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Original poster

Sellers won’t budge after survey price negotiation

450 replies

Montysmoon · 03/12/2025 19:55

Hi everyone,

We had our offer of £735k accepted on a £750k house a month ago. The house was on the market a while - about six months and had no proceedable offers in that time (other buyer were needing to sell). It’s a probate.

While the house is old (100 years ish), no major alarm bells rang during our viewings.

But our homebuyer survey flagged urgent issues like gutters in disrepair that are causing damp throughout the property. The electrics are 40+ years old so the house will need rewiring, and the boiler is also old. There are other minor issues too like decaying woodwork etc.

We have asked the vendors to consider taking £10k off the sale price as this is what has been quoted to us for the repair work to the gutters and damp. This does not include anything for electrics or anything else.

Vendors are refusing to renegotiate price. I want to push back because we simply won’t have the money to do this repair work otherwise, plus they’re not exactly inundated with other offers so they’d be silly to risk losing us.

I’m also selling so I appreciate that it’s not always straightforward just lowering the price, but given the obvious defects in the house I think it’s a reasonable sum. Does anyone agree/disagree? Advice very welcome 🙏

OP posts:
Owly11 · 03/12/2025 20:32

It doesn't matter if it's reasonable or not if the seller win't budge they won't budge. However for what it's worth i would do exactly what the seller is doing. You haven't described anything too awful so as a seller i would be telling you to get lost. 40 year old wiring is not in itself a problem. Have you got an electrician to actually test the wiring? If it passes all tests then you don't need a rewiring. Repairing guttering doesn't cost much. Old boiler is irrelevant.

Theresabatinmykitchen · 03/12/2025 20:32

Surely you noticed it was a renovation? you can’t seriously have expected a clean bill of health from the survey?

Ophy83 · 03/12/2025 20:32

They'll probably be thinking if you can afford to spend £735k on a house you can probably afford an extra £10k...

It depends how much you want the house. If you are willing to risk losing it then you can insist that you won't buy it unless they reduce the price, but they have no obligation to do so.

AmicaNemica · 03/12/2025 20:32

If the property is empty, after 6 months it will start to cost them in council tax and other utiilities and be harder to insure. I would definitely ask for SOME movement.

Whatnowitsdday · 03/12/2025 20:32

The sellers probably think that you are CF who were always intending to reduce the offer further after the survey. This seems quite common these days and isn’t very ethical IMO

TangoWhiskeyAlphaTango2 · 03/12/2025 20:33

Ultimately house buying and selling can be a game of twist or stick - it really depends on who is the most desperate you to buy it or them to sell it. It sounds as if they are not desperate and so that leaves the ball in your court. Renovations can cost a fortune so if you take it you will need deep pockets or many years of saving each month to do the work.

SmallGoddess · 03/12/2025 20:34

As it's a probate property you may be dealing with a group of siblings who all need to agree on what they will accept. I've been there, it can be tricky.

DottieMoon · 03/12/2025 20:34

They've already reduced the house by 15k so more than enough to cover the repairs. It's pretty ridiculous to expect the sellers to cover costs of these types of things when you it's an old house. What were you expecting?
Very cheeky.

user593 · 03/12/2025 20:35

If I was going to buy a 100 year old probate house which hadn’t been visibly well maintained I’d think the issues you’ve highlighted are par for the course.

We made an offer on a 100 year old house in a good state of repair which was occupied by a young(ish) family. When the survey flagged the roof needed £10k of repairs we asked for a reduction, because it was unexpected in the circumstances. (They said no, and we bought a house a few doors down).

columnatedruinsdomino · 03/12/2025 20:36

It sounds like this house needs a lot of work anyway and you will be make a large profit once it’s all modernised. I would just accept that it might take a while longer to achieve that and suck up the extra 10k. They obviously feel 25k off the original price (which might have been valued under what they thought it was worth ) is too much. It depends on how much you want the house.

TangoWhiskeyAlphaTango2 · 03/12/2025 20:36

Whatnowitsdday · 03/12/2025 20:32

The sellers probably think that you are CF who were always intending to reduce the offer further after the survey. This seems quite common these days and isn’t very ethical IMO

I totally disagree that it is 'unethical' to negotiate the price after survey - what a ridiculous statement. A buyer can do anything they like, the seller does not have to accept it really is that simple. I also think now it is a buyers market and the price of renovations are so expensive people are far more cautious than ever, good for them.

Whatnowitsdday · 03/12/2025 20:39

TangoWhiskeyAlphaTango2 · 03/12/2025 20:36

I totally disagree that it is 'unethical' to negotiate the price after survey - what a ridiculous statement. A buyer can do anything they like, the seller does not have to accept it really is that simple. I also think now it is a buyers market and the price of renovations are so expensive people are far more cautious than ever, good for them.

Show quote history

Yes, the buyer can do anything they like. They can wait til the day before exchange of contracts and ask for a drop in price then. Totally legal but unethical IMO.

Buscobel · 03/12/2025 20:40

You said the house is a probate sale, which presumably means that they are not moving, but selling the house for the inheritance. They’re house was probably not maintained if the previous owners weren’t up to it, but they must feel the price they accepted from you, is a good price for you.

It depends whether you love the house enough to spend the money on it with no further reduction. If you do, continue with the purchase. If not, walk away.

Original poster
Montysmoon · 03/12/2025 20:40

Whatnowitsdday · 03/12/2025 20:32

The sellers probably think that you are CF who were always intending to reduce the offer further after the survey. This seems quite common these days and isn’t very ethical IMO

I would much rather there wasn’t a load of urgent work that needed to be done.

I am also a seller so I understand when a buyer is being cheeky. I don’t think we are. £10,000 is not a huge sum for the amount of work needed. This isn’t for the old electrics or boiler or any of the other work, it’s for the defective gutters that have fallen into disrepair and are now causing damp throughout the house. Two surveyors have quoted this work at c.£10k.

We are decent buyers. I completed all the paperwork work within 3 days, got our mortgage offer and survey done within 3 weeks of having our offer accepted. We are very motivated. But we are also borrowing as much as we can (our mortgage will be £2.8k!!) and will have no savings left for these additional costs that were not obvious to us at the time of viewing (other viewers may be more astute than us, but we’re clearly not).

OP posts:
MowingMachine · 03/12/2025 20:40

Why on earth are you faffing about £10K on a three quarter of a million pound house?

Either buy it, with the offer that's been accepted, or don't.

MowingMachine · 03/12/2025 20:42

Montysmoon · 03/12/2025 20:40

I would much rather there wasn’t a load of urgent work that needed to be done.

I am also a seller so I understand when a buyer is being cheeky. I don’t think we are. £10,000 is not a huge sum for the amount of work needed. This isn’t for the old electrics or boiler or any of the other work, it’s for the defective gutters that have fallen into disrepair and are now causing damp throughout the house. Two surveyors have quoted this work at c.£10k.

We are decent buyers. I completed all the paperwork work within 3 days, got our mortgage offer and survey done within 3 weeks of having our offer accepted. We are very motivated. But we are also borrowing as much as we can (our mortgage will be £2.8k!!) and will have no savings left for these additional costs that were not obvious to us at the time of viewing (other viewers may be more astute than us, but we’re clearly not).

Show quote history

But we are also borrowing as much as we can (our mortgage will be £2.8k!!) and will have no savings left for these additional costs that were not obvious to us at the time of viewing (other viewers may be more astute than us, but we’re clearly not).

That is your problem, not their problem. TBH OP, it sounds like you are really over-extending yourselves.

Justcallmedaffodil · 03/12/2025 20:42

Looking at it from their perspective, they had their property valued at £750k. They already deducted £15k from that to secure a buyer in an evidently slow market. Markets have been slow across the board recently in the lead up to the budget, so they won’t necessarily think the house was overpriced to begin with. You then come along asking for another £10k off for repair work and they almost certainly think you’re taking advantage. So they’ve said no; accept it.

Whatnowitsdday · 03/12/2025 20:43

Montysmoon · 03/12/2025 20:40

I would much rather there wasn’t a load of urgent work that needed to be done.

I am also a seller so I understand when a buyer is being cheeky. I don’t think we are. £10,000 is not a huge sum for the amount of work needed. This isn’t for the old electrics or boiler or any of the other work, it’s for the defective gutters that have fallen into disrepair and are now causing damp throughout the house. Two surveyors have quoted this work at c.£10k.

We are decent buyers. I completed all the paperwork work within 3 days, got our mortgage offer and survey done within 3 weeks of having our offer accepted. We are very motivated. But we are also borrowing as much as we can (our mortgage will be £2.8k!!) and will have no savings left for these additional costs that were not obvious to us at the time of viewing (other viewers may be more astute than us, but we’re clearly not).

Show quote history

If you are really that strapped for cash that £10k makes such a difference then you probably can’t afford to maintain the house anyway.

Original poster
Montysmoon · 03/12/2025 20:44

Whatnowitsdday · 03/12/2025 20:43

If you are really that strapped for cash that £10k makes such a difference then you probably can’t afford to maintain the house anyway.

Show quote history

Yes maybe this is the sad truth.

OP posts:
YourOliveBalonz · 03/12/2025 20:46

I wouldn’t risk losing a house I wanted over £10k even with a house half the value of this one. I think in these circumstances it ought to be factored in that work will be needed, and what you’ve listed doesn’t sound out of the ordinary. You mention it’s about 100 years old so I’d consider that it will probably need a new roof at some point too!

If they have already refused to lower the price further then the only power you have is to walk away, if it’s a deal breaker to you. Are you hoping if you threaten to pull out they might reconsider? I suppose it all comes down to who’s got the most to lose…

outdooryone · 03/12/2025 20:46

£10k on a £760k purchase (£735k +£27k Stamp duty +£5k legals) on a house you know is old doesn't seem a lot. And if that £10k on such a house means you genuinely can't afford it, it sounds like you can't afford to run such a house and have overstretched....
You could/should have gone for a second viewing with someone who knows in tow for a proper think before you put the offer in.
But in the real world, it's down to who wants to haggle hardest and be able to walk away if needed.

LupaMoonhowl · 03/12/2025 20:50

Whatnowitsdday · 03/12/2025 20:32

The sellers probably think that you are CF who were always intending to reduce the offer further after the survey. This seems quite common these days and isn’t very ethical IMO

This.
When I bought my ancient house I didn’t bother with a survey because I wasn’t going to play that ‘game’.
Bought the house, yes I am having to do similar stuff to get it up to scratch but now have a fantastic relationship with the aellers/executors (house had been in their family since the 1800s)
Entirely up your sellers if they don’t want to play this silly game.

Joeninety · 03/12/2025 20:50

Virtually every house on sale needs something or other. Think £10k either way won't make much difference on a near three quarters of a million property.

Advocodo · 03/12/2025 20:51

The vendors can do whatever they want, decline, accept or negotiate your proposed reduction. You obviously want their house otherwise you would have walked away. Welcome to the world of house buying!

ThatCyanCat · 03/12/2025 20:51

Whatnowitsdday · 03/12/2025 20:43

If you are really that strapped for cash that £10k makes such a difference then you probably can’t afford to maintain the house anyway.

Show quote history

I was thinking this too, sadly. Those old houses can be beautiful, but also absolute money pits. It may be a blessing in disguise if it falls through.

You have to decide whether you're prepared to lose the house. You may find they do agree having been on the market so long, but people can be funny about this and they might not be desperate to sell. Just got to decide if it's a risk you're prepared to take, especially since this house is likely to cost you a lot in maintenance.