To say no to our buyer

[Flev]

We are in the process of selling our house. We accepted an offer just before lockdown (following 3 visits by the buyers and their parents) but our buyers have moved at a speed that makes a slug look like an Olympic sprinter

2 weeks ago we finally had a surveyor round for their mortgage.

Now this morning we get a call asking if the male buyer and his dad can come and visit again as they think this will be quicker than getting a survey done for themselves.

AIBU to say no?

1 they're clearly not actually bothered about speed or they might have done something about it 4 months ago! We suspect they just don't want to pay for the survey
2 the buyer and his dad are 2 separate households - government guidance for house viewings is very clearly limited members of immediate household only
3 when they came for previous viewings they took ages (small 2 bed terrace) and touched everything. I cant see that changing. And our rooms are so small there's no way they can social distance in them.
4 the only person we've let in the house since lockdown started is the surveyor for their mortgage.

We are sticking pretty strictly to government guidelines as we have a close family member who has been shielding but has felt comfortable to see us briefly outdoors in the last couple of weeks since they know we've kept ourselves with as little contact as possible.

Am i just being grumpy and should find a way of dealing with this to just try and get the blasted deal done, or has their CF-ness now reached the stage where we are justified in telling them to just pay for a survey - or that we will accommodate just one of them?

It really depends on what the father is qualified as to do the survey and as FTn they likely don’t have much money to spare.

I just don’t get this view you’re a door mat for letting someone view for a third time the house they are buying. Sure if they were there weekly but they are spending a shit ton of money on their first home. This whole well you can see it twice for twenty mins then fuck off is just so odd.

They’ve had a survey done and presumably need the results to assure their mortgage. I would ask them to chase their surveyor and say no to them coming round for the 4th time!

My father was a builder and when we bought houses he would always look it over to ensure no subsidence or damp. He knew exactly what to check, cracks, tilted door jambs and cills bouncing floors etc.

Perhaps the father is also in the trade, it is in your interest to progress the sale ASAP therefore it would be better to facilitate the visit than to be obstructive.

Is this a survey to look at structure and the previous one was simply for their loan?

If it's a survey to look at structure, is their mortgage not dependent on having a chartered surveyor do it?

Very confusing what you have posted.

@JinglingHellsBells yes, the surveyor who came round was from their mortgage company to do a valuation. Sorry if I've got the wrong terminology, it's the way she introduced herself.

I took it that earlier visit was by a valuer, which basically confirms that a house exists and that it's mortgageable for the amount requested. I've known tales of this being done by simply driving by...

A "survey" carried out by the purchaser themselves wouldn't stand up in court but if they were a tradesperson, could be very useful and free if they were able to check out pipework/electrics etc that the normal person might not have any knowledge of. I suspect that purchasers dad is either a tradesman or fancies himself as such. They may use their "expert " knowledge to start to haggle the price. I think I'd be receptive to that if it was a surveyor who is bound by a code of conduct for his official registration but not so much if "my dad says the roof needs replacing and he knows because he likes to make planters from whisky barrels"

We assume that they are now trying to avoid getting a structural survey done by getting dad to look - but he has been on at least 1 of the previous visits, been in the loft, checked the boiler and asked a tonne of questions already.

Anyway, it's back in our estate agent's hands. Based on the buyers' usual speed of reply we're expecting a response some point towards the end of next week (I'm genuinely not joking here!)

Hmm, tricky one but then I’m a bit jaded myself having been messed about for months by buyers who then fell through anyway Have they even had their mortgage finance approved yet, OP? If not, I’d be less likely to keep letting them string you along...

The Buyer and his Dad may both be surveyors .... or they may not ... in which case I wouldn't be entertaining them popping round to do a survey FFS... and as for it being a Buyers market.. this is correct and as such you will find more Buyers OP.. so tell them NO..

I think you're being unfair. They are FTB spending the biggest sum of money they have ever spent. Virtually nothing happened in the housing market for 3 months so it is unlikely to be them holding things up. They have never done this before and solicitors and mortgage brokers are famously laid back in their approach to house selling and buying. Even seasoned movers tear their hair out trying to get things moving along and they wont even realise they need to push, push and push to make Things happen!

They are not doing a ‘survey’ themselves just looking to see if anything obvious needs doing like damp, re-roofing etc and i suspect they havent seen the house for 2/3 months?

Just ask them to wear gloves and masks and relax.

I wonder is the buyer stretching the purchase out tactically and checking or holding out for other options at the same time?

I think to accept but set a tight time frame for the visit and say that you are assuming this is the last visit before completion.

Fair or not, did yu tell the agent that you now consider time to be of the essence? To tell them that if they don't pull their finger out you are in danger of losing the house you offered on and that they are the only hold up and if that happens you won't be proceeding at all.

Sometimes people need the realaties of a situation pointing out to them and, if they think lockdown has stopped everything then they won't be in a rush to get things done!

If you want to sell your house, I would set them.

We have also been in the process of trying to buy - well, except not anymore because the vendors pulled out last week after 5 months of us trying to push the sale through because they decided not to sell after all because they found life too stressful at the moment.

But freaking everything is moving at a snail's pace!

It took us until early June for the mortgage valuation to be done. Our estate agent was furloughed and vendor's solicitor didn't seem to be working much. It took 2 months for the valuation and about 4 months for us to even get almost to the point of the conveyancing being done. We didn't have a survey done either (what's the point?) and just checked what we needed to ourselves though on viewing #2.

I think it's reasonable after lockdown and such a long time for them to make sure the property is in a good state after so many months of waiting. If you want to sell, I'd sort it out.

we're going to go back and say we would prefer them to send a surveyor, but if not we're ok for his dad (or him) to come alone providing he follows the rules a surveyor would (mask, gloves, ask us if he wants a cupboard opened etc).

I wouldn't choose this is this as the hill to die on, I would let him and the dad come provided they have the mask, gloves, etc.

I'd ask them to come round but tell them, before I let them in, what the house rules are i.e. no touching anything. And while they are there have strong words with them about all the faffing around they have done so far, and tell them to pull their finger or I'll put it back on the market.

I'd say no, but would be prepared for them to back out entirely. Perhaps give an ultimatum - do X by Y date or you are going back on the market.

You need to ask the agents to find out if their mortgage is dependent on a proper survey; many mortgages need a survey from someone qualified- and the relevant paperwork signed off as part of the buying process. They surely know this?

There are various levels of survey from a 'quick look' to a full survey as you will know if you are buying now yourself.

I doubt very much if a FTB with a new mortgage can get the loan unless they have an official survey, so you need to discuss this with them PDQ.

Otherwise, they are simply stalling, maybe have other houses in their sights, or are having issues getting a loan.

I would be inclined to tell them and your EA that unless exchange is done within 4 weeks and completion within 2 weeks of that you want the property to be remarketed as you are at risk of your vendor pulling out.

The more I think of this @Flev the more odd it is.

Where are you in your buying process?

Are you having a proper survey done?

No one I know, including my DS as a FTB not long ago, could get a mortgage without the lender seeing a survey report - and that doesn't count family members looking around.

You aren't unreasonable to say no to all the extra viewings but can I just add, me and DH are buying a house currently and the mortgage has been TEDIOUS due to Corona. It took our broker ages to just get the application through because they were having to login at 8am and quickly do it before all the products were gone for that day and then once through the bank was taking an age to reply/get through the documents.

I don't think anyone can reasonably expect conveyancing to be quick at the moment.

I would let one of them come, with the safeguards already suggested in place on the proviso that this was the last visit. I would also get your EA to convey to them that because of their delays in appointing a solicitor, getting the mortgage offer that this smacks of them not being serious about completing the sale and that you and your buyers are reaching the end of their patience and will not hesitate to re-market the house if they do not exchange within two weeks.

Some people need to be reminded that this is a business transaction that has an end date which they need to comply with, they cannot just leave you and your sellers hanging. I had to do this with one of my buyers, it worked.

They are spending the biggest amount of money in their lives and have only seen the house once!
Just ask them to wear masks and not to touch anything.

@Juo Read the very first post- they have been 3 x already.

Personally I’d say no and also say if they don’t get a move on I’ll pull out the sale.
You’d find another buyer and be out before you’d be done with these people.

‘ They are spending the biggest amount of money in their lives and have only seen the house once!
Just ask them to wear masks and not to touch anything’

They’ve been more than once, and everyone is in the same boat, it doesn’t mean you can mess people around.