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?

Omg.

No explanation is weird hasn’t your agent asked them for one? You’ve got the worst luck with this

Last house we sold on the first day of viewings.
Buyers had agreed price for their house, had mortgage in principal letter and were good to go. They had been through Credit Checks and bank statements and lots of other checks so thought they were half way there

Mortgage company decided that was irrelevant and started again.

In total mortgage company asked for 46 items and despite buyers getting everything back to them the same day they were asked it took mortgage company around 3 days to process each item and then ask for the next item on their list. (We have dealt with similar mortgage company practices before and it’s like pulling teeth)
Mortgage company refuse to give you a list so you can quickly get it all together and send it off in one go.
Buyers were also asked to FAX some items Mortgage Company refused to look at these items if they hadn’t been faxed

By the time they got to the last item most of what had been sent was out of date and they had to get a lot of it all again

Agreed everything in February and didn’t actually complete till September.
We missed out on a property that even now I get angry at this buying and selling process

It got so long and so delayed by their actions that mortgage company forgot to send round a surveyor.

We do need to do something about how we buy and sell housing. It’s so ridiculously long winded and over complicated

I would start by buyers having to put down a sum of money when they agree to buy. It might not be much but something they will be loathe to lose. They can have it returned if something comes up in the survey or searches but it might focus people on not playing with peoples lives.

Banks and mortgage companies also need to look at streamlining/quickening up their processes.

We can’t avoid FTBs, it is definitely a FTB type property, although the last sale in the terrace was a down sizer. This couple really seemed to want it.

They aren’t talking to the agents anymore.

This process is mind breaking, I don’t know how people do it more than once.

We had this exact problem back in 2021, so covid was still having an impact. Anyone wishing to view had to have a mortgage in principle or have sold their house. We accepted an offer from FTB, but when it came to their actual mortgage application there was a problem with their finances and they had to go to ‘hard to place’ lenders and it took ages. Also the couple had no idea about getting the various forms filled in from their solicitors, it was like walking through treacle. A couple of times we gave them ultimatums to make them get a move on, they couldn’t understand what the problem was. We did get there eventually, but on reflection wish we had accepted another offer - we had 8

I feel for you so much, going through similar 😔

8 offers! Wow

Sorry to hear that. I think we stood a decent chance until the Iran conflict kicked in.

Popping back to say I will never accept an offer from someone in leasehold again (though hoping to never sell a property ever again either).

Did you sell in the end or is it still in progress?

We accepted an offer from someone in a leasehold and it’s been over 5 months. Bracing ourselves to hear it won’t happen.

Sorry to hear that . The moving process feels far too long at the best of times.

They are not obliged to explain themselves to agents.

Why have you not re-marketed the property?

We did this a couple of years ago, we waited 4 months because the estate agent kept telling us it would be ok and was definitely going ahead - buyer was first time buyer so it should have been straightforward. I kept assuming the agent knew something reassuring that I didnt!

It was a big chain estate agent, and I couldnt work out what they gained from it in the end. Anyway, we got a new sale with a new agent a couple of months later but original agent pretended they couldn't work out why we were pissed off.

I would guess because the value of the property now, to go back to market, may not be what it was when they accepted the offer ?
The OP first posted about this in January and that was a couple of months after the buyer had made an offer. So the price they were offered in late Autum 2025 - could be unachievable in today's market. You can see why they are upset, its not just the wasted time - the market has also gone tit's up while they sat around waiting.

The offer was actually below asking, good value then and still good value. There is nothing comparable in the area for this price. We took it because we really wanted this to end.

Agents are avoiding our calls now. Probably because they know we will tell them to remarket.

Looking at the bond markets today things are certainly going tits up, for countries with debt as well as individuals, we are in a precarious position because we just don"t have the leadership to steer us through this.

Why not go to another agent?

You need to chuck out a hand grenade asap - and either get it pushed ahead or start again.
Unfortunately KeepPumping is right. Mortgage rates are about to climb again with 3 probable B.O.E interest rate rises in the next 6 months. Achievable prices on property are likley to take a bit of a nose dive. The market is already teetering and this will make it worse.

Tell them no survey in next 10 days and proof of mortgage and searches and it's going back on the market.

Yields off to the races again today it looks like.

Good grief should be completed after nine months! I would stick it back on the market.

Should have done that WAY before now.

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/sep/04/how-will-bond-market-turbulence-affect-uk-consumer-finances

If you read the whole thread, you'll see we accepted another offer 5 months ago, not 9.

It's a bit odd seeing how gleeful some posters are, but it's the anonymous internet so par for the course to wish mean things on others.

Perhaps next time I'll add a poll so you can choose between wanting me to fall and break some bones, or lose my job.

Saying that interest rates are returning to normality isn"t "wishing mean things" it is just a statement about reality, but yes the end of the housing bubble is definitely something to be celebrated IMO. If you are waiting 5 months for a buyer to come back you should re-market, or did you actually sell the house? (accepting an offer isn"t selling)