Has anyone else had a bad experience with Bloor homes and part exchange? Bloor states 'no chain, no-risk' when it comes to part exchange, so we took the hit and agreed to sell our home to them at a knockdown price for a stress-free experience. This was a big relocation for us and we fell in love with the area as much as the new house.
They put our home on the market straight away, and we placed a deposit on theirs. Their mortgage broker had the mortgage approved within 3 weeks. We booked our upgrades, paid for gas surveys and electrical surveys on our own home, as requested by Bloor which came to a few hundred pounds and came back clear. Then an out of area surveyor came and he told us before he left that there was nothing to worry about. This was later confirmed by a Bloor rep. The surveys were passed and all was good. We had recently installed new kitchen with new appliances in our old home so we knew it would sell soon. Bear in mind this is just before Christmas and Brexit is all up in the air so we weren't worried when viewers weren't queueing to come in. Our estate agents were confident the property would sell soon enough. With all the surveys out of the way, we visited the Bloor property a couple more times and showed it to the kids. We sorted out local schools and began to pack our things for a December move. Everyone was really excited as we loved the area.
Then the contracts came through and we signed them our end. The money was in place, ready to transfer. I had a bottle of proscecco in the fridge, ready to celebrate. The next day Bloor rang. I thought they were calling to congratulate us on the exchange and to say they'd signed their end. That's when they dropped the bombshell they were 'pulling the plug' and were putting our new home back on the market that day.
They said the structural surveyor had 'devalued' our property. But our home was valued by two independent estate agents months before at a lot more money than they offered. We had already agreed on a part-exchange price which was reflected in the paperwork. The reason for this 'devalue' was because our house was near the road. Apparently, the house itself was structurally perfect, it was the location he didn't like. But that was already reflected in the price. We don't live near a motorway. We live in a small close in a tiny quaint village with one shop, two takeaways and little else. We asked to see the report but it had been 'mislaid'. What the Bloor rep said next said it all. 'You've only had two viewers'. We guessed that had to be the truth behind why they were pulling out. We hadn't sold our home quick enough. We already knew they had just stopped ALL out of county part exchanges. Ours was the last one they dealt with. But that was weeks previously.
Any attempts to speak to Bloor always got the same response. 'It was subject to survey.' BUT the survey had been completed and sent to them almost a month before! What a pathetic excuse for leaving a family in bits. But it's OK, they said we were 'lucky' as they were refunding our upgrades money, and as a 'gesture of goodwill' they would give us back our deposit, but not our whopping solicitor's fees or the costs of us going up and down.
I wrote lots of tearful emails and made many calls. They agreed to hold the new house for 4 weeks while we tried to sell our own. But that would have meant risking our upgrades money - almost nine grand if things fell through. The trust was gone. We took the refund. Our solicitor said it was unheard of for a structural surveyor to do that. I still don't believe that he did.
So now we are selling our home at a knockdown price because it's already on the market at the price Bloor set and we can't very well put it up. We can't go part-exchange with another builder as we can't take another hit. Months have been wasted. When I first considered part-exchange I looked online to read of other people's experiences. I'm normally a lurker on Mumsnet. But today I've come forward to share because I wouldn't wish what happened to us on anyone. It's been so upsetting to lose our new home at this late stage. Not just that, but even now, Bloor has made us feel as if we are a thorn in their side. It's such a shame as the house we wanted is beautiful, just perfect for our family. But I'm not sure if I could trust them again.