Buyers want access to measure up

[CantStartaFireWithoutaSpark]

Hi there, I’m not sure what is acceptable when it comes to selling our property.

We have sale agreed and are going through the legal aspects of the sale.

2 things that have come up:

• the buyer wanted our email to contact us directly if they have any questions
• the buyer wants access “for a couple of hours” to measure up and show it off to their families.

My partner doesn’t mind this. But I do. They have have had 2 viewings, one of which was after the sale agreed.

They have DP’s email and did ask him directly a 2nd time to see the property the week we are packing up. Even though we said no to the agent already.They want the couple of hours the week we are packing up, and also juggling WFH.

We are moving out and the property and it will be left vacant for maybe 2 months.
DP suggested we give them access after we leave, but I don’t want them knowing it’s vacant. Am I being unfair? Does anyone have any experience?

Note we are not nearby once we leave, so we can only rely on agent to manage access.

any advice? Is it ok to let them in? Am I being mean saying no?

You did not need to. The correct process would have been to contact the agent and for them to contact the vendor

Although baffled how on earth there was no record of has mater… how was it resolved?!

Maybe they plan to do an extension. An Architect would need a couple of hours to measure up. Planning Permission takes months now so they may be hoping to get that in as soon as possible. I'm a Structural Engineer and general take an hour to properly check the construction and load paths at the property depending on what they want to do. They may just want everything else working in the background while the sale goes through. I see it as a positive.

Who cares? If we are being pedantic the seller should have declared the issue saving us hours of phone calls and online chat. The quickest way was to contact the seller.

You mean gas meter? The National Grid advised it was a "shipless supplier". We solved the issue by giving them her account number as no MRP number existed.

Who cares?

Cares? No. Chewing that fat on mumsnet? Yes. And as a number of posters have advised, unwise to give your email to a buyer.

No, only have contact via the EA, say you will send any additional measurements or photos via EA, and if they want a further viewing with family then it must be EA accompanied viewing so they won't be poking about or causing damage.

We had a first time buyer who wanted to bring mum and dad, then mum and dad wanted to bring an uncle. We ended up with 4 or so viewings at the very early stages and they later pulled out. I believe it was because the first time buyers had too many opinions from all of these eager family members which gave them doubts (very old house)

On another occasion I've had an older lady look round by herself three times and then ask for a builder to come out, then another family member. By this point I said no. I had very small children and it was a nightmare keeping it clean every time to be honest, plus it felt like she wasn't that serious. She ignored the estate agent who passed on my "no" and they came round knocking on the door, and when I didn't answer, just helped themselves walking around both the front and back garden poking around at the facade.

People treat "for sale" houses like they aren't currently someone's home.

Family can see the house when it's been bought in my mind. I've never taken family to look at a house I don't yet own!

I'd say No to email. Everything should go through the agent or solicitors.
Measuring up, shouldn't take more than half an hour if they're efficient or an hour if they're totally disorganised.
Showing family- if its the kids or anyone else who will be living there, yes, otherwise, No. I'd never ask to show extended family round. Relatives can see the outside now, the inside when they have bought it. Your furniture is none of their business.
I'd never, ever leave a buyer alone in my house. Either I or an agent would have to be there, all the time. I might leave them to look around a room while I was elsewhere in the house if I felt sure of them and felt it would be helpful for them to talk without me there.

We've had to measure up for various reasons- e.g.,
to check depth of fitted wardrobes which we planned to remove to see if we could get 2 single beds into a guest room or whether it could only be one 3/4 bed, and in another example, to see if my massive plan chest would fit under the open stairs. In both these cases, we might have had to buy new furniture before we moved in had they not fitted- in the first case, we had relatives from abroad visiting just after we moved in, and in the second place, my work papers have to be stored flat somewhere so I'd have had to have bought a slightly smaller plan chest before we moved. But we did it swiftly and with the minimum of fuss. In one case we drove 100 miles each way to spend about 20 mins measuring up, IIRC.

....and so it begins.

So the buyers have sent a stroppy email. When they put in an offer they were interested in buying some of our (very expensive less than 4 years old) furniture. We actually need the furniture for our next house, but we gave them an itemised list of things to buy.
They opted for only the blinds, which is fine.

Today, they sent a stroppy email to our agent, with a sentence bolded and underlined (like this!) They feel that they assumed a bespoke item in the house was included. But they were offered in our itemised list to buy It so they knew that before now.

Note this is a very good item and the cost to replace it with the standard would be more than double what we offered for them to pay for it.
We can take it with us which is my preference and then put a basic item back in its place, which was our plan.

The email says they think their offer for concrete and plaster is too much without "basic supply" of furniture. It goes on a bit like that. They also refer to us as the "landlord" which is interesting and demand we replace the bespoke item.

So, my DP is all about just giving it to them and moving on as he is afraid they pull out.

So here is my thinking. As we have 2 months before we complete, I think this is the first of many attempts to lower the price. My view is, if they want the house they will buy it, if they don't it's better they pull out now and nip any further emails and demands in the bud.

We had lots of offers, cash ones, but they increased their offer to beat them and we went with them cause they wanted to live in the property. The cash offers (2 of them) were as an investment property.

The property was only on the market for 2 weeks at the time when it went on sale agreed. There was a good demand, it is well priced for the area and in excellent condition, new kitchen, new bespoke fitted sliding wardrobes etc.

So here are the options -

1. give them the bespoke unit and give in to their demands with the possibility of 2 more months of these emails to the agent. Note the cost to replace is high for us.
2. Take a firm line and say no bespoke item you're welcome to lower your offer, but we are not obliged to accept it and see what happens.

I'm glad I started this thread, it has really educated me from all perspectives.
Thanks all!

What's the item? Is it built in?
Was email through agent or solicitor or direct to you?
I think you're right about the first of many attempts to drop price.
Depending on how built in this item is I'd most definitely say no, we'll make good but it's not included, and of course you can attempt to drop your offer but we may not accept.
Nip any attempts to drop in the bud right now.
Still think they should be allowed access tho! Accommodating but not prepared to negotiate- time for that was before offer agreed.

A wall cabinet in the bathroom. Look at the most expensive one in John Lewis. It’s far superior!
Email to agent.

They are CFers. Definitely do not give an inch. They will take a mile.

This is why many sellers go for cash buyers or landlords over other buyers even if they offer less.

Tell them "No". And be prepared to put your house back on the market.

Wall cabinet! No way. That's ridiculous. I thought you were going to say custom wardrobes or something.
I don't care how special this cabinet is, that's not included. Absolutely do not accept a price drop on this.

Hmm. I can see why they might have initially assumed that it was included but you'd already notified them indirectly that it was not. Personally, I wouldn't (and didn't) offer to sell anything that I wanted to take with me. I would go for option 2. I think you have to take a hard line over things like this straight off or they tend to escalate.

Ok, so my thinking is right. Phew!
DP and I are not agreeing, I may show him this .
When you buy a house do you expect anything more then concrete walls?
We are not a charity to give away our furniture!

it’s still so fresh I think it’s still advertised tbh!

I think I'd have assumed it was included as it's presumably fixed to the wall? So built-in wardrobes are included, freestanding aren't? On the principle that what's included is what would stay put if you turned the house upside down and shook it(?!).

But you've since made it clear in the list of things they could pay for that it isn't, so I think it's fine.

Are they FTB? It sounds like they're getting confused between unfurnished and furnished rentals?

I can see how they assumed it may have been too initially. But we were clear it wasn’t when it came down to the furniture interests and gave them a very good price to buy it (think half of worth and less than we paid for it).
There are 2 high quality bespoke wardrobes that are inc in price. Just this cabinet is coming with us unless they buy it.

The email is very emotional. I think if they are going to pull out, it won’t be because of the cabinet they would anyways now or later. Better they do it now while we remain in the area and the ad is still maybe 2 months (if even) up now.

The more you give in now the more they will expect.
Nobody moves in expecting furniture to be part of it. You are there to look at the house not what's in it.
Tell them to do one. They are going to mess you around until the end.
Just because they don't want to complete till after Xmas doesn't mean you can't exchange sooner and make it a legally binding deal.

To be fair everyone expects fitted furniture to be part of the sale. Only really CFs would try to charge for fitted items. I do wonder about that in this case as the fact that the OP says they would take their bespoke cabinet and leave a lower quality version in its place, suggests to me that it is in fact fitted furniture, otherwise why else would the OP be talking about replacing it with something cheaper.

Only replace to “make good” the wall.
we wouldn’t leave it with holes.

That's not what you said. You said
"Note this is a very good item and the cost to replace it with the standard would be more than double what we offered for them to pay for it.

We can take it with us which is my preference and then put a basic item back in its place, which was our plan."

You are planning on removing a fitted item and replacing it with a cheaper version. No good changing your story now.

No no same thing @Eastangular2000