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Original poster

House Being "Sold as Seen" WWYD?

55 replies

Elle8344 · 10/05/2022 21:57

Need some advice as I'm really keen to find out what others think.

I've found a house, offer was accepted, then seller was really slow to deal. I instructed solicitors, arranged a survey (full level 3) which has come back with quite a few issues, some of which are due to shoddy works the seller had done & which need sorting urgently.

There is also a lot of overgrown bamboo which is spreading everywhere, including into next doors garden through their lawn & patio so it's at risk of undermining both houses foundations.

Solicitor advised me to email the survey to the estate agent (another story 🙄) saying in view of all the problems I'll need to negotiate a price reduction with the seller.

Seller is extremely difficult to deal with and this reputation follows it around.

They've now come back & said no... the property is "sold as seen". The sale has fallen through on 3 previous occasions so you'd think they'd be a bit more reasonable but they're not.

If that's the case then why do people even get a survey done?
I've pointed out that a lot of lenders would refuse to lend with the bamboo as it is. Plus it also devalues homes anyway. But they won't have it. Their attitude is bonkers and makes no sense to me.

The house really isn't worth what I've offered so I don't know what to do. I've always been happy to put in a new kitchen, bathroom, carpets etc but I don't see how I should pay to have all the other faults rectified.

I don't want to walk away but I don't think there's any reasoning with them. But I really like the house.

WWYD?

OP posts:

demotedreally · 10/05/2022 22:00

I do kind of agree with the vendor in some ways (bit wishy washy way of putting it I know)

The survey is for you to decide whether you want to buy it, not as a tool to haggle and plenty of vendors don't want to haggle. They get to choose the terms of their sale,so if you don't like it then ultimately you decide not to buy it.

It all boils down to how much you want it.

BrieAndChilli · 10/05/2022 22:01

Well only you can decide what the house is worth to you.
what are other nearby similar houses (without the bamboo and faults) going for. If this house is priced lower than that has already been taken into account.

at the moment your choice is to pay what the seller wants or to walk away. You can always say - this is my final offer, let me know if you ever want to accept it. Then look for something else.

Honaloulou · 10/05/2022 22:01

If it's not worth the offer, and they won't negotiate, you can't not walk away.

They sound nuts, but that's their prerogative.

Sorry, it's a crappy position for you.

Threetulips · 10/05/2022 22:02

I don’t see you have a choice. You either throw money at the problem or walk away.

What issues has the surveyor not seen? When we’ve had them in the past they aren’t that thorough! I’d be wary.

Neverreturntoathread · 10/05/2022 22:06

demotedreally · 10/05/2022 22:00

I do kind of agree with the vendor in some ways (bit wishy washy way of putting it I know)

It all boils down to how much you want it.

This. The survey is for you to check if you still want the house. If there is an issue that was completely hidden from view eg dangerous electrics I’d expect a haggle, but stuff like bamboo is obvious from the viewing and I’d be really annoyed if a buyer put in an offer and wasted my time then said ‘it’s got bamboo I want to pay less.’

This is very common with old houses where the survey will of course point out that lots of stuff is old and needs work. But if it was a brand new house it would be priced way higher.

Seller offered it at a price they are happy with, you don’t have a right to haggle and it’s rare that people allow reductions in a rising market like today.

Viviennemary · 10/05/2022 22:09

Let it be somebody else's problem. I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole.

LizzieMacQueen · 10/05/2022 22:10

Surveys are so you buy with knowledge of all faults not as a means to discount your offer.

I know it's a crap position to be in and one that Scotland, at least, with it's home reports system, is a step ahead.

Eupraxia · 10/05/2022 22:11

Interested to know where you live, because it could be my neighbours house your buying - identical issues.

If you've already offered under what the house would be worth without issues, then you've likely already had a reduction without realising. But if you paid over the odds, I'd definitely be expecting a reduction or walk away.

I'd ask anyway, frankly. Worst that can happen us they say no. Then decide how much you really want it

bellac11 · 10/05/2022 22:12

Do you want the house or not?

If you do and you're happy with the work that needs doing (ie you werent looking for a 'perfect' house) then you'll buy it

But if you are not looking for something that needs any work then dont

A survey isnt designed to re look at the price.

LoudingVoice · 10/05/2022 22:15

How does the price of the house compare to others in the area of a similar or better spec?

If it’s cheaper than others without issues it’s priced taking these things into account, if it’s not then offer the same money on another house with less issues?

I wouldn’t expect a price reduction due to bamboo tbh, it’s not a hidden issue, you surely could see that when you viewed the house and still offered what you thought it was worth?

Googlecanthelpme · 10/05/2022 22:17

I agree with PPs above saying that the survey purpose is to inform you as the buyer of any work required. It isn’t there as a negotiation tool (although appreciate lots of people use it this way).

Unless the house is literally sinking or filled with wood rot then I’d probably just continue with the purchase.
or you could try to compromise and say that you’ll still pay the accepted price and will take on all the issues bar the bamboo because that is likely to affect the mortgage.

we had a survey and it pulled up a few issues we were happy to sort out - what it couldn’t have picked up was the wrong plaster being used and all the walls coming away when we tried to strip wallpaper or the pipes hidden under the hall carpet which hadn’t been capped correctly or the totally ridiculous way theyd designed the patio that rendered it unsafe for children.

my point is that there are always lots of additional unforeseen issues with houses that you simply don’t find until you move in.

underneaththeash · 10/05/2022 22:17

Just tell them you’re happy to proceed at X price as it’s not worth more. If they won’t agree pull out.

Tszoralto · 10/05/2022 22:19

Walk away if you're not happy fixing the issues. A lot of places are like that. Why would a vendor want to spend time and money fixing bunch of issues on a house they are wanting to offload?

Some people do that and then accept an offer they're happy with they feel covers what they've done prior. Those who don't fix things up before listing don't because they don't want to spend the money. One house we sold was a dump. It was an unfixable dump when we bought it so we sold it. We could have got significantly more if we did it up a bit problem was every time you did anything it opened up other issues that needed doing as well. We wanted rid. So it was sold as is and we accepted below market rate for it (which was still $700k more than we paid 7 years before selling).

If you've offered too much walk away. They don't want to fix it and they're not obligated to. That's not "difficult to deal with" it's a choice they made to be rid of a house they probably thought they could fix themselves but ended up a money pit they've decided to cut their losses on and go.

arethereanyleftatall · 10/05/2022 22:20

The survey is to find 'hidden' issues that you couldn't see when you viewed the property.
Could you not see the bamboo when you decided what your initial offer was?

vipersnest1 · 10/05/2022 22:26

Walk away. This has the words 'big problems' written all over it. If the sellers are like this now, can you imagine how difficult they'd be as the sale progresses?

BitOutOfPractice · 10/05/2022 22:29

“The house really isn't worth what I've offered”

you need to walk away from this house now. Just on the basis of that sentence, let alone all this other shit

splishsplashsploshsplish · 10/05/2022 22:38

BitOutOfPractice · 10/05/2022 22:29

“The house really isn't worth what I've offered”

you need to walk away from this house now. Just on the basis of that sentence, let alone all this other shit

This

whynotwhatknot · 10/05/2022 22:38

If it hasnt been lowereed accordingly int he firs tplace place you may have a point

if its a good price its up to you

SarahAndQuack · 10/05/2022 22:39

The seller sounds a right pain. But as to why people get surveys - yes, sure, sometimes they get them as a negotiating tool, but on the whole, isn't it simply so you know what needs doing? Fairly obviously this house has faults. The survey is so you know the extent of them.

FWIW I recently bought a house where the survey turned up quite a lot of issues, and the house was sold as seen. I was still pretty pleased as I'd assumed, on sight, that the issues would be much worse! So the survey reassured me it wasn't too bad. It could be your sellers are thinking they're selling the place as a doer-upper, in which case of course people will expect to have to do some work.

Eupraxia · 10/05/2022 22:40

Thing is with bamboo, if you've not come across it as a home owner before its reasonable that you may give it no thought when seeing it in the garden. Or maybe didn't even know it was a bamboo plant.

It may need a professional, like a surveyor, or say that the bamboo is a problem because its invasive and too close to the house / boarder. Many people wouldn't know this if they weren't told.

So imo, bamboo being a (big) issue could be viewed as a "hidden" problem. Hidden in the sense that you didn't know, rather than dust see, the issue.

HollowTalk · 10/05/2022 22:48

Viviennemary · 10/05/2022 22:09

Let it be somebody else's problem. I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole.

Me neither!

Janesmom · 10/05/2022 22:54

Completely disagree with those who say you shouldn’t discount an offer due to the survey. It’s entirely normal to do so.

The value of a property plainly depends on its condition. A properly which has hidden flaws is going to be worth less than the same property without those flaws. You cannot know what issues exist until you get the survey. If those flaws are likely to require lots of money to remediate, that can result in a substantial price reduction.

The ultimate question is what the house is worth, based on all information, including the survey. This is exactly why most mortgage companies require a survey!

Chaoslatte · 10/05/2022 22:56

I’d walk away, it’s not worth the grief of dealing with a difficult vendor!

Original poster

Elle8344 · 10/05/2022 22:57

The house is ex-local authority and has been rented out through a housing association.
The works they did as landlord for the previous tenant haven't been done correctly by their tradespeople. I didn't realise this until I got the survey through.
As for the bamboo, when I first saw it I thought it was the bush variety which isn't the bad one but you can see the roots are spreading all around the garden. I spoke to the neighbours who have said it's spreading all around their garden & patio too so it's a big problem.
There are no properties to compare it with as the others are still owned by the council but managed by the housing association.
There's also private drainage that I'd share with the other properties so I'll have to pay a monthly fee to the HA. I'm sure if the roots from the bamboo damage the drainage pipes the HA will be after me for the costs of the repairs though.
I understand that their tenants have so many problem's with them. They have properties all over the country so it's not just where this house is.

OP posts:

Original poster

Elle8344 · 10/05/2022 23:00

Yes... it's a lot worse than the type I thought it was. The estate agent didn't point it out either. Luckily my friend knew what it was but he thought it was the bush type.

OP posts:

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