Up until Monday, we thought we were completing on a new house on 1st November- all solicitors have agreed date, exchange was agreed for Monday this week.
Backstory is that their EA had pushed us hard to make the earliest possible date as they were desperate to move and under pressure from their vendors (top of the chain).
We then get added to an email chain where the EA tells all the solicitors to move completion to the 18th. We can’t do this, we have both a holiday and essential business trips booked in the 2nd two weeks of November that were rescheduled away from the 1st!
I call the agent, turns out they have booked their dream holiday and therefore can’t move. Apparently he’s known about this holiday for months but “assumed” that they would be back in time. God knows why their solicitor agreed this completion date.
I explain that we can’t do the 2 weeks end of November as we have pro-actively moved our travel arrangements away from the originally agreed date. I basically tell him that we are ready to go and can do anything before the 11th or after 24th. He comes back with “14th/18th or the whole deal is off, they’re annoyed about the gameplaying….” Errr what gameplaying?!
I remind him that I’m copied in on an email from their own solicitor confirming the 1st not 48 hours ago and then he tells me a sob story about the vendors shouting and swearing down the phone at him. I tell him we need some time to think as my DH was in a conference so wanted to wait for him to get home that evening to discuss (it’s his business trips). My proposal of 21st November was rejected as “too close to Christmas”, others were rejected because “Fridays don’t work for them”. At one point they suggested we complete but that they didn’t move out for “another few days”.
He called me a further 3 times that afternoon trying to force me into various dates when I asked him to wait for us to contact him the following morning, including calling me 20 mins later with “oh sorry, I butt dialled you, but as I’ve got you, any confirmation on date?!” WTF??
at that point I contacted our solicitor who reconfirmed that the vendors had now said 14th or nothing.
the next day we went back and confirmed the 14th but reiterated it was at great inconvenience to us and if they moved it again we would reconsider the purchase. Our solicitor also phoned the EA and told him he was not permitted to contact us again- all correspondence was to be made through her.
that was Wednesday… they haven’t come back and agreed the 14th so there is still no exchange possible.
AIBU to consider pulling out?! They pushed and pushed us to get it through ASAP and we’ve pushed our broker, solicitor and any arrangements to make this work to suddenly be met with stalling, delaying and bullying?! I’m not sure they’re even committed.
we currently live in a tiny 1 bed with a 1% mortgage. We are buying a 3 bed detached on a 4% mortgage, lots of character and “fully done”. Desirable SE market town where this kind of property gets snapped up. Plan is to rent out current house to buy this one to live in.