Why do people do this?

[robynadair]

Just had our second buyer pull out the day after we had our survey done on the house we were buying. Our first buyers did the same! So we are now down several hundred pounds.
Both knew that was the day we were having the survey. We hadn’t rushed into getting a survey prematurely, both sets of buyers had come around three times to see the house, twice before they made an offer and then came round to measure up.
Both had also booked their survey for a few days later, (or so they said) so again we thought we could trust them and go ahead with ours. The rest of the searches were happening with solicitors in touch with routine queries etc.
Neither can give a good reason for pulling out, one said they thought they could see damp when on their third visit but couldn’t/wouldn’t say where and as we have fully renovated this house we thought that was unlikely but just to be sure, we got a damp survey done before putting it back on the market, this showed no damp at all. The others have been very vague as why they have pulled out. I suspect both were still looking at other houses but had managed to get us off the market for several weeks as a back up.

Sounds like nightmare for you.

We have randomly pulled out of house purchase before. We were going to move to a different location, the house was dreamy but in the end I chickened out. It was the thought of living somewhere completely different where I didn't know anyone and would need to change jobs that proved too much.

People are big scaredy pants when it comes to buying and selling houses...half of them shouldn't even bother...

Understand that it’s a big decision, big purchase but why make that decision the day after you know the people you are buying from are getting their survey done and incurring costs? The first buyers were chasing us to get our survey done as they wanted to book theirs at roughly the same time and as our fingers were burnt with that, we double checked that our second buyers knew we were about to fork out for a survey. That’s fine they said only to pull out 24 hours later.

It's a problems with the system really, isn't it? You can pull out any time before exchange unlike in many other countries where you put down your deposit with the offer.

Agree it’s a problem with the system but I think saying go ahead with your survey tomorrow, we are still very keen and then pulling out knowing we have just had our survey is down to the individual. I wish they’d been honest and said they were having second thoughts as we would have delayed our survey and not spent hundreds of pounds. Not that I’m bitter!!!

Human nature...guarantee they haven't in remembered you are getting your survey and are oblivious to everyone else around them.