Offer accepted, nothing happened for 2 months

[CushionHugger]

Accepted offer from FTB but nothing has happened for 2 months. No surveys etc. They say it's the mortgage broker slowing things.

Anyone been in similar? Would you pull out and remarket?

and with predictions of mortgage rates coming down in the Spring they might wait till that occurs

Id do as others say and give them 7 days to contact you re the mortgage survey
and less to show proof to your conveyancer they have a mortgage in principle

They've had more than enough time

Thank you, we will do this.

Appreciate all the advise on this thread.

It’s nice when OPs come back and update
Let us know how you get on

I'll certainly try to remember!

Survey done. Mortgage approved.

They had to get a different solicitor so still no searches.

Ask solicitor to get their ££ deposit fraud checked asap. It can really delay stuff if it’s left as the last thing to do. Especially if money is coming from various or unusual sources.

This happened to me in 2024; every time we rang the estate agent they said oh buyer is trying, don't be unfair to buyer, wait another week, then another and eventually ...

5 months.

Then buyer disappeared. Agent seemed confused why we were annoyed? All joking aside I think the buyer was a friend of the branch manager. But yeah, I'd go back on the market tomorrow if I were you OP.

I would tell the EA, your solicitor et al, that you wish to exchange within the next two weeks and complete three weeks later. See what reaction you get and decide whether to remarket with another more reliable pro active (expensive) agent.

Your buyers are likely to withdraw as they are not serious or have money problems. Either way you are being messed about.

All the information we have received has felt like pulling teeth. Looks like another ultimatum is the only option.

But remarketing in this awful weather doesn't seem doable either. The garden is a bog!

Searches were done for us in about 3 days.

Surely this must be done now?

Our solicitor hasn't even been given the name of the new solicitor for the new contract pack.

Can you call the agent and ask?

Oh we have, but they can't seem to get an individual name or email address out of them.

I'm feeling very pessimistic about it all but can't let my emotions get the better of me now. It's hard though.

Well I'd call them back right now then and ask for it to be put back on the market by this afternoon. That literally makes no sense as to why they wouldn't be able to get that. It wouldn't surprise me if they aren't actually wanting to buy anymore and are looking at other properties.

I don't think its emotional, its logical! Take the emotion out - nothing has happened. Get your house back on right move!

You could leave it on the market as 'sold subject to contract', if someone else wants it, offers more or can complete quickly you just take that offer. It also encourages your buyer to get a move on in case they lose it.

my house took six months to get to exchange and completion. The buyers solicitors kept stalling over the sodding leasehold documents. Never having a leasehold property again.

They are stalling.
If you are under contract with the agents tell them you are instructing them to remarket so that the ad goes up on Rightmove this weekend, unless they receive the buyer's solicitors details by 3pm today.
The buyers are clearly not doing what is necessary to instruct solicitors to proceed. They have to sign instruction letters and pay money up front for searches so they are delaying either because they are not that interested or because they don't have the funds.
But if you can change agents, you should do so.

Exactly.
No one who wants a house does this.

I remember paying for the searches asap as I wanted them to know we were 100% going ahead after the offer was accepted.

I agree get it back on for tomorrow or you’ll move agents which you could also contact tomorrow.

You were all right. They’ve ghosted us.

Please tell me you’ve got your house back on the market.

Sadly it doesn’t surprise me from what you said. It’s just not normal behaviour.

We will drag ourselves around the various agents this week.
Although the agent who stopped and talked to us previously would probably be a good choice since at least he was proactive.
And on the bright side, the garden bog seems to be coming back to life a bit.

New agent found a new set of buyers, very keen FTBs with a good deposit. Decent offer under asking accepted.

Several weeks in...

And they pull out without explanation. And now our solicitor has also dumped us.

Feels endless. 😓

If they are only at the mortgage broker stage, doesn’t that mean they haven’t got a mortgage lined up yet

As someone who has bought and sold a lot of properties I have found most FTB’s are slow and mess you around.
Especially those who can’t read the survey.

Didn’t think my last property sale was FTB territory. Nice 5 bed detached in Home Counties commuter belt. It didn’t stop a FTB coming to view and telling me that estate agents kept sending them to see houses that weren’t suitable for their needs. They basically wanted a stately home in acres of countryside within a short commute of London for under £1million.

I have had FTB’s calling the estate agent saying they couldn’t exchange even on the date they were supposed to exchange because they were dead or they could afford better or that the Feng Shui was wrong
I have had FTB’s who thought the completion date was just a guide

This must be a Kent/rich person thing, no?

Viewing: Saturday. Offered on the spot. Accepted. Had my paperwork with me. Vendors preferred it went to EA.
Sunday: sent offer with backup paperwork to EA.
Monday: sought solicitor. Not available. Call with mortgage broker, mortgage applied for same day.
Tuesday: found solicitor, engaged. Paid for searches, asked for them to be ordered straight away.
Wednesday: compared x15 surveyors, booked one for 3 weeks' time (b/c the sellers have already moved half their stuff out and it will all be gone by then).
Wednesday: house went sold STC, memorandum of sale issued.

Surely serious FTBs have their shit together?

Or maybe it's just me, because I've been doing it for so long.

Anyway, your FTBs sound ridiculous. I've always thought it's the EA's job to filter out time wasters, but then, they don't really get paid enough to do the amount of work required to sell a house, imo.