Buyer's demands after survey

[kittlesticks]

Hi all
Any advice welcome. We have sold to a cash buyer and are stretching ourselves to buy a slightly bigger place. Our buyer is asking us to fix quite a few minor things that came up in the survey before we exchange contracts. We haven't done this recently and I suppose I am fairly naive about what to do next.
None of the things being asked for are (in my opinion) actual problems for our house right now. For example, replacing the radiators that are old but working perfectly well.
In total we think all these small jobs would probably cost about 3 grand to complete. We don't want to spend this money, we need every penny at the moment.
There were lots of people interested in the house which sold within only a few days, so the market in our area is moving fast, but we've found our lovely next house and don't really want to lose our buyer as that will put the sale at risk.

They also need to be reminded (not in so many words) that no one else’s survey will Id anything major so it’s not as if they can even think that !!

they are purely cosmetic, I would say no, most people change things when they move into a new house anyway. I am surprised the surveyor even pointed them out.

This is so strange! I haven't heard of anything like it. The only time I've heard of work being demanded is when they contravene planning, e.g. replace a door which had been removed, or what not.

If they walk away, I suspect they were looking for reasons to pull out. The buyers sound very naive!

When we sold our last house (more than 20 years ago) someone wanted to reduce the price by £3K because the central heating boiler would need replacing in the next 3-4 years. I said if I was going to pay for a new boiler, I would have done it at a time when I would have the benefit of it and I wasn't paying for a new boiler for him.
He was really shocked. I sold to someone else for 3K above the asking price!

Say no, the house is priced according to its condition, and that if they are unhappy to let you know ASAP so that you can get it straight back on the market again as there were others interested.

A polite way of telling them to shit or get off the pot.

That’s bonkers. When I bought this house the kitchen was ancient but it was priced accordingly and I didn’t ask for money to be knocked off so I could get a new kitchen.

And the radiators were ancient and we’ve been here 20 years and they work fine.....why on earth does a working radiator need replacing? It’s just a bit of metal shaped in a certain way with water in it. As long as they’re not rusty they should just work and last for a longer than 30 years.

Bonkers.

Oh spring what a lovely proper result there !

PS. We bought our place two years ago, which needed new bathrooms, a new kitchen, a new roof, re-wiring, a new boiler, conservatory pulling down and starting again, every window replacing, re-flooring and re-plastering and re-decorating throughout. The price we agreed on with our vendor reflected that!!

A lot of buyers start making extra demands after their offer has been accepted. They'll leave it till as late as possible precisely because they know the sellers will be invested in going ahead and are more likely to agree. If I were you I'd call their bluff and say no, but only if you're prepared for the chance that they might pull out. It's unlikely, but they might.

Our buyers started asking for all sorts, but we'd had the house on the market for a couple of years and had got divorced in the intervening time so we were pretty desperate to sell and agreed to most things. If you're not desperate, then say no. Do not tell them that you would lose your house if they reduce the offer, just say no. It's the offer that you've accepted or nothing.

Sold as seen
Sold as valued by agent

If they wanted all this done you could have done it before and put it on fir higher price.

Bollocks to them. They are just trying it on. There is nothing on the survey which would stop a genuine buyer from proceeding.

No way would I be bowing to their demands! CFs. Also I'm slightly concerned re local lockdowns etc, it might not be the best time on a practical basis to get work done just now.

I'm Assuming your house was priced accordingly and fairly. If it was a brand new / complete refurb with new everything and furnished according to the buyers preference, the price would be several grand more.

The points raised are largely cosmetic and not worthy of a reduction. Often things like 'end of their life' are according to manufacturers instructions. But we've all been in houses with radiators from the dark ages that still work right?!

My house had no kitchen (just a sink to meet legal requirements), no heating, an ancient bathroom, no carpets and needed a new roof. It was priced accordingly and we budgeted for the renovation. That's just how it works. Sold as seen.

I would decline their reduced offer and ask them to confirm by Friday if they wish to proceed so that you can instruct your agent to get more viewings this weekend.

Good luck!

Surveys are ridiculous these days. We had one that comments in the different colour of guttering and the buyer asked for it to be changed😂. You couldn’t actually see it unless you climbed in the roof.

Also asked for he shower to be resealed. A diy job!

Surveyors look for as much As possible to try and negotiate price. It’s not about structural weaknesses anymore.

Buyer was advised by the survey that a couple of things are 'coming to the end of their natural life' therefore wants us to replace them before exchange

What a CF statement.

If something's not working, then it's reasonable to ask for repair/replacement or proportionate price reduction.

If something's old and you can see that, then it could last an awful long time or it could clap out in hours, no-one knows, but you can say that for most things in any house.

A CF who wanted to buy my first house insisted that as the roof was nearly 100 years old it should be replaced at my cost.
I found another buyer.

I suggest you tell your buyers to get a grip on reality, your answer is NO and you have other people in the queue who are in a position to proceed with the sale. Give them 24 hours to let you know if they are going to proceed or not.

Ridiculous. I used the survey report as a checklist for me after I bought and move into my property not as a CF shopping list from the sellers.

Thank you! I at least feel a bit more armed now with info. I agree with you all. Sure we don't really want to lose our buyers. Fingers crossed we don't, but I'm also not going to replace taps or radiators that work! Also of course we are moving into a property with it's fair share of stuff that needs doing, and I'm not about to ask the vendors to go to b and q for me

Sorry to spark this up again. We've been met today by more demands to send work men to the house to quote for things.
Does anyone know on here whether we have the right to actually look at the surveyor's report about our home?

You aren't likely to see the report , you can ask but I doubt it. Up to you if you let people in , most of that is DIY jobs.

This is where your estate agent needs to step in and call bullshit.

The house is being sold in its current condition at the price agreed.

Do they want it or not. If you are happy to put it back on the market say that.

You don't have to let them in. Given it is work they will be doing after they buy, why would you?, A nicely worded request to measure for curtains would be different.

I would not give these CfS an inch, otherwise they will be back again and again. Also be prepared for them to attempt some last minute manoeuvres to get money off. Think very carefully about all of this, especially if you think others are interested.

The price they are paying reflects the state of decoration that was visible when they viewed the property.

If it was in better condition the agents would have valued it higher and you would be asking a higher price.

You don't have the right to see the survey report.
Personally I would say yes to access to tradesmen but set limits eg access for a week or two visits or one afternoon (or whatever), then get on with it. And no I wouldn't be doing any of that strange shopping list you were presented with.

Stand firm.

They are major CFs!

We used the surveyors report, which was extremely detailed as a 'job's list' once we had the keys. Nothing was major, all basic stuff like a door latch didn't catch properly it sealant needed replacing. I'd have been embarrassed to ask the previous owners to do it - all in all it came to about £250 tops.

Hold firm OP

I second stand firm.
They are absolute chancers, get i got your EA and have them state; house is as seen and they can send workmen in when they have the keys.
Maybe reach out to other interested parties in case you have to bin this buyer.