AIBU: Do you renegotiate the price of a flat sale based on something you haven't noticed because you're blind or stupid?

[user1476448102]

We're selling our 2 bed flat and were lucky enough to have had an offer within 2 weeks from first time buyers with an enormous deposit.
However, a month ago they realised that our garage was a storage garage rather than a garage for a car. To start with, it's got parking in front of it, there are parking lines and a parking sign with times that you need to have a permit to park there. Secondly, it hasn't got a drop curb. Thirdly, we never advertised it as off street parking, it's a garage that you can store stuff in. We put our bikes in there.
We think they must have a fancy car or something, as their solicitor said that "they required" us to apply to the council to get the parking restrictions changed and get a drop curb put in. It might cost us around £7k and take months. We don't have a car. We said no.
Apart from this demand, they've been saying they want to renegotiate the price for a month, but haven't come back with anything. They've also now had the survey through, which apparently they want some other money off for. We think they are wasting our time.
When we bought the flat, we really wanted a wood burner, but we didn't request the sellers to get it for us. AIBU?

Following your update, Yes I agree - you are not being unreasonable to expect the buyers to now make up their mind how they want to progress. What do the EA/ solicitor say OP?

The buyers need to decide if they want it still and are willing to pay.

It does seem odd though that you have a garage that you can’t access by car easily. I think if you relist the flat then you shouldn’t list it as having a garage.

Are they friends with the estate agent? Or trying to do something a bit dodgy?

I think you should get your solicitor involved.

Solicitor won’t do anything - there is nothing dodgy going on here.

They have realised they aren’t getting what they thought, so they want the garage to have car access.

Estate agent just wants the sale to go through.

Don’t waste your money on a solicitor for this. Just give a deadline for them to make a decision, and put it back on th market.

A month waiting for a revised offer is crazy. I would have walked after a week (and I have sold dozens of houses).

Don’t waste your money on a solicitor for this. Just give a deadline for them to make a decision, and put it back on th market

This

Our buyer tried to drop the asking price by 20K a few days before exchange as they said the house was advertised as a semi detached and in fact it was end of terrace (it was attached to some flats). We had been messed around by a previous seller (should have listened to mumsnetters who told me to put it back on market) and so told them to take a hike. They came back with original offer. Decide what your prepared to sell flat for. If you don’t want to renegotiate then put back on market.

If they haven't come back with a new price in a month it sounds like they're looking at other stuff. Get it back on the market today.

Not having parking can knock a huge amount of value off a property. Where I live a flat with parking can be £50k more than one without, if a property doesn’t have parking the asking price should reflect this wherever it is in the country.

The listing also needs to clearly state lock up, not garage.

If you are prepared to loose them as buyers then don't entertain them.
But how many offers have you had/how long on the market?
If it went back on with the real details (ie no off street parking) how would that effect the new valuation?

Sorry but a garage is where you store a car. Yes many people choose not to store their car in one but they still can if they do wish. If due to parking yours can't reliably get a car in or out then it's not a garage and shouldn't be marketed as such.

We bought a new build. Some of same style came with a garage and some didn't. Those with a garage cost £5,000 more. So in buyers mind they were paying more for something they are not getting. They are messing you around though and should just be clear what price they think your house is worth and if you disagree put it back on the market.

I don't know why people are getting do hung up on if it's a garage or a shed or a lockup or a badly designed aquarium. Who cares.

No contract has been signed, the buyers can reduce their offer by as much as they like for whatever reason they like. Or for no reason at all. They can just say "we've changed our mind, we no longer want to offer x, we now wish to offer x-£30K.

You can then say yes or no.

That's really all there is to it.

”If it fits a car in, and can be used to store a car, then it isn't a "shed"”

It can’t be used to store a car though. There’s no dropped kerb (why do people keep spelling it ‘curb’?) and cars can park in front blocking it. If you can’t get a car in and out, then the fact you might technically be able to fit a car in it size-wise is irrelevant.

I think they are time-wasters and just not that into it, regardless of being slightly misled, perhaps, re the shed. So I would bin them off.