What happens when you accept the sellers threats?

[Tupster]

My "dream house" purchase has been steadily turning into a nightmare. The vendors are awful and I don't trust them at all. They want my money, but they don't want me to get a say on anything during the process. There's really crucial things that they literally won't give me answers to and we've reached a point where they have threatened to put the house back on the market rather than give me answers. I've been steadily reaching the end of my tether with them, and while I really, really want the house, the more they lie to me, the more I am expecting some major double-crossing to be planned for later down the line and even before their threat I was weighing up whether I should drop out of the whole thing. I'm sure they think they are just throwing their weight around and think I'll cave under an ultimatum, but actually when I saw the threat I just started looking for another property.

What is one actually supposed to do in these circumstances? Do I have to tell them "I'll take option B - you remarket the property" or do I just not do what they want and they have to follow through on their threat? I assume that they have to deal with the agent and not me. I'm not technically the one dropping out, so do I wait for their solicitor to contact us to say they've pulled out? I've already told my solicitor to do nothing more on the purchase until these issues were resolved, which clearly they won't be now, so she's not busy spending any more of my money at this stage.

do you mean you are dealing with them directly or they are refusing to answer your solicitor?

What questions are they refusing to answer?

Can you give us an example of information they’ve refused to give/ answers they’ve refused to provide? Having been on both sides I have had buyers who won’t take “ not to my knowledge” as an answer and want me to basically prove a negative.

But yes, if they’re being genuinely obstructive or you feel they are avoiding answering questions which would highlight issues, I’d pull out.

I'm on the other side of this, and some of the queries I've had have been a bit ridiculous. As @LaPalmaLlama says, often you're expected to prove a negative. I was asked if a wall had been replaced in the garden by my neighbours and replied that it hadn't, but the buyer doesn't seem to believe me!

What were the key things you asked that would influence whether or not you went ahead at the agreed price?

NB if you really like the property, bear in mind that if something came up later that the sellers had lied about, you might be able to sue them, which may offer some reassurance.

What question won't they answer?

We need more details @Tupster to give sensible advice

Hard to know without knowing the kind of questions. Our seller never knew who owned the back wall. It looks solid so we took a risk. No point keep asking for info they don’t know.

Also, how is the vendor spending your money? What money?

Is the estate agent aware of this stalemate? I imagine they'll be the ones to push it to an ultimatum. They'll not want to keep the property on their books if they're not going to get their fee out of the transaction.

What are the crucial things that het won't give you an answer to?

This was my experience too. I was LPA for a sale for my aunt with dementia. The stupid questions that the buyers asked me that I couldn't answer, as I had never owned nor lived in the house was unrelenting. Since my aunt who owned the house (45 years, which is longer than I've been alive), had the local water board ever required access. What year was the boiler installed? Where were the FENSA certificates for the double glazing (that had been fitted over 20 years ago and would have been invalid)? What year was the drop kerb put in?

They literally knew I couldn't answer, they knew I had no way of finding out and they dragged it on for 9 months repeating the same bloody questions.

They also wanted me to pay for a new boiler if after they moved in it broke down in the first 6 months!!!! 🤣

I don't want to go in to detail because of the public nature of the forum. This isn't enquiry-type questions - it's fundamental "what arrangements have you made to ensure you are in a legal position to be able sell this house?" type of questions. It's literally impossible for me to buy the house without this sorted out.

I'm not asking for advice about whether to drop out or not - just more if people know what the system is when you are not pulling out yourself, but just accepting that the other person has said they would pull out.

This is not enough information for anyone to give sensible answers.

If you can’t give more precise details go and ask your solicitor.

I would say you just hold tight. Put forward a firm ‘if i do not get answers on these points, the sale cannot progress’ through your solicitor. The ball is then in their court. They have to decide then. If they refuse to answer and remarket, it sounds like any other buyer would come to the same stalemate if it is legal requirement stuff. They are clearly hiding something and it would be a lucky escape for you.

it's fundamental "what arrangements have you made to ensure you are in a legal position to be able sell this house?" type of questions
What makes you think they aren't in that position? What arrangements do they need to make?

If I were selling a house and you asked me "what arrangements have you made to ensure you are in a legal position to be able sell this house?" I wouldn't have a fucking clue what you were on about and if that's the type of thing you're saying then they are probably wise to pull out.

Also, how is she spending your money? I really don't understand

To reiterate... I am not asking for comments about the actual debate with the vendors. I am asking what happens when the vendor threatens to "remarket" the property and you want to let them do just that?

it's fundamental "what arrangements have you made to ensure you are in a legal position to be able sell this house?
Surely the estate agent did those checks and your solicitor should be chasing that up. I take it that it is a matrimonial home thats being sold in a divorce, or a probate/executors problem. Both of which are common enough for you to post about.

EDIT
what happens when the vendor threatens to "remarket" the property and you want to let them do just that?
You tell them to go ahead as you are now looking elsewhere, and then look elsewhere. You can't get compensation from them, assuming you are in England/Wales.

Speak to the seller’s estate agent: they’re the person who most wants the deal to go ahead as they’re on commission. Say you love the house and want to buy it but the seller is refusing to answer your solicitors standard questions and you don’t know how to progress the purchase anymore. Ask if the seller still wants to sell and if so can she speak to them.

Just tell your solicitors to withdraw your offer then that should be quite straightforward

You just tell the agent you're pulling out. And your solicitor so they stop doing their job on your behalf.

But if you love the house then it sounds like your cutting off your nose to spite your face because your question makes no sense and isn't the vendors being difficult.

You tell them to do just that... 😵‍💫

What do you mean, what happens?

You tell the estate agent you are withdrawing and you let the solicitor know op and you walk away and don't feel guilt for doing so they sound hard work

I'd say that you tell them you don't want to buy the house any longer and they then remarket it and sell it to someone else. They then sigh with relief that they have a buyer who doesn't ask bonkers questions. You go away and look for some other poor unsuspecting vendor to harass. Rinse and repeat.