House sold months ago, buyers now want a

That changed a good while back and now the seller pays for a survey and valuation (the Home Report) which is freely available to anyone who’s interested in the property.

Totally agree. @LlynTegid my friend wasted several thousands doing surveys on potential houses in Scotland and her offer not being even accepted.

You don't need to explain or justify yourself. Just say no, the matter is now closed.

What, the sealed bid system?? That’s problematic too.

Short and sweet.

If buyer asks you to drop price, tell agent:

1. We need the agreed amount;
2. Please put house back on market/contact second in line and start the process again;
3. I have told lawyer to stop work with this buyer.

If seller asks you to increase at the last moment (unlikely currently but happened to a friend years ago, the day before exchange), tell the agent:

1. We do not have the money;
2. We do have somewhere we can stay (so aren’t desperate);
3. Please arrange viewings of xyz similar houses this weekend

Use the agent as a message box to the other party and make sure your actions (eg moving forward with others or more viewings) reinforce what you say on the phone.

First post is very misleading. It literally says "We sold our house a few months ago." I clicked and read because I wanted to see what the outcome was of attempting to get money back long after a sale was completed. 😒

Tell them the price just went up 5k, and you want flowers and a spa day thrown in too, or else they can fuck off.

Gazundering is standard house buying practice and has been for several decades.

Sound like a pair off jealous, bullying low life Entitled Chancers it you ask me

Don't offer them any favours whatsoever.

No more contact

Ignore them and move on.

We do all surveys and pest checks and any council issues with easements before putting in an offer. We don't have a register of neighbourhood complaints ( sorry don't know the right term). You just take pot luck or drive by at different times of day, walk around the block etc.
If someone gets sick that is sad but I would assume you would still lose your deposit, though there may be some law I'm unaware of.
Regarding deposits there are a range of things ( borrowing from family is popular; or you can do a 5% deposit and get mortgage insurance ( added to your mortgage ) for the other 5%, a lot of people have recently sold a home so have the deposit that way. There are other things like bonds.

This is exactly the attitude the buyers are relying on. It is sharp practice and to be deplored. Wonder why people are blaming the estate agent though.

Yes it’s a common ploy to pressurise people into giving a discount. Years ago, someone tried this on us. We said no and told the estate agent to put the house back on the market. Within hours the original buyers came back saying they would pay what we had agreed. I would suggest you do the same.

I'd be telling the estate agent to drop their commission % to enable a drop in price that doesnt affect your equity in the house, for not vetting buyers properly and weeding out chancers. The agent is supposed to be working for you.
Ask if they have done it before.

I think I'd want to put it on the market again because these buyers sound like trouble to me. They might back out last minute.

@Paddington1234 not everyone will have the 10% in cash to put down. We certainly didn’t when we moved house. All our money was tied up in our property.

and what happens if the survery shows something that means you don’t want to proceed? What happens if you find the neighbours are awful? What happens if one of you get sick and can’t continue?

lots of things can legitimately come up in the conveyancing process that mean when you have full info you don’t wish to proceed.

I will never understand the English real estate system. Why don't you have legal documents signed and done the day you agree on a price, thats the echange and then its legally binding for both parties. A 10% ( usually) deposit is paid to the vendors immediately and held in trust by the REA. Then 6 weeks before completion ( but there is no changing the price then, worst that can happen is the buyers finances fall through and the seller gets the 10% deposit). Then its final exchange of title, full payment and done.. You can agree longer than 6 weeks if both parties are happy with that.

Whereabouts are you at in the conveyancing process?

I first thought it was settled months ago (We sold our house a few months ago) but later it reads like it is not settled yet (they could lose all the fees if we didn’t want to sell to them now.).
You need to clarify this first.

Well done op. Bloody chancers!

How did the thread go for the cf?

Well done OP, but I'm sorry you had some worrying few hours. How are you feeling about it now? Do you have any indication of when the sale should complete? I'm afraid it would make me feel quite petty about little details on moving day.

(What were all of skinpert's posts about that are now deleted?).

Happened to us. We called their bluff. Sale wrnt through. Cant think why consullting chain wpuld help.
Just sax no.

If you are pretty confident that your house will sell easily for the same price they offered originally, I wouldn't hesitate to pull out. If they are prepared to cause this trouble and anxiety now then and I wouldn't be surprised if they tried again for a reduction just before exchange when you would be losing a lot of money yourself on the surveys and mortgage fees on the house you intend to buy. Yes it will be a hassle for you - but can you imagine the hassle if they tried this again near to exchange when the stakes are higher.

I don't mean to be pedantic either, but half the fucking posts on this thread are making that point. Might be worth reading past post one before making your oh so original point.

Yes but if you went in at the lowest end of three valuations and took the first offer which was below that asking price, another say 10k off a 280k house is a piss take. It's already priced to sell and did so on the first day of viewings. Selling below any other completed sale values at the last minute would really p me off. Like people putting in offers saying they are cash buyers but then get mortgages refused. Some real chancers out there

I did think the work they had done would be used towards the new buyers that we had already accepted. To be fair, the way it was worded in the email by the solicitor was not very clear. As I’ve not moved house for 45 years I was possibly a bit out of date with current procedures. 😏