Abu - 10 weeks from offer and no solicitors instructed

[Ihatehouseselling]

Situation is this - please add some of your views to see if we are unreasonable

Selling house
Offer received
Survey done quotes requested
Over 7 contractors quote for 3 jobs to give transparency and range
More quotes for same jobs asked for as results not good enough
For choice work BTW

No solicitor instructed by buyers still
Their house is under offer and we can see this is true

So 10 weeks in - agent qualified that they have funds - we have been back and forth an amazing amount of times and goalposts keep being moved

Survey issues debunked by qualified specialists

We ask for legal commitment and go back on market

They threaten pull out if we don't go back to sstc

We agree for a finite time -very short-as it suits us currently not to have viewings

We want to move ASAP but not at any cost

So...thoughts?

I don't know what sstc is, but I would tell them that unless there's progress by [insert date] you'll be putting your house back on the market.

The best bit of advice I was ever given about buying a house was: "when you find a house you love and want to buy, don't get too emotionally invested in it, because you'll lose it. But another one will come along and you'll love it just as much - if not more - than the house you originally wanted"
Same goes for the people buying from you. If they're flaky - ditch 'em!

p.s. I have no expertise in the industry. Ignore me if anyone with actual knowledge comes along!

SSTC- sold subject to concluding (missives) where are you OP? Did they not have a solicitor appointed to make the original offer? They can't be even trying to conclude if they don't have one so if he going back on the market.

Very true - we had found a house and offered on it, started searches and had survey done so over 1K in only for them to pull out over us saying no to something else

Agent managed to get it back on but the house we wanted is back on market so we are not getting emotionally invested

We even had moving quotes as it involves horses and livestock to then find out no solicitors arranged - so many people''s time wasted

Best thing is this house is amazing and we cannot find another that comes close - if it wasn't due to relocation we would stay forever - no one should expect a 150yr old farmhouse to be perfect but wow they went over the top

It seems clear doesn't it?

"I'd be"

Wales and nope - well they gave solicitor details but our solicitor said they had major trouble finding out where to send the paperwork and they seemed not to have heard of them

Sol also has a PO box for an address but is an online one

Are you in Scotland? I thought any formal notes of interest or offers had to be done via a lawyer?

Ah ok, cross post. Not sure about Welsh system but I would be going back on the market.

Bump for morning

The people who bought our last house used one of those cheap and cheerful online solicitor things (I didn't even know they existed!). Our solicitor was not happy and even less so when on moving day (we're in Scotland) it turned out they hadn't arranged a mortgage!!

Trust your instinct, op, and put it back on the market.

Wales and England have the same system.

You only have 2 options which you've already done. Wait, or go back on the market.

It's clear that these buyers don't want to pay as much for the work they want done, as it's going to cost. I wouldn't be surprised if when pushed, they get things going, then close to exchange, reduce their offer, in order to pay for this work. They will feel they've got you over a barrel, so will accept their reduced offer.

I'd bin them now, they're going to be trouble.

Thank you it is nice to see others are thinking what we are

This false hope is worse than no hope at all - if you want somewhere so badly, you fight to get it as quickly as you can, don't you?

They have until the end of the week and then I think we will do what you are all recommending - as you say, trust your gut

Has anyone ever waited that long to do this? If so why? It just seems to alien!

PO box for solicitors is not right. Check them out on the law society website or on the council of lisenced conveyancers website. Those are the two governing bodies for property lawyers. Also no harm in putting back on the market and letting the other chap continue with his investigations. Sounds like a time waster to me.

We would never accept a changed offer at exchange or close to it, rather just end the sale - no matter what the cost, we would never acquiesce to any such actions and would just go back on market

If that's the plan, then they really are with the fairies

We’ve bought and sold a few houses over the years and my advice would be to never, ever deal with flaky people. They’ll cause no end of problems. Put the house back on the market and start again. It’s hard, but better in the long run.

People who can’t conduct themselves in an efficient, business like manner aren’t worth dealing with when it comes to house selling/purchase. The whole thing is stressful enough as it is without having to deal with game playing weirdos.

Wow, thank you everyone - it is so nice to see we are not odd for thinking how we are thinking

Pretty unanimous that they're not worth bothering with

Are you selling through an Estate Agent?

Yes indeed

Our agent has been really helpful, but even they were shocked when we told them that after sending us on wild goose chases having reports for issues that are choice for them to do - if they buy it - they had not even started solicitor searches - that's when there was a definite shift in attitudes

We fully intend saying any more enquiries must come via a solicitor as going through the agent back and forth for so many weeks has bred resentment I think

However, fully expect them to disappear as soon as we make a demand

That's why we posted, as to us, to make an offer on a house and have it accepted means you want it - to take 10 weeks before starting searches is just ludicrous isn't it?

They are time wasters. Tell them that you are putting it back on the market and will take it off once they have searches done and contracts signed. If they are serious they will get on with it. However I doubt they are and they are going to mess you about forever and won't buy your house anyway. Better to stop the silliness now.

Why would you give them another week? Movement by wednesday of it goes back on the market. To be honest I wouldn't engage any further. If it was my property it would already be back on the market.

I'm confused. The house we are buying was not confirmed as under offer/SSTC until we had confirmed we had instructed solicitors (we had already anyway, as we'd started the sale process of our flat).

Lesson learned I think - we will insist on that for next buyers

Weird thing is they're getting it at under what we paid 10 yrs ago with a 24m stable block added and improvements as we thought we would be here forever but a job came up too good to say no to

As it is we are waiting it out in a lovely farm so it is no hardship but fancy losing out on it over possible issues that experts have said do not exist!

You are all quite right - we just wanted hope but it is obvious really that they have no real intention

We would stick to our deadline as we honour our word, but will be going back on as per the suggestions I think, and they can either start legals or jog on

Quick bump for evening

Thinking your estate agents are somewhat lacking here. They should be establishing buyer credibility, chasing through their status 're mortgage, solicitors etc. Even contacting their agent to ensure everything goes smoothly. You are paying them a lot of money to do this. Make them work for it.