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Original poster

Gutted. Buyer pulled out.

43 replies

Gyptian · 12/06/2020 18:14

Our buyer pulled out today. We sold just before lockdown and have only just started to view properties we liked. I’m so disappointed. We tried to sell two years ago only to find there was knotweed in the garden as well as neighbouring ones. By the time a management plan was put in place, I had a work re-structure going on so we had to wait. Now this.🙁 I would understand if they had a change in personal circumstances or the survey pointed to significant issues. The only issues they raised was guttering and pointing to the brick work which is standard fare for Victorian terraces. They were told about the knotweed when they offered. It just felt like excuses and like they aren’t being honest with us. They won’t even let us have a copy of the survey. 🙁

OP posts:
HforHotel · 12/06/2020 18:26

Sorry to hear that OP. I hope you find another buyer soon! Perhaps offer to pay something towards to survey report. I wouldn’t give it away free either. At least then you’ll have a view of how future surveys will look

Fredthefrog · 12/06/2020 19:30

We had a buyer pull out and new buyer the following Saturday. So far so good with the market. It is disheartening but I'm sure you'll get a new buyer quickly.

Salome61 · 12/06/2020 21:12

I'm so very sorry to see your news. I know it's exhausting but do keep cleaning and tidying ready for the next viewer, I'm sure 'the one' will be along soon.

Interesting you had knotweed in the past - someone on moneysaving expert, in the house buying forum, mentioned their solicitor had mentioned this to them about their purchase. I hadn't realised how difficult it was to eradicate, well done for being so determined.

Good luck.

Salome61 · 12/06/2020 21:13

PS One of them might have been made redundant?

FamilyOfAliens · 12/06/2020 21:15

I wouldn’t let a vendor see a survey I had paid hundreds of pounds for tbh.

rottiemum88 · 12/06/2020 21:16

They won't even let us have a copy of the survey

Sorry for your disappointment OP, but I don't understand why you think they should? Surveys are expensive. It's a service they bought and paid for so they can do what they like with if

Pipandmum · 12/06/2020 21:28

A think about a quarter of house sales fall through for a variety of reasons. It may have nothing to do with your house. Maybe their house sale fell through. Maybe they got a job transfer. Maybe they simply decided they didn't want to move. Just remarket it straight away.

SunbathingDragon · 12/06/2020 21:32

It’s quite possible they felt the housing market wasn’t stable at the moment or were worried about their jobs being at risk. Lots of reasons for people to pull out of plans at the moment.

I hope you get to move soon.

DeeplyMovingExperience · 12/06/2020 22:28

I paid over a grand for our survey on a terraced house. Worth every penny. I definitely wouldn't hand it over to a vendor unless they paid for it.

RedRed9 · 12/06/2020 22:31

They won’t even let us have a copy of the survey.
Have you offered to pay for it? If not then that might be worth a shot.

I e were told we wouldn’t get a mortgage for a property with JKW. Could that have been the case?

Jennyie1 · 12/06/2020 22:33

Don't ponder on it too much. You will never get the full story. Their reasons might be genuine.

Jennyie1 · 12/06/2020 22:35

Don't ponder on it too much. You will never get the full story. Their reasons might be genuine.

I paid for my own survey on my sale, to hurry things along with potential buyers.

candle18 · 12/06/2020 22:36

If it was me I would let the seller have the survey as it would be no use to me now and I would feel bad for having pulled out.

Original poster
Gyptian · 12/06/2020 22:45

Thank you for all of your responses. They were cash buyers-parents who were buying for their son and his partner so I don’t think it is Covid related. If it was due to personal circumstances changing, I would completely understand. It’s frustrating that they used the survey as a reason to pull out but only raised pointing and guttering as issues.

With regards to asking for the survey, i didn’t write it out very well in my earlier message. We haven’t asked for it, the estate agent made clear that they wouldn’t provide a copy anyway. I just asked if it was possible to let us know if there was anything significant that came up which would possibly put off another buyer but they wouldn’t engage with the estate agent.

It’s on the market again so fingers crossed.

OP posts:
FamilyOfAliens · 12/06/2020 22:48

I just asked if it was possible to let us know if there was anything significant that came up which would possibly put off another buyer but they wouldn’t engage with the estate agent.

Again, you’re asking for information from their survey that they’ve paid for. I’m not sure why you’re surprised they wouldn’t want you to have that information for free.

inmylifeIlovedthemall · 12/06/2020 22:54

I am sure you won’t want the extra expense but you could get your own survey done.

I had a friend who did that after 2 buyers pulled out. She then dealt with all the issues and increased her price to compensate.

It worked for her !!

thewinkingprawn · 12/06/2020 22:55

I don’t get this issue with giving vendors the survey - you’ve paid for it so the money is gone, it’s of absolute zero use to you now anyway so it’s going to go in the bin rather than let someone actually make use of it? Odd.

FamilyOfAliens · 12/06/2020 22:55

If it was me I would let the seller have the survey as it would be no use to me now and I would feel bad for having pulled out.

I paid for a survey on a property I was intending to buy as an investment earlier this year. The survey threw up all sorts of issues I could never have known about as a lay person. It was worth every penny as it meant I didn’t end up buying a house that had damp problems covered up that would have cost me a small fortune to rectify.

I didn’t feel bad about pulling out. Only a fool would have continued with the purchase.

RedRed9 · 12/06/2020 22:56

but they wouldn’t engage with the estate agent.
They might if you offer to pay.

FamilyOfAliens · 12/06/2020 23:00

@thewinkingprawn

I don’t get this issue with giving vendors the survey - you’ve paid for it so the money is gone, it’s of absolute zero use to you now anyway so it’s going to go in the bin rather than let someone actually make use of it? Odd.
Not odd at all.

You’re proposing that people save a stranger several hundreds of pounds by giving them a survey they’ve paid for, in order that the vendor can maximise their profit? Seriously?

If the vendor wants to know what’s wrong with their house they need to pay for their own survey.

RedRed9 · 12/06/2020 23:06

Lots of vendors try and hide things as well: eg paint over damp.

If my vendor hid something that showed in a survey I’d be pissed at them for wasting my time and money. My first thought wouldn’t be to gift them something costly to make their lives easier.

tara66 · 12/06/2020 23:09

Apparently one in three sales fall through.

Viviennemary · 12/06/2020 23:12

Japanese knotweed would be a no no for a lot of buyers. Or perhaps they just think house prices will go down and that's why they pulled out. It's very disheartening though.

candle18 · 12/06/2020 23:47

Would someone make an offer without seeing the survey? I’m in Scotland and the survey would be seen before deciding whether to offer.

Pollypocket89 · 13/06/2020 08:04

Yes, here you make an offer then do the survey

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