Is this really what selling to a first time buyer is like now?

[vipersnest1]

I do understand that buying a house is a big deal, but the whole thing seems crazy….
I accepted their offer in December.
Despite draft contracts going out mid-January, their solicitor took eight weeks to raise enquiries (apparently known for it because they are low-cost - the words of my solicitor).
Repeated questions based around issues like management company and fees when there are none. I’ve now answered questions about this four times.
Assurances sought about the condition of appliances that I've thrown in for zero cost as I don’t need them in my new house (I’ve already said they are in good working order).
Questions on possible development near the house - that’s what local searches are for, surely?
Delays on completion date due to various excuses - storage costs, rent, supposed holiday.
Having insisted on completion in early June, I’ve now been asked for another viewing, which I can understand (kind of!), but have also found out that they haven’t even returned their signed contract to their solicitor.
AIBU to think there is an ulterior motive here, or is this common?
I’ve been in my current house for 12 years so may be out of touch with this issue.
Any thoughts gratefully received.

To me it seems the problems are more often the solicitors / conveyancers.

Some seem to work to check lists that run to anything that could apply to any property.

From helping my gran by her last property, and then also selling it later, with different solicitors each time the questions to and fro between them were ridiculous. When poked at, each time they were definitely driven by the solicitors ratger than the buyer.

Ours kept arguing about the solar panels on the roof and whether it constituted a structure, there was a covenant about structures. In the end we said we would remove them or get indemnity insurance. Every house in the street had solar panels and others had sold much quicker, so we didn't feel that way the problem.
We got indemnity insurance in the end, it was back and forth for weeks. I think, in retrospect, the purchasers were using a licenced conveyance company not solicitors, and she was not up to scratch.

My dc is a ftb and she is a bit like this.

she is autistic and does not really understand the process. I’m trying to guide her but she does get worried about unexpected bills.

This is the problem. Buyers using cheap conveyancing companies.

I think all FTB should have to sit an online course on how to buy a house. It would save a lot of time-wasting

Does anyone know if insurance is available against your purchaser pulling out at the last possible moment?
I manage our house with 5 flats to avoid managing agents and to keep our costs down. When sales have come up they seem to go through without a problem.

It's 100% because it's a conveyancer rather than a solicitor (probably 1 solicitor overseeing a load of conveyancers)

They often work through a really generic checklist that includes everything that could apply and don't apply any common sense. The minute they get to a point that they can't answer they stopped working on that case and don't return to it until prompted again.

The estate agent we bought from employed a lady who's only role was "keeping the chain together" mostly by chasing conveyancers and getting them to actually do their job.

Then our buyers went on a 5 week holiday just before our expected exchange date and had no way of contacting them at all.

I am never moving house again though!

I will never sell to a FTB. Pain in the arse

I have no complaints about my buyers (Selling an empty, recently refurbished house to cash buyers - young couple funded by parents - everyone eager and ready to go), but, I have no idea how both our solicitors managed to drag it out so long.

Well, actually I do, we each returned our paperwork immediately to our respective solicitors (both firms well thought of in our town) - but there was a week turnaround on everything, and yes, asking questions that were clearly answered either in my initial pack (and don't get me started on wonky scans with repetitive information like something from the 80s), or on the deeds themselves (including contacting a government department about a clause that clearly says it expired in 2010). We had 2 aborted exchange and complete dates, when at the last moment they discovered something they hadn't seen until the day of completion. Including that my old mortgage company (mortgage paid off 10 years ago - this was in my initial info pack) hadn't removed the hold at the land registry - 2 hours on the phone and it was lifted (mortgage company were brilliant - especially since I didn't have an account with them anymore!), but somehow it wasn't noticed until the 2nd attempt at exchange.

Finally managed it 3rd time lucky, and touch wood, it's all OK. But my god it was harder than it should have been!

First time buyers are a nightmare, wanting a tumble dryer I didn't actually have !

Well, they’ve been round. I was pleasant to them (agent showed them round and I stayed out of the way). They made a point of saying their solicitor insisted they viewed again.
We shall see what happens next. (It would be great if I actually heard today as otherwise I will end up waiting over a weekend yet again for the wheels to grind.)
I have to say if I’d known what a pain in the arse a first-time buyer would be I would have avoided them like the plague!

I agree that this sounds like a crap solicitor combined with a meddling parent who is knocking their confidence. Now it’s gone on a bit long and they are feeling a bit twitchy. Firm deadline for exchange and completion and yes, I’d honour one quick visit as long as they are otherwise playing ball.

We were FTB and nothing like this. We were very confident and knowledgeable with no meddling parents and we had a good solicitor. Our vendors though who must have had a good 40+ years more experience than us couldn’t keep a deadline. Pushed for exchange by a certain date to secure their onward purchase and then their solicitor went on holiday for the week and we couldn’t exchange. Their onward purchase was so delayed (they didn’t move in for another 18 months after completion), that we had to wait for them to evict a tenant to move into their second home. Weird building regs and indemnity insurance stuff was poorly organised. Weird thankfully had a very knowledgeable and on the ball solicitor who kept things moving for us.

The problem is not the first time buyer per se; it’s that they were not experienced enough to choose a good solicitor. But it’s not tHeir fault the solicitor is rubbish

As of just before 5, the buyer has ignored a phone call and email from the agent trying to clarify whether or not they intend to proceed…
So now I’m going to spend another weekend wondering what the hell is coming next.
Any bets?

Let's hope, OP, the EA is open tomorrow and tracks them down. Genuinely, any FTB mortgage promise they have now, unless nailed down, is going to escalate in the coming days.
And what do you think the 'solicitor insisted we view it again' line was about? Do you think solicitor is calling them out and saying, make up you mind? Or just a ruse?

That’s something that I forgot to say in my last post - my agent spoke with their solicitor and while it’s standard wording (so the solicitor has covered themselves), they haven’t insisted on it at all. In fact, my agent was very clear that even their own solicitor was fed up with them now and wanted to reach a resolution as soon as possible.
This leads me to think that there is another motive, but I don’t have any idea what it is at present.
The agent is working tomorrow and will try to follow up then, so I might get an answer, but who knows?

Not specific to ftb. Some buyers (and in this case it seems the solicitor) are crap.

Finally exchanged just after three today - it should have been yesterday. I’m fairly sure there were some last minute shenanigans as my buyer’s solicitor was apparently ‘away from his desk’ when mine called him to exchange….

Sounds like they have investments with a date where they’ll lose lots if they withdraw before a certain date.

oh Wow. Great news. V pleased for you. My DC has had her FTB MIP rate go up from 3.7% in Dec to 4.55% this week so I bet something similar focused their brains.
so pleased for you

DS1 and his girlfriend are buying their first house. Only had the offer accepted last bank holiday but his GF is on at the solicitor every few days. They don't want to pay rent any longer than they have to.

That’s an interesting thought - the deposit is coming from the buyer’s father, so that might have been at play in this.

Thanks for the congratulations by the way! I’m still feeling in disbelief to be honest, as it’s taken so long (and a fair bit of standing my ground) to get here.