Sellers/Buyers Roll Call No 6

[Violetroselily]

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We were advised by our solicitor to view again prior to exchange so I think it’s probably standard.

@marmiteontoastplz definitely normal, don't worry!

Welcome @Paranormalbouquet I have never bought a leasehold so can't advise on that, but yes if they've done major renovations then pay out for a full survey.

Thanks Dino- they’ve extended into the loft and made a 4 bed 2 bath (was previously a 2 bed, 1 bath) as well as replumbing and rewiring the whole place. It’s an old Victorian mid terrace so am concerned at what the survey may throw up!

@Violetroselily that sucks. I hope he comes to his senses. Why start the process again when he's almost at the finish line.

@Preggosaurus9 welcome and good luck.

@Dinosauraddict I hope things speed up for you. We too have everyone moving at a snails pace suddenly when it comes to enquiries.

@CaptainCocoPop I wouldn't buy there. You don't know what kind of impact it's going to have. Very likely that even if the house remains you will have a problem if you ever want to sell.

@Kyriesmum1 eek good luck. I feel your pain on the packing front. We have four children and I'm part packed from before but we seem to have accumulated even more stuff (rubbish) in the few months it's been since our last sale fell through.

@Paranormalbouquet welcome. It's hard as I myself am getting carried away again but just try to get on with life as nothing's a given when it comes to buying a house. I spent so much time thinking about it all last time and then our buyer pulled out. This time I've not allowed it as much head space.

We are still waiting for our buyers to obtain the searches from our previous buyer. Some outstanding enquiries which I've been on to my solicitor about today. Hoping things start happening again soon as it's all gone very quiet.

Thanks Beautician. We were very disappointed when the last purchase fell through but these things happen I suppose. We lost all the fees obviously as well as several more months rent being paid!

@BeauticianNotMagician81 I picked loads for true declutter for viewings and seem to have accumulated more stuff too!! Not to mention the mountain of stuff I've found in the loft that I still need to list on eBay!! Have made £600 so far selling stuff on there! Hoping to get to £1040 to cover the removal costs 😁

Have had to put a fire under our solicitors. Seems like they are just on a go slow so have enquires on how to make a complaint backed up by the EA who recommended them as no one can get straight answers from them!! Today after being told yesterday that they had aeverything they asked for my daughters I'd again!! We provided it nearly five weeks ago 😡

Still a bit in limbo here. I kicked off at the EA branch manager yesterday because a) his staff are incompetent and have made this situation 100x worse and b) I want him to make it very clear to the vendor that I have never held up anything. He has spoken to the vendor and essentially the vendor has kicked off because he claims my solicitor is asking for the same things over and over again, which is bollocks as the only things he keeps asking for are the things they haven't provided yet. He is now trying to talk the vendor back to normality, but the flat is back on the market.

My solicitor is very surprised with it all and has today said that he thinks the vendor is hiding something as they are claiming that they cant get the sellers pack from the freeholder, so we have no proof that they've been paying the ground rent, havent breached the lease etc. If they are hiding something then I dont know how they think they'll get away with it. My solicitor has dealt with this particular freeholder before and knows that they will provide a seller's pack very easily.

Ultimately it's very odd that they've gone from being completely normal with no pressure, to straight back on the market. No utlimatums, no proposed completion dates.

Nothing from buyers apart from "we will send everything together" but onward purchase solicitor said we could move three weeks after exchange. Wow.

Wow @Paranormalbouquet that's quite an extensive renovation! Definitely go for a full structural building survey. Will cost c.
£1k depending on your area, but worth the money.
@Violetroselily that sounds like such a nightmare - I would definitely escalate things.
You can't stop it going back on the market, but you can provide an ultimatum of your own if they're not providing necessary documentation... If they are hiding something, you are better off out of there though I know that's hard to stomach...

Sorry this is a long rant. So after being told we were the only offer the vendors had had in the 8 weeks they've been on the market, and knowing the vendors want to move ASAP due to pregnancy.. we have a buyer and are ready to proceed but suddenly their agent is saying another higher offer has come in

It feels really dodgy! I wonder if it's genuine or just a tactic to force us to increase our offer. We have requested a second viewing and apparently the vendor will do one with us at the weekend.. don't know why they would bother with us if the other offer is so great. Is it ok to just chat with the vendors at the viewing and ask about the other offer?

For example if the other offer is someone in a bigger chain I can't see the vendors would want to take it. Their agent has pissed my DH off with their attitude, our current offer is more than 90% of asking (it's overpriced which their agent knows full well) but apparently this other offer is "significantly more" which can only be total bullshit, no one in their right mind would offer above asking at this stage and if they did and it's a really high offer then why are they still talking to us, surely the vendors would have bitten their hand off!

Sorry to rant I am just so frustrated, it felt so positive to get a buyer. Our house is a renovation project that has lasted over 4 years, it is amazing our marriage has survived it. I've had enough and just want to get out now I've had a taste of freedom! I don't want to lose the buyer and would consider moving into rental but DH won't hear of it. I know that will bring its own problems but I would feel such huge relief.

Me again, I feel like such an idiot for getting so emotionally invested in that house. Now we can't view again unless we agree to go above asking which we're not going to do. DH is calling them back with our final offer. We've just spent 30 mins on the phone looking at Rightmove seeing what else is out there. God it's depressing. There's just nothing like it at the moment. Feel like crying, feel like as an adult I should be able to handle this better somehow.

I have massive respect for those who've been going through the process for months already, how do you cope!

@Preggosaurus9 does sound a bit suspicious if its overpriced. Has the agent said you can't view again if you dont go over? I'd be tempted to contact the vendor directly if so as the agent may be playing games. Surely they cant refuse a viewing if the vendor has agreed to it??

I'm jumping back in with an update!
So my last post was regarding a viewing before exchange on the Friday before the August Bank Holiday... I managed to miss the estate agent appointment as I had the most horrendous drive up - I'd allowed 6.5 hours for a drive that normally takes around 5. It took 7.5 hours, so very stressed. I did manage to get a viewing with the sellers, which was great. The estate agent was still pushing for a pretty immediate exchange/complete - 2 very pushy phone calls while I was driving home on the day after the bank holiday. I explained that being on the M6 with a lorry up my backside was not conducive to a meaningful conversation, so she agreed to email. And then phoned back 10 minutes later to push some more.

I emailed my solicitor once I was home, saying I'm happy to exchange asap, and complete preferably a week later, deposit is paid and we're all ready to go, with a suggested completion date of 4th Sept.
Except the seller now isn't actually ready at all, isn't in a position to exchange, and will let us know a convenient date at some point.
I did take a couple of days before I emailed the estate agent, as starting a message "Oy you pushy lying git" is probably not recommended. I was 'disappointed to hear of the delay', and the EA was 'shocked to hear' that they weren't ready.
However........ after some pushing on my behalf, we exchanged yesterday!!
And are planning to complete tomorrow - please keep everything crossed for me, as if it doesn't go through I'm a bit stuck......... if I can't pick the keys up, then me, both daughters and my baby grandaughter will have to cram into a friends spare room for the weekend :)

@Preggosaurus9 I totally understand. I still have a set of 'memories' from a house I had my heart set on about 15 years ago that was vetoed by XH on the basis of needing new windows. I had imagined a whole life there in about ten minutes!

Good luck for tomorrow @pinktransit - I'm sure all will be well in the end.

Enquiries imminent here. Shit or bust time.

@pinktransit congratulations on your exchange!!

@Preggosaurus9 this definitely sounds like a tactic. I wouldn't be increasing my offer. I would be playing hard ball - ok vendor/EA, that's lovely that you've got a higher offer. We have offered what we believe it to be worth. Our offer will stay on the table. Do come back to us if this higher offer miraculously falls through. But you would have to be willing to chance losing it, not ask for another viewing, and go in with a take it/leave it approach...

@Violetroselily yes it would be tempting to contact the vendors directly! That would probably piss the agent off even more!

@Hawkmoth totally relate. it's an emotional rollercoaster isn't it!!

@Dinosauraddict I think you've hit the nail on the head. We already gave a higher offer verbally but haven't heard back. Still not at asking but higher than I wanted to go and I think more than house is worth. Part of me wants to recind it now!

Thank you for your support, I don't have anyone irl to talk to.. except DH who is going nuts with the stress!

Checking back in.

We have (I’m not sure if I ever put an update) got a buyer. Outbid another buyer by 10k - beginning of July. We found and had an offer accepted on a house 2 weeks later (fluke!). All progressing fine.

Buyer has structural survey done. Surveyor tells me “no major issues” - and debriefed me before leaving. All things you would expect and no 3s (Victorian end of terrace cottage). Buyer comes back this week - 2 weeks after survey - to say she wants to have a builder / plumber / electrician and roofer round. WTF. A roofer comes - looks at the house from across the road and declares it needs a new roof. For which he charges our buyer £200 and estimates 4-8k.

I’m livid. Buyer is ‘surprised’ when EA says - they won’t accept that. House does NOT need a new roof!

She’s now waiting to speak to the surveyor... I’m stressed out of my brain. I go back to work after mat leave in early next year, school applications for DD due in a Jan and the market here (north London) is dire.

I think she’s totally naive and v anxious rather than being a manipulative cow but I am desperate not to lose the sale. I just want to move. We’re considering offering a contribution to the repairs suggested in the survey. I feel sick.

It’s worth adding we’ve already had all the searches on both our purchase and her sale and the are only one or two things outstanding. So we’re at a pretty advanced stage! I have the draft contract for our purchase in front of me.

God I just want her to proceed.

Since2016 - I feel your pain here. Our buyers had similar with their first time buyers - the girl brought the world and his wife round - daddy and a builder. In her case it was the window frames that she was fixated on notwithstanding that the surveyor and builder both said they were fine. In the end our buyer gave her 'the talk' and she proceeded in the end. We found this out after we'd exchanged contracts - I was glad that I was in total ignorance until this point - it would have freaked me out. I think it's not uncommon that inexperienced buyers react like this, as you say hopefully her just being naive rather than manipulative. Hope you get some good news next week. You say the market in North London's dire - is that both for flats and houses? I would have thought a nice Victorian semi like yours would have been in demand?

@Since2016 wow since when do tradesmen charge to quote?! That's crazy. Hope it gets resolved quickly.

@Since2016 Been lurking here for weeks but we are in exactly the same boat! Our buyers had their survey last week, surveyor told us there was little to worry about other than a few small maintenance issues. They called on Thursday and sent a slew of builders/electricians/friends of a friend round today ‘as a result of the survey findings’. The builder told them today that they were being finicky and that if they bought the house it would be less than a days work for him to put the few bits and pieces right. I’m hoping this will put their minds at rest but suspect it won’t!

We are buying a chain free house, and they have sent all the paperwork and are ready to exchange. It’s very stressful as we don’t want them to worry and pull out/put the house back on the market/refuse to wait any longer when there’s nothing we can do at this point!!

I’m sorry to hear others are / have been in the same boat. I’m so anxious and snappy now. Not heard anything yet. Hope to god I hear on Monday with good news.

My sale has stalled somewhat! Was supposed to be in a short chain of three with number 3 completing the selling of their London flat by the end of August . My buyer (let’s call him 2) wanted to exchange by end August which I was happy with . We still haven’t exchanged as 3s sale has stalled due to a maintenance pack or something! Still theoretically plenty of time to achieve the completion date of 4 October but it’s SO frustrating!!!! I’ve taken a punt and booked removal firm on 3 Oct take my stuff to storage as I’m on holiday for a week from 4th! Then can’t have any time off work til end of month so wouldn’t be able to move then anyway! Purchase (which is due to complete on 31 October - their request) hasn’t even started processing as my solicitor hasn’t had any contracts or f & f forms 😫😫😫no idea how we wil get searched and survey done in time!!

Sending sympathetic vibes to everyone involved in a house sale and /or purchase 🙃🙃

Wow @blobby10 that's cutting it fine. Do you happen to know how your LA is faring with search turnaround times?