Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Original poster

Buyer won't instruct solicitor or order a survey until my offer has been accepted

118 replies

InkedGreen · 02/09/2019 16:26

What would you do? I'm not sure she is serious as had a 20 minute look at my place then offered a week later.

She said she wouldn't want to incur any costs while it was still on the market, now it's off the market I feel like the goalposts have been moved.

What do you think?

OP posts:
StormTreader · 02/09/2019 17:02

You're allowed to do whatever you want, but if I was your buyer I would be still viewing other houses.
You say she hasn't commited to buy from you, but you equally haven't commited to sell to her by taking it off the market. Your commitment costs you nothing but time for potential offers from other buyers, hers costs actual money that she 100% won't get back whatever happens IN ADDITION to costing her time in which she could find an alternative house.

whatsthecomingoverthehill · 02/09/2019 17:02

If you’re desperate for her to commit then agree to go ahead with the sale even if you haven’t found somewhere to buy.

If I was the buyer that wouldn't be enough for me. People lie, and in house buying unfortunately there is very little come back when they do.

Original poster
InkedGreen · 02/09/2019 17:04

but you equally haven't commited to sell to her by taking it off the market.

Yes I have, that's the whole issue I have with it all.

OP posts:
Original poster
InkedGreen · 02/09/2019 17:05

Yes the last two houses I ordered surveys for and instructed as soon as I was accepted. I loved them and wanted to move into them.

OP posts:
BackOnceAgainWithABurnerEmail · 02/09/2019 17:05

This is normal. You get the chain either side of you sorted then start surveys etc.

sunshinesupermum · 02/09/2019 17:08

Committing to a survey involves a large sum of money. I also wouldn't do this if the seller hadn't yet had an offer accepted on a house to move to.

YABU

BigRedBoat · 02/09/2019 17:09

I know someone is this exact position (as your buyer), in her case she is a serious buyer but has been burned by not serious sellers withdrawing the house from the market after paying out for surveys and doesn't want to risk that again. You either take the risk and trust and her or put it back on the market and lose your buyer. Did you have many other interested buyers?

MrsBobDylan · 02/09/2019 17:10

You are fantastically unclear op - have you taken it off the market or not? You have contradicted yourself about five times.

Maybe you would be better selling through an estate agent?

whatsthecomingoverthehill · 02/09/2019 17:11

Maybe she's just realised (like everyone on this thread) that she would be stupid to pay money out when you haven't found anywhere yet. And if I had an offer accepted on a house then I would expect it to be taken off the market. None of this is unreasonable, and that's all anyone on here can comment on. You are coming across slightly demanding in expecting her to pay money to prove how serious she is when you are not making a similar risk yourself.

But if you get the feeling that she's not serious and you don't want to take it off the market then don't. No one else can weigh up the risk for you.

DuchessOfDukeStreet · 02/09/2019 17:13

I think on balance I'm with your buyer. She needs a date for you to complete your own sale or move out into rented.

Anyway, you're arguably in a stronger position yourself if you agree to go into rented accommodation and then become an 'I can move immediately' cash buyer. It's what we did, and the money we negotiated off the sale price more than covered the rent/storage for a few months.

Original poster
InkedGreen · 02/09/2019 17:17

I said near the top of the thread I've taken it off the market, sorry if I've made that not clear later. My point is she's changed what she said she would do. I've had another couple that I later found out were serial offerers and never move, how can I tell if she's the same?

Have I not shown more commitment than her?

OP posts:
Original poster
InkedGreen · 02/09/2019 17:18

Ordinarily I would move into rented, but not with brexit and everything Wine

OP posts:
ChicCroissant · 02/09/2019 17:21

I'd order a survey ASAP if I was the buyer tbh, I take that as a sign they are serious so I am with you, OP. The last time a buyer dawdled over the survey when I was selling they pulled out after they'd had it done, so there are no guarantees, unfortunately.

But if I was buying, I'd have the survey done - obviously I'm in the minority here.

Oakmaiden · 02/09/2019 17:21

I'd have thought "with Brexit" is the ideal time to move into rented. In the short term house prices are far more likely to fall than climb - so selling now and buying later would be financially positive.

Original poster
InkedGreen · 02/09/2019 17:22

Thanks chic at least there's one other person that gets it Brew

I've been shafted by not serious buyers in the past, hence why I'm selling with purple bricks and even before this I got a bad feeling from her

OP posts:
Lightsabre · 02/09/2019 17:23

But the chain isn't complete yet so you are being unreasonable unfortunately.

Original poster
InkedGreen · 02/09/2019 17:23

I'd have thought "with Brexit" is the ideal time to move into rented. In the short term house prices are far more likely to fall than climb - so selling now and buying later would be financially positive

Well no. It's a gamble, not a safe bet. The pound could crash and prices go up. No one knows. It's uncertain.

OP posts:
orangeshoebox · 02/09/2019 17:23

tbh you sound like a cf vendor and I would pull out to avoid further troubles and expenses when further ahead in the process.

Oakmaiden · 02/09/2019 17:23

Also - I wouldn't take off the market until she has her survey done - even if it is low key marketing.... She hasn't made a commitment.

At the same time, I don't blame her for waiting until you have somewhere to go before she does a survey.

steppemum · 02/09/2019 17:27

I am on your side OP.
BUT
You need to tell your buyer that you would rent if necessary. In other words, you will sell even if you don't have a house to move into.

Then you can say - order the survey and committ or it goes back on the market.
In fact I would be saying this anyway, if you are not a serious buyer, it goes back on the market.

Original poster
InkedGreen · 02/09/2019 17:37

Thanks Oakmaiden, I understand her not having the survey until it was off the market. I've taken it off the market as she requested and she's now adding another goal post before ordering the survey.

Will say I'm renting and either commit or pull out

OP posts:
whatsthecomingoverthehill · 02/09/2019 17:37

It is the OP's prerogative to not take it off the market unless people show 'commitment'. But there are many people (as shown by this thread) who wouldn't go along with that, so you are reducing the pool of people who would be interested. Unless you have a desirable house with a string of potential buyers lined up it seems like a risky move to me.

RNBrie · 02/09/2019 17:45

We were in a similar position as your buyer a few years ago.

The vendors of the house we wanted hadn't found anything and even the estate agent advised us not to spend any money until the chain was complete. Unfortunately no one gave our buyers the same advice and they'd spent £3k when the chain eventually collapsed because our vendors couldn't find anything and decided not to move. We then did the same thing and didn't move for another 18 months.

Our buyers asked us to pay their losses which we declined but I felt really sorry for them.

Original poster
InkedGreen · 02/09/2019 17:51

Yes it's a desirable house, with a few unique and hard to find things.

I've taken it off the market twice before and it's fallen through. So unsure if I want to do the same again unless they show commitment.

It was back up for sale for two weeks and had three offers.

If they pull out fine, they've said quite a few things that makes me think they aren't serious.

OP posts:
Ker100 · 02/09/2019 18:11

I can see where they're coming from tbh. We put in an offer and had it accepted- instructed our solicitors and carried out a survey and searches. 4 months later the sellers were still looking for their 'perfect' property.

We had to pull out as we needed to move areas- and we lost all that money spent on the survey and so on. Maybe they've been burned before..