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Original poster

Buyers suddenly want money

62 replies

GalaxyAddict · 21/04/2024 20:42

I was meant to exchange on Friday. My buyers asked via my estate agent if they could come round with a double glazing person to get some quotes. I was really against this, as I am packing & in a real mess. My estate agent said I had to let them come round as they were my buyers. This was on Monday, and then on Friday they send a quote for £700 via my estate agent say there are some windows misted up and it needs to be resolved!
I am totally against giving them any money, they have been to my property 3 times & the price of the property reflects the window condition & they offered £5k off the asking price which I accepted

OP posts:
DelphiniumBlue · 21/04/2024 20:48

When you say the price reflected the condition of the property, was it obvious that the glazing needed to be replaced? Because it sounds as if the buyers hadn’t factored the cost of that in to their offer.
They are entitled to find out the costs of repairing any outstanding issues, and to decide if they can afford to pay for those. They can adjust their offer accordingly.
You can say yes or no, or meet them halfway. It depends how much you want the sale to proceed, and how likely you are to find ano buyer at the same price who is in a position to proceed quickly.
Personally I’d meet them halfway on the basis that they exchange within the next few days.

Alphabet1spaghetti2 · 21/04/2024 20:48

Personally I would tell them no and tell the estate agent to be ready to relist if they decide to back out if the sale. £700 for a few misted panes of glass is a silly thing to quibble about when they’ve already negotiated a £5k reduction. If you agree, they will probably pull the same stunt the following week on exchange of contracts for something equally minor.

Original poster
GalaxyAddict · 21/04/2024 21:28

They have now been to the property 3 times. They also paid for a comprehensive survey a few weeks ago. There are no problems with the windows, apart from 2 of them being misted, it is purely cosmetic.

OP posts:
TruthorDie · 21/04/2024 21:31

😂😂😂😂😂 jokers. They offered a price for the house how it was. It’s not after x, y and z has been done. Tell them you aren’t giving them anything more. They already have got £5k

Seeingadistance · 21/04/2024 21:34

They're at it. Just refuse.

And I think your estate agent is wrong to say that you have to give them access.

bombastix · 21/04/2024 21:36

Mmm. In this market I would eat it actually but exchange asap. Really bad time to sell at the moment

Restinggoddess · 21/04/2024 21:37

I agree with @Alphabet1spaghetti2 - it doesn’t sound like the EA is on your side so be firm when you speak to them ( so that when they speak to buyers they don’t rat on you) that you are preparing to relist.
They are trying it on big time - you have asked a fair price and they have 5k
Someone somewhere is whispering in their ear - hold firm OP

anonhop · 21/04/2024 21:40

It's up to you. You didn't "give them" £5k. They offered what they thought was a fair price for the property (£5k below your valuation) and you agreed.
I think if it later transpires more work is needed, it's ok for them to reduce that amount off their offer. It's also ok for you to refuse.
If you're not in a rush/ confident you'll find someone else, it's totally ok to say no + risk them pulling out. I prob wouldn't pull out over smt this minor, but they might.
However, if you're desperate for this to come through, £700 isn't that much / meeting them halfway is ok.

Johannus · 21/04/2024 21:42

Misted windows are not just cosmetic. They are failed double glazing units. That said, your buyers are taking the piss wanting money off after agreeing sale and having had survey.

AGodawfulsmallaffair · 21/04/2024 21:43

GalaxyAddict · 21/04/2024 21:28

They have now been to the property 3 times. They also paid for a comprehensive survey a few weeks ago. There are no problems with the windows, apart from 2 of them being misted, it is purely cosmetic.

It’s not just cosmetic though, it needs repairing. I’d be tempted to get my own quote as a bargaining tool and take it from there. But buyers will often try it on - it’s frustrating but may happen again if you lose them over this.

Spirallingdownwards · 21/04/2024 21:46

You certainly don't have to allow buyers access. You don't have to agree further reductions unless you want to. It will then be in their court if they want to pull out or not. They may be chancing it to see if you agree, but still proceed. I'd stand firm.

WalkingWombat · 21/04/2024 21:49

If they pull out over £700 they were never serious. I would refuse and say this should’ve been flagged up after survey. You would have to be prepared to resist though so it depends on whether you would lose your dream house.

bellsbuss · 21/04/2024 22:19

For the sake of £700 I wouldn't want to lose a buyer in the current market

KievLoverTwo · 21/04/2024 22:27

People should know what a blown double glazing unit looks like, but maybe they thought it was condensation that could be dried out. I guess that’s what you thought, as you said ‘it’s only cosmetic.’

For the sake of £700 I wouldn’t risk losing the sale. Right now is literally the worst time of year to do that; every Tom, Dick and Harry will be listening to family who say ‘put the house on in Spring when the garden looks good.’

Do you want to re-list when you have three times the amount of normal competition? When serious buyers have already seen your property on the market and off again? I am surprised at the number of really good quality houses I have seen listed within the last fortnight. Personally, there is no way I would take the risk.

I don’t think they will ask for more. Otherwise I think they would have massively inflated this replacement window cost. I think they are probably just on their arses broke.

senua · 21/04/2024 22:32

For the sake of £700 I wouldn’t risk losing the sale.
OP is in this position because they followed the EA's advice. I'm sure the EA doesn't want to risk losing the sale either. Push back on the EA - they created this problem, let them earn their commission and find a way to resolve this.

Twiglets1 · 21/04/2024 22:39

I would stand firm as they will already have incurred costs of over £700 so it would make no sense for them to pull out over so small an amount.

Just say the windows haven’t changed since their previous viewings and since the survey.

schloss · 21/04/2024 22:51

The survey should have shown the double glazing problem, so either they have been aware since receiving the survey and have not said anything until the day of exchange which means they knew what they were doing, or the survey did not mention the windows which means the surveyor did not think there was an issue. It comes down to the same thing, they are chancing their arm - those saying do not lose a sale for £700, the same can be said for the buyers, would they really lose a purchase for £700.

No is a one word answer to the EA. If you say yes, what is to say they will then claim another X amount for something else, all whilst threatening you with not exchanging until you pay up.

Original poster
GalaxyAddict · 21/04/2024 23:41

And another thing thing, en the buyers wanted access to my property it was for quotes for double glazing, not replacement window panes. They also said the survey mentioned mould in the property, this is not true. My estate agent actually came to my property to view the window & see if he could see any mould & he couldn't. I have told him to ask for a copy of the survey ( from about 4 weeks ago) where it mentions mould. I also spoke to the surveyor when he was here & he said there were no problems or issues

OP posts:
caringcarer · 22/04/2024 00:52

GalaxyAddict · 21/04/2024 21:28

They have now been to the property 3 times. They also paid for a comprehensive survey a few weeks ago. There are no problems with the windows, apart from 2 of them being misted, it is purely cosmetic.

Tell the EA they either pay the agreed amount or they need to relist the property. They are trying it on..

Notthatcatagain · 22/04/2024 01:23

I've just has 2 units replaced, one small one and a big bathroom one with patterned glass, they also repaired the lock on the back door and replaced a tatty seal on the front door. The bill was £280. So £700 seems like a lot

DifficultBloodyWoman · 22/04/2024 01:24

I am totally against giving them any money, they have been to my property 3 times & the price of the property reflects the window condition & they offered £5k off the asking price which I accepted

In which case, you say the agent ‘The price agreed reflected the condition of the property. Please let them (the prospective buyers) know that. And please get the property back on the market ASAP. (And to show them you are serious) How many viewings do you think you can line up for this weekend?’

The estate agents won’t want to lose a sale. They will almost certainly find a way to get the buyers on board.

gingerbreddy · 22/04/2024 18:13

They’re taking the piss. We’ve found some failed double glazing in the house we’re buying and wouldn’t dream of trying to get the seller to pay for it.

Are they asking that you drop the price by £700, which may mean they need to amend their mortgage offer, or that you just pay them £700?! Or that you get the work done which will create a huge delay while the solicitors wait for FENSA certificates?

SOxon · 22/04/2024 18:33

go halves, which is reasonable and will shut them up/down
or
as pp have advised,
call their bluff

coming to look at the eleventh hour, for whatever reason
is a well known ploy of which your EA would be well aware

you need nerves of steel in this game

whenemmafallsinlove · 22/04/2024 19:46

I'd offer half on the condition you exchange tomorrow. Then I'd remove all of the light bulbs and the cutlery drawer insert when you leave. And the loo brushes, the grill pan and the toilet roll holders.
And the bath plugs.

Play silly games, win silly prizes.....

WalkingWombat · 22/04/2024 19:56

whenemmafallsinlove · 22/04/2024 19:46

I'd offer half on the condition you exchange tomorrow. Then I'd remove all of the light bulbs and the cutlery drawer insert when you leave. And the loo brushes, the grill pan and the toilet roll holders.
And the bath plugs.

Play silly games, win silly prizes.....

We hadn’t mucked out sellers about, just offered less than they thought the house was worth. They didn’t get other offers and eventually accepted.
They did all the above, also removing batteries from smoke alarms and left 2 inch wide holes in the wall where they had removed fitted cupboards.
Then their mail redirection failed and their cat kept coming back ‘home’. They had the grace to be red faced each time they had to come back to us for a favour.
We just smiled and obliged each time, there is no need to be a dick even if others are dicks to you.