Seller won't do a pre-exchange visit

[MidnightDexy]

I don't know what to do. Sorry this is long.

First viewed house in Sept (twice). First was a cursory run through and second viewing we spent a long time - 45 minutes - taking measurements and so on. Our offer was finally accepted mid-October after a bit of negotiation and a complicated back story (she originally went with another buyer but eventually ditched them because they couldn't get their finances in order and she feared "we'd still be here in March").

We were delighted, instructed solicitor immediately, got mortgage offer and instructed valuation and booked surveyor. Did everything super fast to prove we weren't time-wasters.

Then she stalled. Took weeks (6, I think) to instruct a solicitor. She obviously hadn't paid the money on account because it then took her solicitor ages to finally get in touch with our solicitor.

The Property Information Form came back with lots of incomplete or missing answers, and lots of documentation "to follow". Our solicitor is excellent and has replied to emails same day or next, constantly kept pushing the outstanding enquiries and outstanding documents. Her solicitor has been appalling but we thought we were slowly getting there. The list of incomplete information is dwindling and we're now down to just 4/5 points.

One outstanding question is "can you confirm the property is in the same condition as when the buyers viewed it in September". The other is what arrangements her solicitors will make to deal with the shortfall in the amount needed to redeem mortgage charge on completion (sale proceeds will leave a shortfall). I didn't think there was anything odd about the first question, and the second (I am told) is essential.

We asked to have a final, pre-exchange visit (in particular to take a look at the drains at the rear, as we plan to do an extension). Estate Agent called with "bad news". Apparently the seller won't let us visit again, and won't talk on the phone. She's "offended" and "angry" at the questions we are asking.

Estate Agent told her she'd got the wrong end of the stick and that there was nothing personal behind the questions, they're just standard questions solicitors have to ask, but she's now got the hump in a serious way.

EA tells us she asked seller if she is trying to pull out, or no longer wants to sell to us, but seller (allegedly) promised that's not the case, she is just sick of us "hounding" her.

Has anyone had this? Any advice on how to handle this? I am heartbroken because if this house doesn't go through we'll be lumped with the new additional 3% SDLT and have to face the fact that the market has moved since our offer was accepted.

I wouldn't trust this precious vendor in the slightest. She must be hiding something. I wouldn't accept the EAs being allowed to go and take photos but you aren't allowed to go and have a quick look around. I'd tell her to shove her precious house up her arse. Give her something to be actually offended about .

Do not buy this house. There have been too many red flags, she is clearly hiding something and behaving bizarrely. You are being given an out and you should take it.

When my late DM bought a house in town, the seller would not allow a second viewing. She actually told me she had diarrhoea and that was the reason. The real reason was that they had removed the lovely fire surround in the living room and replaced it with something that looked like it had been constructed by my five year old gs. When pulled up, she said it was a much loved family heirloom which she had forgotten to mention on the Property Information Form.

My neighbour is also an angry seller, selling a plot of building land. What she has not told the buyers is that the access is in dispute and it's very likely another route will have to be found at substantial cost.

An unjustifiably angry seller is a seller with something to hide.

I wished to God we had done a pre exchange visit. We did try but the EA couldnt get hold of the Vendor for weeks - they told us that they thought the Vendor had gone on holiday. After we moved in we found a suspiciously re painted kitchen. We discovered that a pipe had burst in the kitchen extension roof and had flooded the ground floor for some time (the vendor had already moved into their new home) The fire Brigade had had to break in as water was pouring through the front door. Every kitchen cupboard was mouldy and the floor was still sopping wet and water was coming through the laminate floor. The living room and dining room carpet was also still wet. All they had done was repair the ceiling and checked the electrics and stated it was as good as before. They also left the CH on to help dry it all out.

When we tried to get some compensation towards the cost of carpet and kitchen their solicitor sent our solicitor a snotty letter saying Buyer beware and we couldnt afford to take it further.

It shouldn't apply if you sell your main residence and are purchasing another main residence even if you have another property. It's buying second homes that is the problem

that doesnt make sense!

if you own all or part of one property, and then buy another, then that one is (by definition) a second property, whether you live in it or not

An unjustifiably angry seller is a seller with something to hide

aye, she's very defensive...what is she defending?

I agree don't buy the house without a visit in person. If she puts the house back on the market she will have to have multiple visits in person from new potential buyers so any rational reason to find your visit now inconvenient will apply by a factor of 10 or more to what she has to deal with if she doesn't let you.

Taking offense at your perfectly normal enquiries is batshit crazy. Allowing that to jeopardise the sale like this is batshit crazy. Don't attempt to do business with batshit crazy people. It won't end well.

If she's not hiding something she is planning some act of pre-completion sabotage to take revenge on you for these imagined slights.

I've just read this start to finish and I'm totally over invested. Please come back and tell us what happened. Hope it went as you hoped.

nothing yet pandora. We're trying to make decisions about what we want to do on Monday. Head is all over the place - i can see everybody's concern. I am a total fretter and the biggest cynic ever. But people keep telling me not to assume everyone is a bad guy all the time. Daft doesn't necessarily equal malicious...etc

Although this is your home it is also a business transaction.. would you buy anything else you had not seen in months and someone wasn't willing to show you... never mind one of the biggest purchases in your life..

You don't have to assume everyone is the bad guy but this is a business sale for her too and she is in it to make as much money as possible..

There is also something niggling me about the first buyers... How do you know you were told the correct story...If she really was bothered about time why is she suggesting she will walk away

Its a bluff too make you feel that you have no bargaining power

Just playing devil's advocate - the majority of the people on this thread say they'd insist on another viewing. What about those - although they were a minority - that said a pre-exchange visit is unheard of and thought I was being a bit unreasonable for asking for one in the first place.

I suppose my thinking is: if i'd never decided I wanted to go back round and see the house then I would have been in no better or worse a situation than all the people who say they buy houses without insisting on a viewing immediately before they exchange.

There was a poster above who said she refused a pre-exchange visit when she was selling her own home. She didn't refuse because she's a monster...

ooooft don't know what to do!

I agree, you'll be an idiot if you buy this house.

The money in stamp duty would be less than the money it will cost you to sort out whatever she is hiding.

Gazunder her. Insist on a discount of say £10-£15k on the basis of having to fix whatever it is she's not disclosing.

Or she allows you the visit, provides the answers satisfactorily

She needs you WAY more than you need her. Think about it.

I would definitely pull out if I were in your position.

After reading most of the thread I am also over invested in your situation.

I really feel for you.

If she is hiding something, the estate agent will probably have seen it. I'd dig her a bit.

You were absolutely right to ask for a pre exchange viewing. They may not be a 'thing' but legally the house should be in the same state when you complete as it was at exchange. This is usually a long time after viewing (tho not as long as you) so it should be a thing!

I'd pull out. She's being a dick. An absolute dick.

Our first but went terribly. After a few months it was discovered that 50 per cent of the house was her husbands and he had no idea she was selling. Then there were lots and lots of hold ups. 5 months later we moved in. She left a whole load of mess, a whole load of shit and four fucking cats. We should have done a pre exchange visit. Good on your solicitor for recommending one. Our whole time in that house was ruined by her shit. It was a constant reminder of the stress.

Buy not but

jumping in here at the end, 6 months ago we finished a long and protracted sale and purchase arrangement. I would have refused to exchange on a house where I was being deliberately obstructed in a viewing. All the people who are saying run a mile if she won't let you visit again are right!

There is something very suspicious about this, trust your gut. Maybe it is absolutely nothing and she's just a bit mad - in fact I would say it's most likely she's a bit mad, but I wouldn't risk hundreds of thousands of pounds on 'most likely'

Good luck!

I think that her issuing an ultimatum is a last ditch attempt to make you panic so you dont think rationally

I wouldn't risk hundreds of thousands of pounds on 'most likely

indeed the stakes are too high to gamble imo, you could be literally and figuratively 'betting the farm'

(a) I have a geography degree : I've never ever worried about a drains survey because I check flood maps before asking for details
(b) having sold a couple of houses, the people who come round more than once will always drop out
(c) when buying a house it takes 30 seconds to know so all other time is wasted

With this house we came to see it lots but that was because we became friends with our vendor and stayed in touch with him till he died years after selling us the house

be flexible
be alert
do not be paranoid

I am here to place mark as I am clearly over invested now! For the record, I would be steeling myself to call her bluff and insist on a visit in order to exchange. Something just doesn't feel right about all this. Good luck! Ps I used to be an estate agent by way, visits before exchange were really common!

(a) I have a geography degree : I've never ever worried about a drains survey because I check flood maps before asking for details

I don't have a geography degree and neither do my neighbours who've just had to spend an unexpected £2,000 post completion on the drains of a house not in an area at risk from flooding

(b) having sold a couple of houses, the people who come round more than once will always drop out

I've sold 18 houses, not commercially, all homes I owned and was living in, and no one's ever dropped out of a purchase, but no one ever visited less than twice. By the same token, I've only once purchased a property that I've not seen at least twice and that one wasn't for me to live in.

(c) when buying a house it takes 30 seconds to know so all other time is wasted

It takes very little time to know if you want the house, but anyone with a grain of sense spends time on checking and then researching whether or not it's a property they should buy.

Most people might spend say 30 seconds on choosing a takeaway sandwich, considerably longer on deciding to purchase a pair of shoes let alone spending tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds and rightly so. I'd be deeply suspicious of a vendor who was obstructive in any way.