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Original poster

Re-negotiate price?

128 replies

Itsanofrommehun · 10/04/2024 12:43

We are FTBs and had our offer (we are buying in cash due to inheritance) accepted on a house in November but it took the vendors ages to find somewhere. We are not getting to the final stages now but back in March when they found somewhere we did ask for a £15k discount due to the market changing and they agreed to meet us half way to keep the chain together.

we have just found out that the house in over two plots of land one the house and one the garden, and so our conveyancer wants us to pay £500 extra for the additional transfer. We think the sellers should pay this and we shouldn’t have to assume responsibility for it? AIBU?

OP posts:
schloss · 10/04/2024 12:44

Just pay the £500 and get the sale done.

Scoobyblue · 10/04/2024 12:46

If you want the house, just pay the amount and get it done. There will always be things like this that crop up and arguing about it causes chains to fall apart.

ByUmberViewer · 10/04/2024 12:47

I wouldn't risk rocking the boat for £250 to be honest.

I'd pay the £500 but I'd let them know i'd paid it and if something else cropped up, or they wanted money for something that really should be left there for free anyway, then i'd remind them.

givebeesachance · 10/04/2024 12:50

Sorry but no, this is not a reason to renegotiate price. It’s something you could have checked for yourself when you decided to make an offer - you can go on https://www.gov.uk/search-property-information-land-registry and see how many entries a property has and if they are freehold or leasehold.

You’re FTBs and it’s not your fault you didn’t know that, but it’s also not your sellers’ fault and it is a small amount of money in the grand scheme of things here.

givebeesachance · 10/04/2024 12:53

PS How come you just found out, did the conveyancer not send you a plan to check when they first started work? I would’ve expected two plans if it’s two separate transfers

sweetpickle2 · 10/04/2024 13:01

Pay the £500, you've been cheeky enough asking for £15k off because the 'market changed' (honestly can't believe you did this).

If you refuse to pay, I sincerely hope they tell you to go swivel.

KievLoverTwo · 10/04/2024 13:46

This is entirely your solicitor's fault and it would be unreasonable for you to ask for the money off.

rainingsnoring · 10/04/2024 14:02

Your solicitor is at fault here. Please don't ask the seller for £250. That's really petty, especially when you are fortunate enough to be buying with cash as a FTB.

sweetpickle2 · 10/04/2024 14:22

Where are people getting £250 from? As I read it, the seller agreed to half off the £15k reduction that the OP asked for, not half the £500.

So the seller has already given the OP £7.5k, and the OP is now splitting hairs about having to shell out for £500, when they are a cash buyer. Ridiculous.

Hereward1332 · 10/04/2024 14:30

We had this exact issue. It didn't cross my mind to ask the vendor to pay. You chose the conveyancer so you pay.

maximist · 10/04/2024 14:35

My house and garden are over five separate title deeds (I know, it's bonkers) but my solicitor didn't charge me any extra...

KievLoverTwo · 10/04/2024 14:50

rainingsnoring · 10/04/2024 14:02

Your solicitor is at fault here. Please don't ask the seller for £250. That's really petty, especially when you are fortunate enough to be buying with cash as a FTB.

especially when you are fortunate enough to be buying with cash as a FTB.

It's exactly this kind of behaviour that makes cash buyers think they can throw their weight around, and pisses off home sellers. Some avoid cash buyers because they know this behaviour is likely.

Couple it with the fact that they're FTBs and honestly, if I owned by own home to sell, I wouldn't touch them with a ten foot barge pole.

OP needs to buck their ideas up and start behaving like a reasonable human being. There's someone else on the other end of this sale who is hoping and praying you don't pull any more d*ck moves, OP.

OriginalFloorboards · 10/04/2024 15:16

sweetpickle2 · 10/04/2024 13:01

Pay the £500, you've been cheeky enough asking for £15k off because the 'market changed' (honestly can't believe you did this).

If you refuse to pay, I sincerely hope they tell you to go swivel.

Edited

You took the words out of my mouth. I hope we don’t end up with buyers like the OP as I will just pull out of the sale.

timetodeclutter · 10/04/2024 15:20

Don't do it.

First, because as others have mentioned, in the context of such a huge purchase, it's reasonable to take the rough with the smooth and not hold the sellers to ransom.

But also you might want the seller's help with some stuff in due course (leaving lightbulbs in, trying to leave the property fairly clean when they leave, maybe even answering the odd query about which internet provider they used, etc etc). There is value in having a friendly relationship with your sellers. And even aside from that, it actually makes (I think) the whole process feel nicer.

(Speaking as recent FTBs)

ElaineMBenes · 10/04/2024 15:23

We are not getting to the final stages now but back in March when they found somewhere we did ask for a £15k discount due to the market changing and they agreed to meet us half way to keep the chain together.

You did what??!

Just pay the £500. Sounds like it should have been picked up by your solicitor before anyway.

BellsAndFootfalls · 10/04/2024 15:35

I had this and the solicitor noticed it immediately, it didn't cost more though. I did have to pay more for conveyancing due to other issues with the house, but it never occurred to me to ask the seller to pay it... it's just a fee associated with buying the property I chose to buy.

Has the market dropped that much between November and now? I thought it was just stagnating

stealthninjamum · 10/04/2024 15:38

If you were buying from me and you attempted twice to get money off I would pull out

Bootoagoose123 · 10/04/2024 15:40

Oh for goodness sake no, please do not do this. I really fail to see how it's the seller's fault. Surely this is basic conveyancing. It's bad enough form to have dropped your offer for no real reason halfway through the process. Having been messed around seriously by a FTB recently I think this request would be the straw that made me pull out entirely.

fromtheshires · 10/04/2024 16:18

Hahahahahaha what CF's you are.

You wanted 15k off for market changes and they met you half way so you have got 7.5k off your purchase. You now want to gouge them for £500 because you and your conveyancer didn't notice this at the start. Your conveyancer should have asked you to look at the title plan at the beginning and you didn't see the garden was missing from the title you were sent.

Just pay the £500 from the 7.5k discount the sellers gave you for some reason 🙄

Familiaritybreedscontemptso · 10/04/2024 16:21

It’s £500. Peanuts in the grand scheme of a house sale and absolutely not worth annoying your sellers over. Forget it.

Original poster
Itsanofrommehun · 10/04/2024 16:31

maximist · 10/04/2024 14:35

My house and garden are over five separate title deeds (I know, it's bonkers) but my solicitor didn't charge me any extra...

Did you have problems getting a mortgage on it?

The thing is they need us to move, so why shouldn’t we adjust our offer to reflect market conditions?

also we did know from the start about the two plots but the conveyancer has only revealed the extra costs now. It really isn’t our fault so why should we assume the responsibility of those costs?

OP posts:
Luckycloverz · 10/04/2024 16:35

Your issue is with your conveyancer then if they didn't inform you of the extra cost.

Your seller has already knocked money off the price, it's not their fault you weren't made aware of the fee.

sweetpickle2 · 10/04/2024 16:39

Is this a reverse? Even FTBs aren't that arrogant surely.

SingingSands · 10/04/2024 16:39

It's not a "fault", it's a fact. There are two plots. You want to buy the property so you'll have to include this in your costs.

timetodeclutter · 10/04/2024 16:43

Our sellers brought over flowers and wine after we moved in. Reckon best OP will get is an unflushed turd in the loo.

OP: can doesn't mean should. Yes you can try and hold the seller to ransom but that doesn't mean you should.