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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To want to know why vendors are selling

185 replies

shoebedobedobedobedoo · 20/10/2019 17:39

We are at exchange stage(as in about to). Nothing has come up in survey or searches. When we first looked at the house EA said vendors were moving due to ‘change of circumstances‘. On second viewing we were told vendors had already moved out into rented. They had taken NOTHING with them. No furniture, no kids toys, nothing. It looked like they had walked out one morning and hadn’t come back. We had our offer accepted (had to increase twice). We have subsequently had 2 other nebulous reasons as to why they are selling, and most recently told they wanted to move to a detached house. On our 3rd viewing all the woman’s was gone, but not the mans. All kids stuff still there. Pre exchange visit almost everything gone.We know (via reliable village gossip) that they have moved into a much smaller rented property less than 1/2 mile away. Were they sleeping and sitting on the floor? Neither direct neighbour even knew they were moving or that the house was on the market until we knocked on their doors. They haven’t spoken to the neighbours to tell them they are going/have gone.
The house has had extensive work done by the vendors, all in a diy kind of fashion.
Why would anyone move out of an obviously loved family home into a smaller rented place before they have even had an offer on their house? And why all the odd reasons for moving. Why not at least just give one reason and stick to it. We are worried that there may be something major wrong with the house, not picked up in the survey (there a long list in our last purchase) or the vendors know something about an as yet unpublicised building project (it’s surrounded by farm land). Would you be worried about buying this house or am I over thinking this?

OP posts:
Gemma2019 · 20/10/2019 19:46

Isn't it school application time? I bet you they had to be living in the catchment of a certain school before submitting their applications. I've known several people have two places on the go for this reason.

pusspusslet · 20/10/2019 19:47

I forgot to add that the vendor (a police officer) completely lied in my face when he first showed me around and I asked what the neighbours were like. People do sometimes lie about this kind of thing, and they don’t always disclose on the legal documentation things that they are obliged to disclose. It’s not easy to sort things out after a move. It makes much more sense to try to establish the truth (if an attempt has been made to hide an ugly truth) before making the biggest purchase of one’s life...

timshelthechoice · 20/10/2019 19:51

A lot of people here seem to be missing the point that you’re concerned that the vendors may be trying to conceal something that is your business, e.g. nightmare neighbour.

Not at all, but pointing out that as long as they are not concealing anything that must legally be disclosed, the onus is on the buyer to do due diligence and also that people lie, so you can't actually count on the vendors or EAs to disclose entire personal circumstances such as divorce or financial problems/debt or even haunting. Pressing them or the EA will just lead to more fluff so if it's that bothersome, best to pull out.

timshelthechoice · 20/10/2019 19:54

they don’t always disclose on the legal documentation things that they are obliged to disclose.

Then they can be sued. But unless you've escalated a neighbour dispute to a certain level, you don't legally have to disclose it.

So go with your gut and trust your instinct.

HappyHammy · 20/10/2019 19:57

Maybe they are not interested in small minded nosy gossip. How do you know the neighbours didnt know they were moving. Why should they know. Is anyone demanding to know why you are moving? If a prospective buyers threatened to pull out if I didnt discuss my personal issues I would decline their offer.

shoebedobedobedobedoo · 20/10/2019 19:59

Thanks for all the replies.

To be clear; I don’t want to know details of their life. If it’s a personal thing that they don’t want to disclose, we are fine with that, but we’ve had 4 different reasons, which is what is bothering us.

If they want to avoid the village gossips they might have moved further than to the other end of the village.

Due to the short distance of the move it won’t make any difference to school places.

OP posts:
sunshinesupermum · 20/10/2019 20:01

For the poster who mentioned needing a new roof, a survey won't tell you that

@thatmuppetshow A full house survey should definitely mention the state of the roof and recommendations!

shoebedobedobedobedoo · 20/10/2019 20:04

How do you know the neighbours didnt know they were moving.
Err....because I knocked on their door, got asked in, had a long chat and they told me. I’ve never put in an offer on a house without contacting all immediate neighbours first. If they are antisocial/rude/difficult then it’s usually pretty obvious.

OP posts:
GnomeDePlume · 20/10/2019 20:09

Spiders

That's why they left everything behind. Only cleared the house when the spiders had returned to living under the skirting boards.

HappyHammy · 20/10/2019 20:16

I have never knocked on neighbours doors. Supposing it's a d.v. situation or people are moving for their own safety. I would not be happy if someone knocked on my door asking.about my.neighbours. They could be anyone..

shoebedobedobedobedoo · 20/10/2019 20:19

Or they could just be normal people Happy, most people are. I didn’t ask to be asked in.

OP posts:
LisaSimpsonsbff · 20/10/2019 20:20

Our vendors told us that they were moving because they wanted to start a family, given that when we moved in they left two separate forwarding addresses, with her having gone back to her maiden name, we suspect that was a lie... It also explained why you could cut the atmosphere with a knife at the second viewing (which they let us in for). I felt pretty sorry for them because presumably they thought if they said they were divorcing we'd have figured they were desperate to sell quickly and offered lower, but it can't have been nice for them to gush on about wanting children while planning their split!

ladybirdsarelovely33 · 20/10/2019 20:23

It is always in a sellers interest to be open and honest. I have found as an EA that if buyers get a sniff of BS, they pull out of deals. However by being honest, on both sides, property transactions, which aren't a simple process in England, can be held together even if there are problems.
Honestly wouldn't be surprised if you pulled out of this one OP.
Tell your solicitor to enquire from the vendor's solicitor if yours is any good.

PandaTurtle · 20/10/2019 20:25

Our survey for our last house said a new roof was needed which helped us get £10k off price. Builder subsequently came out and said don't waste your money, doesn't meet current building regs but its fine and no issues 10 years we were there.

Mrsgogginsthe3rd · 20/10/2019 20:27

We’re off to look at a property next week that’s been sold because of a divorce. I know because I loosely know the EA who’ve now got it on through my work. They had it on previously when one of them was still living in it. New agents have had photography re-done but they’ve left so much stuff nearly all furniture, pics on walls, bed frames (but taken mattresses). There’s even a couple of TVs still!! I’ll find out more next week but it’s not really any of your business in terms of their personal circumstances. People don’t go into rented pre sale because some planning gets agreed!?!

summedup · 20/10/2019 20:27

None of your business quite frankly!

I'd presume major change in finances or divorcing couple.

If the survey came back fine then great, don't be such a gossip.

LookingForAlaskas · 20/10/2019 20:30

Weird that you knock on the neighbours door and gossip about the vendors tbh.

Mrsgogginsthe3rd · 20/10/2019 20:30

You knocked on their neighbours doors - sorry OP but I work in property and I think most EAs would place you not the seller on the Batshit spectrum.

Troels · 20/10/2019 20:31

It's no ones business why I sold my last house.
They could chat to our perfectly nice neighbours who had no clue we were selling (sold before a sign went up so never got one)
If someone pushed for reasons I'd tell them where to go.
You don't need to know why if there are no neighbour disputes and it passed all the searches and surveys.

ThatMuppetShow · 20/10/2019 20:32

A full house survey should definitely mention the state of the roof and recommendations!

if you want a full roof survey, get a proper roofer, that's all I am trying to say.

People exaggerate massively the content of a survey and then complain. You do know that surveyors don't have to move furniture around either, don't you?

ThatMuppetShow · 20/10/2019 20:33

You knocked on their neighbours doors - sorry OP but I work in property and I think most EAs would place you not the seller on the Batshit spectrum.

I have seen that advice coming back in various forums, but if I was the neighbours I would be pray that you didn't buy the property, sound far too much hard work and gossipy from the start!

Mrsgogginsthe3rd · 20/10/2019 20:35

Good point @Gemma2019

Mrsgogginsthe3rd · 20/10/2019 20:40

@ThatMuppetShow really?!? I’ve never heard that mentioned. I’m going to ask tomorrow!! Would find that so intrusive and odd both as a neighbour and a vendor.

TamarindCove · 20/10/2019 20:42

Giving you four different reasons is irrelevant. They could give you between 1-100 reasons yet you can’t rely on any of them being the truth.

If they were trying to hide something I would think it would be more likely to have one agreed story and stick to it.

Comefromaway · 20/10/2019 20:42

I asked our vendors about the neighbours (partly because we are a family of musicians although we have a strict headphone time curfew). I’m glad I did because I was able to warn my son with an asd and a chequered school career that we would be moving next door to one of the SEN team from his school! (Plus point is she’s married to a pro musician)