AIBU to think there might be something iffy about this house/seller?

[Darksideofthe80s]

Have been to view a house in an ongoing development, houses have been released in stages over the last couple of years, more homes currently being built.

Had a look around, not a bad size, garden smaller than ours but living space larger, all good so far. Being a nosy bitch I asked why they were selling, was given a reasonable answer (details could out me), I asked how long they had been there and it turned out to be a couple of months.

The reason they gave for moving would have been obvious before they bought this place, so were they trying and failed to make a quick buck, fallen out with the neighbours or what.....?

Or is it none of my god damn business and if I like the house just shut up and buy it

No I would worry about that - it may be something simple like they have split up but it may be a problem as well

I am looking at houses now and found some brilliant new builds at a great price ...didn;t know the area that well - turns out it's very very dodgy! Glad I checked!

Hmmm, unless it was something which was time-critical (e.g. they found their commute to work was horrendous or they were not in the catchment area for their preferred school) and they therefore had to move quickly, I would be very suspicious! Surely moving after only a few months means they will lose all the money they have spent on legal fees, surveys, removal costs etc?

being realistic, you are never going to know for sure why a seller is selling a house. After all - say one of them lost their job just after they bought the house, meaning they couldn't afford the mortgage and were heading for big money troubles.... there's nothing sinister there, but they still wouldn't want buyers knowing, in case they smelt blood and started offering at a very low level, knowing the sellers were desperate.

They might also be separating and not want people to know, for the same reason.. No way for you to know!

All you can do is research (area for crime etc) - survey house - talk to neighbours. And make sure you go the property, even if just to the street outside, at different times of day and evening, if possible.

Go on Rightmove and find out how much they bought it for.

They might be relocating ?

Caveat emptor! I would be suspicious and I would definitely dig around before committing.

The house is in the better part of an ok area but there are some fantastic schools nearby.

It was purchased by a single parent, so I don't think it is as simple as a break up thats the reason for the one I'm looking at tomorrow

Would it be wrong to go back and knock on a few neighbours doors for info about the area, see if anything is let slip?

I have a friend who is putting her recently bought new build up. Her reasons would also have been obvious at the time. But that doesn't factor in the fact that she had been desperately trying to sell her old house for 12 months, saw a way out with part exchange waved under her nose and convinced herself the reasons she now wants to move didn't matter.

There is nothing wrong with her house, its lovely. Just not in quite the right place to make their exisiting lives easy.

If they were relocating they would just say that surely? ANyway, OP does have the reason why they are moving (or why they say they are) but doesn't want to identify herself by mentioning it. That does make it slightly difficult for usto advise on the likelihood of them telling the truth however if we get bogged down in guessing why they are leaving!

Morebeta have done that and they are selling for exactly the same price as they paid, even thought there are a couple of others on for £5k+

Any chance this is actually really the developer selling and these people are just fronting the sale?

Vendor is ftb so maybe it was a way to get a foot on the ladder.

As I said it might be tmi to give the actual reason but eg might be the house is 20 miles from the nearest school and there are 2 school age children living there, something blatantly obvious at the time of purchase, vendor is fairly local to area so would know iyswim.

So they are actually losing quite a lot of money on the sale then because they will also have the estate agents fees? Does this reason mean they have to move now or could they not just as easily stay a few years and then move?

At the risk of tmi its a shared ownership deal, so a lot of jumping through hoops and proving the area/property is right for you.

But if they were fib they haven't got their foot on the ladder at all have they because now they have lost money on the sale and presumably have even less to put towards their next house? They've slipped off the bottom rung before even getting started!

FTB not FIB

No ea fees or stamp duty

Don't some of these developments require you to sign up to purchase many many moons in advance of the house being built? I have this folk memory about it.

Sorry ea fees but no stamp duty

Mmmm something doesn't add up, but I wish I knew if it was their problem iyswim rather than a problem with house/neighbours. If they are canny they might have had shit with neighbours and not reported it so that the sale would not be affected

We have a new development in a very nice part of town. It has an allotted amount of social housing, with just one or two very undesirable people in them, unfortunately this has affected the whole development. :(

If you are genuinely interested then express your concerns to the agent and ask outright. Why are they moving? I would not jump in, definitely do your research, also have you been to see the company selling the new builds? They may well be prepared to undercut her.

And yes to knocking on doors , it's too bigger commitment to go into with doubts

Some of those shared ownership deals can be a bit misleading. You own a certain percentage and pay off the bank, then you pay rent on remainder to the association/developer/part owner. Sometimes this adds up to a lot more than an outright loan.

Then there might also be communal fees for upkeep of the grounds/streets. I've been told that some of these new developments aren't "adopted" by the local council so the owners are responsible for upkeep/cleaning etc. All things to be wary of.

Also with shared ownership, there is usually less profit potential... you can only sell it on to specific others who fit criteria (all those hoops you're jumping through) and the price isn't open market price either.

The thing that would concern me is the fact that you pay there are others on sale for extra £5k. How many exactly are on for resale? Is it a mass exodus? Sometimes these shared ownership places have a certain number set aside for affordable rented accomm. Perhaps these exist and are less than desirable.

Without knowing all the details we could speculate all day long, so definitely dig deep and make sure you feel comfortable before you commit to anything.

Thanks greeneyed wasn't sure if that was a bit too psycho stalkerish