought our current house - we had no chain as our old house had been bought by the company relocating my dh and we stated from the outset that our offer was on the basis that we could be moved in by the end of July as our ds was starting school in the September, which they agreed to.

They ended up messing us around from start to finish and the stress of dealing with them was awful - and we were paying over the valuation too. I wanted to walk away but dh insisted we didn't. When we moved in, after alot of anxiety about them completing in time for ds school start, we found they had left lots of their stuff in the loft and the garage and when our solicitor chased them to remove it they said it was all our fault for making them move out too soon and they hadn't had time to pack !!

With hindsight we really wish we had rented for a while instead and would never have bought this house if we had.

[claricebeansmum]

Wine - that is food for thought. Why would you have never have bought the house if you could have your time again?

We are moving to a small city and with the school's location and a couple of chats with some contacts I think I have identified the right areas and the house we want to buy will be lovely when it is sorted...

[Winetimeisfinetime]

We bought it in a bit of a panic because of the school start date, especially as ds was starting school for the first time. There wasn't much on the market at the time as well and so we had limited choice.So we bought the house even though it is on a main road which was one of the things we really didn't want. The house also had lots of hidden DIY horrors done by the vendors.

The vendors also said that they could move into rented accomodation to facilitate our needs for a fairly quick completion which was another factor that swayed us. It seemed like an easy move as there was no chain but turned out to be a nightmare because of them. We found out after we moved in that the neighbours had almost organised a street party to celebrate them leaving the neighbourhood and that he was known locally as 'little Hitler' !

I think I wish my dh had trusted my instincts that they were too difficult to deal with and had let us walk away.

[Winetimeisfinetime]

I think also that 6 months of renting would have stopped us buying in a bit of a panic, which I now realise we did - at the time it seemed like our dream house {except for the main road that in actual fact hasn't really been an issue } and we would have realised that this house needed too much work and the gardens were too big for us to easily maintain especially with dh still settling in at a new job.

[ihatebikerides]

Sorry, but they're taking the mick. Do they not read the papers? Have they no idea of what's happening in the current market? And they've got a buyer almost in the bag and they're p you about. Madness. Threaten (and mean it) to pull out unless they sort their act out. Although why not actually pull out, rent (as you've suggested) and get more for your money in 6 month's time?

[claricebeansmum]

DH has this morning offered to send them on holiday for a week in order for them to move out a week early. . I think he thinks this will be a small price to pay to keep me happy and unstressed!

This is turning into an absolute farce but we do really want the house and they don't come on the market very often.

[ihatebikerides]

But where would they put their stuff? If it goes into storage, they'd have to pay 2x removal costs, + the storage fees.

[PerkinWarbeck]

I think I'd rent. We're trying to relocate and have decided that being mid-chain is too much of a logistical nightmare, in terms of fitting in with other people's timescales when we have deadlines of our own.

[noddyholder]

Rent!!!!!!!!You should not be paying over the valuation in this market

[sandy4]

I was pregnant when we bought our house, & were really messed about by the sellers.

DP threatened to reduce our offer by £1000 for every week we were delayed. did the trick thank god.

[squiffy]

I think your DH is a loon

Don't renegotiate. Walk away.

If they come grovelling back then you get what you want. If they don't, you can be satisfied that you have messed up all their plans for a change, and they will now have to try to take someone else for a ride.

[ihatebikerides]

Actually, I think I agree with squiffy, having re-read this thread. He's offered them a holiday? To do something that they had agreed wouldn't be a problem? The thing is, by offering them these sorts of concessions, you're reducing any future bargaining power in the future. Although, in reality, you should have all the cards in your hands in today's market. They've got a buyer, fgs. WHY are they faffing about?

[lalalonglegs]

LISTEN TO SQUIFFY AND BIKERIDES.

They sound the sort of people who will remove the light bulbs and door handles before leaving - don't accommodate their stressful behaviour.