Would you continue with Exchange?

[Bunch]

We are due to exchange on our property very shortly but sadly our house was broken in to last week. No damage was done except to the door which we are replacing. Would this affect you buying a property or would you carry on with the purchase?

Why wouldn't you?

Check with your solicitor whether you are obliged to inform the purchasers. I can't think why it would make you want to pull out, but it might affect their view and they may have a legal right to know (given that you might have had to mention it on the questionnaires that you will presumably have already filled in).

if your old door was in some way (antique, solid wood, whatever) better than your new one, they might complain at the poor quality of the new one.

If it was me I would not be happy if I found a wooden door had been replaced by a plastic one.

I can't decide if you ought to ask them to choose the style and colour of the new door, or if they would be put off by the thought of a break-in.

We are due to exchange...soon,I hope,and I wouldn't care,I'd feel sorry for the owners,and perhaps I'd get a really good lockon the new door,but I certainly wouldn't pull out!

Do you mean your current house was broken into or the house you are buying? I presume you mean the one you are buying?

I don't think it would put me off no. It might make me feel a bit wobbly but being logical, it's not any less safe than it was before, just because it's been broken into. The local crime stats/probability of being broken into are just the same as they were before, it's just that you now have a concrete example iyswim which feels worse but isn't.

I would get a very good new front door/lock and alarm though.

Funnily enough this exact thing happened to us! We were about a week away from exchange when we were broken into - french doors knackered and we knew the purchasers would find out as their friends lived on our road.

We informed the purchasers and waited with baited breath to see if they'd pull out. Luckily they were pretty realistic with it and knew that it could happen anywhere particularly in our area though if the terrible crime stats are anything to go by and carried on with the purchase. We had to get replacement french doors made asap and they came round to inspect them before exchange.

Complete nightmare at the time but worked out ok in the end.