Buyers suddenly want money

[GalaxyAddict]

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

Yep - our buyers pulled exactly the same shit last year with us. They were huffing and puffing about wanting a couple of grand off - we got them a couple of quotes in the £100 region (was a small pane of an annoyingly relatively new window) and told them we'd reduce by that and that alone (it was after a long run of nonsense) or we'd go back on the market.

They huffed a bit about "market conditions changing" (no shit Sherlock) but agreed.

Our buyers tried a similar thing (not recent, buyers market in the area at the time).
Cracked window pane (internal pane of double glazed unit), was there at every viewing, nothing hidden, in plain sight, price reflected it.
On exchange day he suddenly wanted money off for it.
We just noped that bit of cheeky fuckery and sake went through as planned.

Up to you, I would say no, the agreed price is the agreed price.

They’re banking on your being so far along and having already spent so much money that you will agree, just to get the sale over the line. But the same applies to them. As a PP suggested, I would offer to go halves on the condition that exchange happens tomorrow.

To offer an alternative perspective... I had something similar with my recent sale- FTBs asked for 700 quid for something (not windows, but equally egregious) at the 11th hour after we'd already given them several grand off. We ended up paying it to get the sale over the line but we were fuming about it and were very close to telling them to go swivel.

I'm now typing this from my lovely new house a month later, and I am so glad we paid it to get it done and get in here. They were CFs and hopefully karma will get them when they come to sell, but for now I'm living in my nice new house and very relieved we didn't tell them to jog on and lose it. The anger does subside.

They are undoubtably CFs though, you have my sympathies.

They’ve got a brass neck! If you really want to sell and be done with it, I’d give them it off. If you’d be willing to lose the sale on principle, say no.

I’d want to see the survey report to see what rating the issue was given before giving them money off though. If it’s a 3 fair enough but our house had a few misted double glazing units and it was a 2 (should fix eventually but not urgent/immediate).

£700 seems very steep as well, we’ve just been quoted £50 per unit to sort ours. We’re up north and I know there’s some regional variation but that’s a huge difference!

@GalaxyAddict if the survey did mention mould etc your solicitor would bring it up with yours or you could directly get your solicitor to ask there solicitor about this as then you know you are getting the truth.

I’d offer to go halves and knock it off the price and say final reduction.

This stuff is factored in to the property. You don’t get to this point in the transaction and then stomp about the house getting quotes for new windows and carpets etc. that’s stuff you do AFTER completion. It’s like everyone’s forgotten how everything works post Covid.

We've had buyers dicking us about like this. I said we'd take the money off conditional on exchange on a certain date.
They came up with more problems, couldn't exchange on the date we said, then introduced a chain they hadn't mentioned.
I have to say, I really enjoyed telling them to jog on.

Haha that must had been very gratifying 😂

If the buyer pulls out, I would dump your current EA and go with another agent.

How dare they tell you have to let them in to the property.

£700 is a tiny amount of adjustment to pay for the windows, especially if they offered only 5k under asking price. You could end up with a lower offer if you lose this sale. I'd accept it with a condition that they exchange and complete on the agreed dates or the £700 discount is scrapped. Just to stop further messing around.

Agree to tell them it’s factored into the price so no. However I do wish vendors would do all repairs like this before it goes on the market. I get it when a house needs total refurbishment but when it’s an isolated repair needed then just do it and then you wouldn’t be in this situation where buyers are trying to get money knocked off.

I wouldn't suck it up or offer to go halves. They want your house, hence the wanky faffing around trying to get everything in order. Say No. No deal. I bet they huff and cough up out of their own pocket.

I'd tell them to do one, OP. They've seen enough, they won't pull out over 700 quid. Pisstakers.

I paid 1200 to have units replaced, but one was for the biggest window in the house - front living room. Was told that regulations meant it had to be toughened glass? (Scotland) Also, patterned window next to front door. Bottom of stairs, so was told that that also had to be toughened glass.

In addition, had to replace a couple of the smaller units at the top of bedroom window and kitchen window. They also repaired the front door lock for me. This was prior to listing.

Passed the old house the other day. They've put in new double glazing and new doors.

Mind you, I reckon that trying to sell with the misted glass would have made the house harder to sell.

In Scotland the seller pays for a Home Report and that includes whether or not there is any damp detected via a meter. I got a good report.

They originally asked for a double glazing person to come to the property to quote for new windows. I agreed to this & then the agent said they also wanted to be here at the same time. This is when I said I really didn't want them coming back to my property, as I am packing up & it looks a mess. The agent actually said 'you can't refuse'.
So now what has happened is the estate agent has offered to pay them £375 if they exchange by Friday.
Now the buyers have requested an electricity inspection which is happening tomorrow - I can see this causing more demands

urgh they sound like they’re looking for things to create over. Or they’re getting cold feet. I’d give them until Friday and then tell them it’s going back on the market.

These buyers sound like a nightmare.

I'd speak with your EA about relisting your property.

Smoke your buyers out - either they want the property or not. Cut the silly games short by ending their games (if you can).

I have no time for this kind of buyers. We sole a property to buyers who reduced their offer by 50K the day before exchange. Our agent knew about their plan and tried to tell us the market value of our property had reduced. We didn't accept.

Do you need to sell or can you delist and aim for a new buyer?

Sounds like they're waiting to see if an offer will be accepted on another house or they're simply dragging it out for some reason.

Exchange by Friday or house goes back on the market.

Oh and remind your useless agent that they work for you and don't get to dictate to you.

Best of luck OP. The stress is horrendous, I know 💐

Ugh your EA sounds awful - you don’t “have” to allow viewings though it is normal these days to have one just before Exchange.

Do you mean the EA has offered to pay the £375 themselves if the Exchange happens by Friday? I guess that’s a result for you if it happens and you haven’t paid any money.

I would only allow the electricity inspection on the understanding that you won’t be reducing the price whatever they find. So they either proceed or pull out if they find something that needs money spending on it. They do seem like they are looking for excuses to get money off when in reality, all houses have minor issues if you look hard enough.

Your EA seems to have forgotten who they’re working for. You can perfectly well refuse to allow people to come into your home.

Your buyers sound annoying but your issue is with the EA. Throw it back to them: say it sounds like delaying tactics or another attempt to get a reduction. Either you’re exchanging on Friday at the previously agreed price or you are going back on the market. They need to sort it.

I'd say no to anything else now - given they ought to have exchanged already, organising inspections and double glazing reps is taking the piss. I don't think a couple of visits is unreasonable given that it's so much money to buy a home and you'd normally never spend this amount on something you'd only looked at briefly, but they've had 3 opportunities now and that's sufficient.

I would absolutely bollock my estate agent though and complain to their boss if they have one - so many seem to forget that they work for the seller and spout any old shite, whether it's true or not!
Remember that it's your house until exchange and completion and you don't have to give buyers access if you don't want to. Obviously there are time when it would be sensible to, but in your case that time is over imo.

As much as you've spent, so have the buyers on getting surveys and on their solicitor.

Now the buyers have requested an electricity inspection which is happening tomorrow
Why!!!!????? Have you not learned your lesson?

How have they managed to arrange this at such short notice. How long will it take to get the report back.

Once they asked that, I'd definitely re-list. And have a stern talk with the EA while I was at it..