Buyer pulled out last minute

[rubyrip68]

Hi, more of a rant than anything really. So accepted an offer on my one bedroom house, she originally offered £70,000, i said no and she came back with £80. I agreed because I wanted a quick sale because my mental health is suffering being here as it is far away from anyone i know and i dont drive.

Found a house near my brother and everything has gone fine with that sale, got the contracts ready I was just waiting to hear from my buyer only to find out today that because of some high damp readings she will only continue if it is lowered to £70,000. Now she had this survey at the beginning of september so i'm not sure why it has taken this long to raise this issue and theres no actual damp on the inside just high damp readings on one of those meters. I feel like this was her plan all along and she never intended to pay £80,000.

My options are : 1) bow to her low offer (dont really want to because honestly its annoyed me and if i dont know what else shell demand). 2) Re-list the house : i'm definately not doing that its too stressful i feel like i wont make it through all that again, i'll also probably lose my house that i want to buy. 3) sell to a cah buying company: at the start of this i got a quote from one for £65,000 so a lot less money but a quick sale although i have heard negative things. 4) just end my life: honestly bit dramatic but ive been on the edge now for the past few months.

Anyway sorry for the rant i have nobody to talk to.

4. is very worrying. Have you got someone you can talk to in RL? I know it's shit selling houses but it's not worth that, nothing is

i think you should see what happens if you call her bluff!
None of the options are right for you it seems. Sorry that you’re going through this OP

Well she's an arsehole and she probably did plan to do this all along but leaving that aside, can you afford to take 10 grand less? If you can and you want to move then I would just take the 70 and move. House buying and selling is a nightmare and people take advantage of our crap system. But think about your mental health. It seems like taking it would be the best option if you can? How long had it been on before she offered? Had you had much interest? I know where I live now, nothing is selling so I'd be tempted to just take it, especially if you've found somewhere else to buy.

Could you meet her halfway?

or even go to the people selling the house you’re buying and explain the situation and say you’ll have to pull out unless they can reduce by 5k

Sorry, just re-read 4) - thought you were being flippant but as PP said, nothing is worth that. If you can afford it, take the offer and move nearer to your family as soon as you can.

Please call the Samaritans if your mental health is suffering from that much.

Can you afford to take the lower offer? If so, take it with the condition that there is no more negotiation or stalling.

yes this.
Say that you will not accept £70,000 and will relist the house.

As a good will you will accept £79,000.

It is hard to do, but hold your nerve.

In reality if you relist it you may not get the full 80,000 as prices are dropping.
If she comes back and says no then I would atke the £70,000 rather than the 65,000. In the end it is you who woudl lose out with the money. But if she comes back and says no, ask her for a higher offer and settle on 75?

Thanks for the replies all i think i just needed to get that out my system.

@wited I just have my brother but i feel like i'm annoying him

@WomanFromTheNorth I can afford the lower offer just about and the house had been on for about a month with no interest before she offered. I will probably end up accepting it and just move asap.

I wouldn’t bow to her lower offer it sounds like she has now brought this up deliberately to try get you back to a price she wants to pay. I’d say £80,000 if not house goes back on market. People play these games and try their luck cos they think everyone is desperate to sell…. However you do sound like you want out so for your own mental health the easiest option would be to accept the lower offer and be done with it

Hello OP, we are really sorry to hear you are feeling this way - selling a house can be so stressful.

We hope you don't mind, but when these threads are flagged up to us we usually add a link to our Mental Health resources. You can also go to the Samaritans website or email them on [email protected].

Support from other Mumsnetters is great and we really hope you will be able to take some comfort from your fellow posters, but as other MNers will tell you, it's really a good idea to seek RL help and support as well.

We also like to remind everyone that, although we're awed daily by the astonishing support our members give each other through life's trickier twists and turns, we'd always caution anyone never to give more of themselves to another poster, emotionally or financially, than they can afford to spare.

Wishing you a speedy sale and the very best,
MNHQ💐

When something similar (also to do with damp) happened with my parents' recent sale they suggested meeting half way. The buyers agreed. Worth a try?

you meet halfway at 75, this is what she is expecting - why isn’t your agent negotiating, advocating for you ?

Definitely don’t agree straight away. Say 75k. Chances are she’ll say yes. If she doesn’t then consider 70k. Every house sale I’ve done this has happened though at an earlier point, and always met in the middle

theres no actual damp on the inside just high damp readings on one of those meters.

That means there is dampness then. They don’t read high on dry walls.
I would suggest meeting halfway but, for the sake of your MH, you may need to consider accepting the offer.
I’m sorry, it sounds as though you really aren’t in a great place. I hope things improve for you once you are in your new home

damp meters are unreliable on masonry and brick for various reasons but that's muddying the waters here. i'd suggest meeting half way OP, good luck, and look after yourself

Sorry you are having such a rough time, and I hope things improve for you and that you are able to move as planned. As others have said, you need to prioritise your mental health, so the following is just based on my own experience and not a suggestion for what you should do in your circumstances.

I had a very similar situation. My previous buyer commissioned a damp report and came back saying the house needed £15K's worth of work to remedy the problems. My EA advised me to get my own report done, as damp meters can be more or less sensitive depending on how they are set. I had another, more established firm do a report (at no cost) and they quoted £2K, plus their report only picked up significant damp in two locations.

I wasn't a forced seller, in fact my circumstances have changed to the extent that it suits me to move in a few months' time, so I held the line. Had I been desperate to move at that time, I'm pretty sure we would have compromised on a number somewhere between the two quotes.

House buying/selling is awful when things go wrong so I sympathise. My suggestion would be to meet halfway on the price, that way you can still move on and don't have to start the whole process again. It is annoying at this late stage but if you just want to get moved then I would do this.

OP, there are always strangers on the internet to talk to when you feel low. Please don't feel as though you have no-one; you have lots of us.

There's a MN section called Chat that can be useful.

Reddit is also a really good place to talk.

Regarding damp: I'm assuming it's an old house? Not younger than 100 years old? I read a thread the other week that loads of people with old houses are experiencing damp walls and/or mould in their homes for the first time in many, many years this year. Because the summer was so dismal, the old stone or old brick didn't have time to dry out in time for winter, so readings WILL be worse this year than prior years.

The group is on Facebook - Your Old House UK - Repair and Conservation

My google Fu has failed to find the thread.

I would suggest saying you will accept 78k and let her barter you down to 75k if necessary.

Again, please don't ever feel that you are alone. It may be a viper's pit from time to time, but the internet is full of folk who will happily listen when you don't want to burden those around you.

Meet half way. She is expecting you to say 75k.

And please seek proper MH support. You need professional help not just a brother.

I agree with all the other people saying you should suggest you meet in the middle at 75k.

Please don’t let despair take over, it’s a dark time but you can get through it. Even if you ended up having to accept 70k it would still be worth it to get past this difficult time and get the house sold.

Please come back to tell us how it goes and that you’re ok.

When we were selling our flat some damp was found; we got a damp specialist to quote for it and then put that cost (£3k) into an escrow account, which could only be used to pay for the damp.
The estate agent facilitated this. It meant we didn’t need to lower the price as such but would only pay for the damp to be fixed.

If that sounds too complicated, or if you think fixing it costs more , then just agree on £75k job done. Quickest and easiest option.

Agree, offer to meet half way, she'll be delighted and you can move on - conveyancing is so stressful no wonder your mental health is suffering. Please get some support 🌼