House buyers suddenly being difficult at 11th hour!

[spydie]

We are in the process of selling our first home, and buying somewhere bigger. We were supposed to be exchanging this Friday, however today our buyers have come back with a list of demands following their survey :-(

The moral of the story, I should have listened to gut instinct when they were being difficult earlier on in the process haha!!

According to EA, the survey has advised they do not proceed with the sale unless they have 4 things done/checked and certified - boiler service (fine, it's due in August anyway and covered by our homecare plan), coverings on the water tanks (one is covered, but there is a small overflow which isn't - no big deal we can sort that), the chimney should be swept (seriously!) and the electrics should be serviced.

We pushed back on the last two, and advised they could pay for their own survey on the electrics. However, the EA has then said that despite these recommendations on the survey (which on the face of it are no big deal, although sweeping the chimney is utterly ridiculous - we've had it done each autumn and its maintenance, they can do that themselves), they want the entire house rewired and 'bought up to current standards'.

It's a Victorian cottage, the electrics are of course not current standards, but they are not unsafe and they are not 'that' old - we are now going to have the survey done ourselves so we can see what is what, and hopefully prove to them that whilst not current, they are not a hazard and do not warrant rewiring from a safety perspective.

Worryingly, our EA is now saying they are some of the most difficult buyers they have come across and they wouldn't put anything past them. We have advised EA that we will not re-wire the house and will put it back on the market - we have already taken a reduction on asking price, and we believe, but need to double check, that their valuation has valued the house at the price we have agreed on, so in current state. They had an independant survey done, so seperate to their lenders valuation.

I could cry, desperate to move ASAP, want to get in and get settling as baby due in January. If we end up back on the market, its just getting later and later :-(

Do not bend over backwards for these people or else they will find other things they want you to do.

Their private report may well state these things but the surveyor does need to cover his own back.

I would stand your ground.

Have contracts been exchanged?

Pull out now. I've encountered dickheads like this before (DH swears he'll never move again, ever). This will be the tip of the iceberg, seriously.
For your own sanity, tell them to do one.

I have had similar things flagged up in house surveys but I have not expected the vendor to pay. For the house we are currently in, we were advised to install a consumer unit so that was the first thing we did when we moved in. It is ridiculous that you would be expected to fork out. You expect to have to do a bit of work when you move in. Call their bluff. Either they want the house or they don't.

get the EA to get it back on the market ASAP - at the full original price, that should give the buyers a kick up the arse to stop fucking around

stay calm, dont drop your price, dont play their games, either they want the house or not

and if you have to wait a bit and move with a newborn, its not the end of the world, you can do this!! you are WONDER WOMAN!!!

tell them to like or lump. Give in now and they WILL drop their offer just before exchange. That's the next step. Spend nothing else.

QL5 - yes this is my stance, and the EA is fearing they will come back on other things too!! No, contracts have not been exchanged, we were aiming for Friday! Contracts won't exchange now until mid August - earliest we could get boiler serviced was next Friday, and then our buyers are on holiday for 2 weeks....

Husband thinks I'm being too panicky, but I want to get the EA to start lining up other viewings TBH - don't trust them at all. They didn't even have a mortgage lined up, and did nothing until about 3 weeks after we'd offered on the place we are buying - we are ready to go and have been waiting for them. Seriously, should have run a mile when they bought their MIL round to see it and she started having a go at me saying they needed to be in by X date (end of July ironically!) and we should move out and rent. I was so hormonal all I almost burst into tears!!!

The house we are buying is 250 years old, we looked at everything thoroughly and acknowledged we will need to have some things done - we certainly don't expect the vendor to have things done! Sold as seen and all that! And those things came up on the survey..... exactly what we expected.

I'm not sure I can cope with moving with a newborn haha, not in the middle of winter!!!

Don't cave on the final 2 demands. They're being ridiculous. Call their bluff.
trll them the house goes back on the market on Monday if you don't exchange on Friday.

I would go with putting it back on the market - less money is better than arseholes (who will probably give you less money as well as pissing you about).

They have spent money on surveys, so they can always come back with a more serious plan if they want to, or lose out.

I agree with chair tell them exchange is Friday or you are putting it back on the market ,at least that way you will know how serious they are .

if it's any help, I had someone who insisted on gas boiler being serviced - again fine because it was on a contract - and also said that they wanted to do a full electrical survey (sending in a separate person after initial survey done). When I confirmed the wiring was very old and they could have seen that if they had simply bothered to open the fuse box (perfectly accessible if they had bothered to loook) - they then said "well we want to reduce our offer by £2k."

I said "no, this is the price accounting for the old electrics which are perfectly safe and in use daily. If you want to rewire, you pay for it. Now hurry up and say yay or nay so I can get viewings sorted again".

they accepted that and the sale went ahead.

Right, Husband has spoken to our Solicitor who has also heard from their Solicitors citing the same demands. His advice is fine on the boiler service and covering the tank, two fingers up for the chimney sweep, and get the electrics surveyed so we can prove it's 'safe' and worst case we have that proof for a different buyer.

We are telling them we either exchange before they go on holiday i.e. 31st July pending us having these 3 things done, or it's back on the market, end of.

EA is being told to start lining up possible viewings so we don't lose too much time if that happens.

Best thing you can do is call the estate agent tomorrow and say you will not be messed around and please put the house back on the market immediately.

Unfortunately I've had this exact fuckwittery with my previous three house sales. Only thing to do us front it out. If they want it, they will buy. If they're not going to buy then nothing you do will make them happy.

At various times I've moved at 37 + 2 (gave birth 5 days later) at 3weeks after delivery and at 11 days after delivery. All fine

Just seen your last post - it is your EA that will drive this. If they are sufficiently worried they will lose the sale they will be on the phone to the "buyer" telling them what a fabulous property they are about to lose before you hear a dial tone

ConC - yep I say 'we' are telling them, but it's the EA really doing the talking to them!

IF he could get hold of them!!!!! He's not been able to reach them all day.... never a good sign....!

Good. Don't cave in. I'm a conveyancing solicitor and this bugs the hell out of me on behalf of my selling clients. Rewire the whole house??!! I should bloody coco, Gordon Bennett!! (Official legal response there)

It costs £50 to get a chimney swept so I'd go back and say we will do that but not the rewire They have two days to decide before you put it back on the market.
Get a friend to make an offer on the house to kick them up the arse.

Chancers and bloody rude! They have spent money on survey etc and I'd guess they will complete.

I wouldn't leave anything at all that's not included btw...curtain poles etc, remove them.

I agree you need to get tough with them.

But, in their defence, are they first time buyers? We asked about everything mentioned on the survey (including the very inane/ minor things) when buying our first flat as we were totally clueless... including whether the vendor would get the windows cleaned

Haha pinkcloud, unfortunately the curtains etc are on the fixtures fittings list, but there are other things that would have stayed; now they won't!!

According to Hubby, the Solicitor said that next we'll be asked to clean the bloody windows!

We are 120% saying no to a rewire! I don't have ?5k laying around....!!!!

I had similar, niggles about loads of things from changing a cupboard door to windows coverings, I finally cracked when it was demanded I repaint my lounge pink for them.... I immediately demanded the ea put my house back on the market.... All happened while both buyers, ea and myself were in said house checking I had changed the windows coverings in one bedroom. They back tracked quick, I still told them the house would be open to viewers until they actually exchanged. Was pretty quick after that. Ea said they had planned to try for a price reduction next, fuckers.

Hahahaha CityDweller that is the funniest cross post ever!!

Yes, they are first time buyers..!

I agree with Pinkcloud about the chimney. Tell them that as a gesture of goodwill you will sort out the first three items before completion - but not the electrics. If exchange doesn't occur on Friday, the house will be remarketed on Saturday.

They wound me up so much, I didn't leave the instruction manuals for various things, turned radiators off, took keys out of windows and mixed them up.

I'd happily clean the windows....I'd not be doing a good job!

Seriously people are mad, they should have bought a new build.

Stick it back in the market.