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Original poster

Sellers roll call part 2. Who is still on this treadmill?

980 replies

MovingThisYearHopefully · 08/08/2018 14:50

I thought it was about time to start a new thread as this one is close to 1000 messages.

Who is still here & what is your story?

Heres me: I have been trying to move since April last year. Had a buyer, buyers lost their buyer in October & still haven't got a new one. We remarketed at a low price in November in order to continue buying the house we were at point of exchange with, but were unable to get enough to move on & lost the house in February.

Prices are definitely falling here in Surrey. Realistically we're looking to get 10% less than our original asking price, if we're lucky. Getting viewers has never been an issue, regardless of price. This process has been stressful beyond belief & almost split me & DH up. Surely our luck must change soon?

One thing that seems to be helping us get more interest than other properties is that we have now agreed to go chain free. Is this a possibility for any of you struggling? If offered significantly less than asking price then as far as I see it you are within your rights to say chain free was based on near to asking price & not affordable at a significant amount under! Worth considering perhaps?

OP posts:
jgm · 22/09/2018 13:52

Great news @twinkydink, good luck with the offer! We're seeing our buyers today so will tell them the situation. They're renting their house out to a friend so hopefully won't be in too much of a rush, but I will be honest and say we're refreshing rightmove hourly but not found anywhere yet.

flamingofridays · 22/09/2018 21:49

That sounds positive moving i hope it works out

Ill let you know how ours goes on Monday. Fingers crossed!!!!

Auntpetunia2015 · 23/09/2018 07:29

Ooh just catching up things sound a bit more positive moving jgm and flamingo. We are surrounded by boxes boxes and more boxes. Moving day is Friday. God it’s syressgul though.
Sale is safely on the hands of the solicitors buyers has requested searches 2 weekas aho now and doesn’t want survey. My solicitor has all warranty’s and stuff so fingers crossed it moves quickly now.

jgm · 23/09/2018 10:12

I’ve spotted a house in the style / area I like that was up for rent in July (and let agreed). Do you think it’s worth me contacting the agent to see if they’d consider selling once the rental contract is up?

twinkydink · 23/09/2018 20:55

@jgm can't hurt to ask but I would be surprised if anything came of it. You never know though!

Our offer was accepted so am currently in a state of shock! The chain is now complete, but we have been here before so I still can't get my hopes up hugely!

speaking to mortgage guy in the morning as the house is more expensive then the previous one we offered on so now need to borrow more and hoping it won't be a problem! Fingers crossed!!

jgm · 23/09/2018 21:04

Eek exciting @tiwnkydink! Was it a guide price one and what did you offer, if you don't mind saying (ie near the bottom or top)? I'm still annoyed by the whole guide price thing!

Original poster
MovingThisYearHopefully · 23/09/2018 21:20

Congratulations twinky Flowers

OP posts:
twinkydink · 24/09/2018 06:50

It was an offers over situation but they had clearly put it on very low to attract attention so we knew we would be going over. It's a unique house and really you are paying for the location not the house. We paid a fair bit over asking price but less than what it was on for before it was reduced this week. Goes against everything I previously said but it's our dream house and we would have been devastated to lose it!

jgm · 24/09/2018 06:59

So pleased for you! I think that’s when you know it’s the right house, when you’re happy to pay whatever it takes in order to make it yours - hoping to find the same for ourselves soon Smile

twinkydink · 24/09/2018 11:14

Have you booked to see the house this weekend. We still feel we have got a good deal for the amount so for us that's the main thing. I think the seller was keen for it to go to a family rather than a developer.

flamingofridays · 24/09/2018 11:24

that's great twinky!

survey today... nervous doesn't cover it! Should be getting a call any time now...……. yikes.

Keep your fingers crossed for us.

jgm · 24/09/2018 11:35

Fingers crossed flamingo! Yes twinky we're booked into the open house next Sat and I've lined up a few others to go and look at. All lower asking prices than what we had been looking at so not the 'wow' house we offered on - but a bit more of a comfortable budget, and should leave us with some money to make it nice. Our buyers came round at the weekend, they are lovely, and said there's no pressure from them for us to find somewhere (although obv we still don't want to keep them waiting). Hoping more houses come on the market this week, or we might have to resort to leaflet dropping.

flamingofridays · 24/09/2018 13:29

okay so he did the report,

found wet rot in the cellar, not too bad but reckons two beams need replacing with steel rsj's.

also slight damp patch by the front door (had no idea!) where the outside pipe is leaking. and also said my astro turf at the front is too high and needs channels digging out.

bit gutted, Looking at about a grands worth of work which is money we don't really have.

spoke to FTB guy who instructed the search (because mortgage company requested it) and all he did was witter about his fucking margins, said lets wait for the report and go from there. Basically I think he's about to bail. Saying to me that he'd agreed to pay for the fence putting up for the buyers (like that's my problem!)

if it comes to it, we'll have to find a grand from thin air and get it done so it can go through. If the mortgage company insist on the work doing (Which I am guessing they will!)

god, I just don't know what to do. It could have been a lot worse I guess.

harriethoyle · 25/09/2018 08:00

So, any advice welcome. House went on the market last Thurs. Two viewings on Saturday. My (horrific) next door neighbour came out both times whilst they were viewing the back garden to tell them my decking (installed before I bought) doesn't have planning permission and needs to be ripped down. I actually have a PP appeal ongoing at the moment but have decided to take the whole thing down this week so he can't say anything else. Both viewers said love house but couldn't live next to that man. I am pretty distraught tbh 😭😭😭 what to do? Any advice welcomed...

flamingofridays · 25/09/2018 09:06

have him killed ;)

flamingofridays · 25/09/2018 09:06

no seriously... I am not sure! I take it he's not a reasonable person. if the decking is down though he has nothing to complain about?

harriethoyle · 25/09/2018 09:12

I hope not @flamingo but it's so unhinged that, frankly, I have no confidence he's not just doing it out of malice and will find something else to shout about... waylaying both sets of viewers is just bizarre.

jgm · 25/09/2018 10:31

That sounds awful harriet! Does he work? Can you arrange viewings for when he's out if so?

Original poster
MovingThisYearHopefully · 25/09/2018 11:34

Oh no! I'm so sorry flamingo. That sounds really expensive tbh. I'd imagine you'd need to get a structural engineer involved to oversee structural work like installing RSJ's, plus labour costs & VAT. The guy who came out wasn't a structural engineer I take it? Would it be possible to renegotiate a lower price with the buyers to go halves? Although regardless it sounds like something that has to be done. Sad I'm so sorry! Flowers

Your neighbour sounds like a nightmare harriet. We have several neighbours who have seemingly almost deliberately sabotaged our chances to sell up. Next door are the worst & have definitely cost us a lot of money. Do you reckon getting rid of the decking would pacify him or would he find something else to moan about? Seems the type. Ideally you need viewings when he's not in. Flowers

OP posts:
flamingofridays · 25/09/2018 12:02

moving he wasn't but he was from a company who actually do the work (I did not realise this, FTB guy said he had booked someone independent!) so I trust he has a good idea of whats involved and cost etc.
They will quote us, and ill probably get some other quotes too.

If its more than about 2 grand we will have to pull out of the sale. Whats annoying is its not something that needs doing right now, but I know how pathetic our buyers are and they will freak out at the thought of spending any money even if it is in 5 or10 years time.

I am gutted to be honest, if we have to pull out of sale/purchase I will be absolutely devastated.

twinkydink · 25/09/2018 12:18

@flamingo don't start doing stuff until the buyer actually requests it officially. The survey is for them not you on your current house.

Our survey on our last house came back with random issues but we wouldn't expect the seller to rectify these unless we specifically asked them to and then we would have tried to come to some sort of compromise.

You need to get someone independent in yourself to determine how urgent this work is and how much it is going to cost. Don't trust everything this FTB guy is telling you! You need to have all the facts too so if they start coming to you asking for XYZ to be done you can say no it doesn't! Or yes it does but this is the cost we are willing to do the work prior to exchange. There is still room for negotiations between the two sides so please don't get disheartened yet!

harriethoyle · 25/09/2018 12:19

Unfortunately @jgm and @moving he's retired so has NOTHING else to do with his time... at least if I get the decking down (expensive and irritating as that will be) I know he has no legitimate complaint... God knows what I'll do if it doesn't sort the problem though.

flamingofridays · 25/09/2018 12:31

twinky I wont, they haven't seen the survey yet. I am not going to offer unless they specifically say you pay for it or we're dropping out, but I think they will. If its like a grand or so, we will have to. Any more, we cant afford it.

I was there while he did the survey and it was him that told me it wasn't urgent, not the FTB guy, he wasn't there. I will however get a couple of other people to look at it before getting the work done, if I can get someone to say it doesn't need doing urgently that might work in my favour.

I hope that we can sort it out, if they were not first time buyers, I think they would be less nervous etc. I know for a fact they're at their max limit financially, so they probably wouldn't have the funds to spend a grand straight away, but my point is that they probably don't need to anyway.

Auntpetunia2015 · 25/09/2018 12:57

Oh sounds a nightmare harriet and flamingo I’d be getting someone in sooner rather than later to give you independent advice before your buyers come back panicking then st least you can present them with another point of view. I always knew any survey on mine would say the roof needs replacing (it said it when I bought the house 15 years ago). It’s coming up to 100 years old and lots of neighbours have replaced theirs BUT and it’s a big but, there is nothing wrong with my roof it’s bone dry in fact so dry anything you put up there comes down dry as bone and dusty as hell. Anyway so glad my buyer didn’t want a survey. I’ve been chased today asking were the contracts are so I’ve chased my solicitor but all things are going ok.
I’m surrounded by boxes for moving on Friday , am glad no one is moving in straight after me feel everywhere needs a good clean but haven’t got time.

harriet how does he know when viewings are or is he sat st his window watching. Maybe try telling him you’ll report him for harassment (or kill him like flamingo said ! ShockShockGrin

flamingofridays · 25/09/2018 13:01

yeah I might do aunt I just need to see the report so I can give it to whoever else, and they can quote for the work the survey says needs doing and then I can get someone else to have a look without seeing the survey and see what they say!