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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Pulling out of house purchase last minute

136 replies

nachosTrafficante · 15/09/2019 18:09

We’re about to pull out of a house sale...due to basically changing out minds. I feel awful especially for our buyer who has been waiting for us to fins somewhere and has just had survey down. I want to offer to pay for his survey as I feel dreadful.

Well then have survey I suppose.

OP posts:
relax2 · 15/09/2019 18:37

Advice pretty much the same though - do what you need to do , sure buyers will find somewhere else

IAmALazyArse · 15/09/2019 18:38

The system needs overhaul.
I was shitting myself after spending good 3k on just basics because I had nightmares that seller will pull out. I am pretty sure it's similar for the sellers.
3 k is hell of a lot of money. More security is needed for both sides

eeksville · 15/09/2019 18:38

In my history of buying & selling I was gazumped twice. For some reasons that's not considered half as bad as gazundering.

MarjoryDaw · 15/09/2019 18:42

This happened to my sister. It was horrendous for her. It’s all very well people saying “oh you need to do what’s right and it’s ok to have second thoughts over such a big purchase” but it is not ok to be so utterly flakey when other people have potentially spent thousands to get to that point.

You are not children. You have had time to think this through. Grow up.

Notthemessiah · 15/09/2019 18:50

*Oh for heavens sake!

I have sold 3 flats / houses now and every time a buyer pulled out. Straight back on the market, found a new one.

It isn’t what anyone wants but I’m the end in our system you are not under contract til you exchange, and everyone is at risk, and you shouldn’t be guilt tripped into going through with something that costs you undress if thousands of ££ and s huge chunk of your income for 25 years if it isn’t right.

Not great but it is what it is.*

Agreed, but you should still feel like a shitty human being whose indecision and flakiness has cost someone else several thousand pounds through no fault of their own.

Idontwanttotalk · 15/09/2019 19:03

I suppose you really can't help it if you've changed your mind but, under the circumstances, if I were you, I would pay ALL costs incurred by the person who was planning to buy your home. You legally don't have to but morally you should. It doesn't sound as if you are planning to though.

It isn't fair of you to do this to the buyers.

Carthage · 15/09/2019 19:06

You should definitely pay for their survey. It's not like you changed your mind about a house you weren't sure about whether wanted to buy; you changed your mind about selling yours altogether. It's really shitty. They should change the law to stop people being allowed to do this. Buying and selling houses is not a hobby it should be a serious business transaction.

NoSauce · 15/09/2019 19:07

Yep. If you’re getting a pasting blame DH Wink

BackforGood · 15/09/2019 19:08

I agree with everyone else. It is a horrible thing to do.
The system in England is completely broken, but "just changing your mind" is really poor. If you arent sure about where you are buing, you have the option to sell and rent

MarjoryDaw · 15/09/2019 19:11

Honestly. If I could meet the arsehole woman that did this to my sister I’d punch her right in her stupid face for the mess she caused.

Decided on fucking MOVING DAY that she didn’t want to sell. “I never said I would”

ChaoticKate · 15/09/2019 19:13

This happened to us at the beginning of the year. Sellers simply changed their minds and apparently we were supposed to feel sorry for them because they’d been having sleepless nights about the decision. It cost us about £10k after factoring in solicitors, survey, storage fees and the cost of an extra move because we had to move into temporary accommodation and let our own sale proceed or we’d have lost our own buyers. Complete dickheads.

Yes you should offer to pay for their survey.

NoSauce · 15/09/2019 19:15

Decided on fucking MOVING DAY that she didn’t want to sell. “I never said I would”

Had they not exchanged?

Puzzledandpissedoff · 15/09/2019 19:16

I'm confused ... the title mentioned pulling out of a house purchase, but what you actually appear to be cancelling is your own home's sale

Had you already found a place to buy and are bailing on that too, or is it that you "never really found anywhere" and have been stringing your buyer along?

Tilltheendoftheline · 15/09/2019 19:17

You dint feel that bad, cause you are doing it.

Why the fuck would you have your house on the market unless you were absolutely sure.

It's really shitty to mess people about like this. If I were you ibwoild be paying their legal fees as well.

AnnonniMoose · 15/09/2019 19:22

I had this happen to me Sad - we were due to complete on the Monday morning, and he pulled out on the Sunday evening. Cost me over £3,000. It's a shitty thing to do.

lostelephant · 15/09/2019 19:23

Approx 1 in 3 house sales fall through. Yes it's a shit system, but it's the risk buyers take when attempting to purchase a property.

If you are happy to pay the fees then do so, though there is no obligation, you could always offer 50/50 as a goodwill gesture.

What specifically has changed yours an DH's mind?

relax2 · 15/09/2019 19:24

I agree you should cover any costs they have had to outlay too

spanglydangly · 15/09/2019 19:26

That's just so horrible, your poor purchasers, loads of money wasted, loads of time.

You do show what a shit system it is.

You could always offer to reimburse them some costs, but I don't suppose you will.

spanglydangly · 15/09/2019 19:27

Apologies you have offered, that's a good thing, well done for that.

ourkidmolly · 15/09/2019 19:31

You sound pretty upbeat about it all so not sure what you're after in this thread?

MarjoryDaw · 15/09/2019 19:34

We are in Scotland. They hadn’t completed missives. I thought that was a major solicitor error but by conveyancer friend said it’s actually increasingly common 🤷🏻‍♀️ Seems insane to me

IAmALazyArse · 15/09/2019 19:36

You were still posting today about works and bigger garden etc.
Did you seriously change your mind in last like 7 hours? 😮😮😮

pimbee · 15/09/2019 19:50

Oh this is my biggest nightmare, the house buying process in this country is utterly shit. If you really want to compensate them financially there may well be legal fees as well.

Upanddownandroundagain · 15/09/2019 19:50

How short notice is it? When are you supposed to exchange?

SugarNyx · 15/09/2019 20:00

That’s a real piece of shit thing to do

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