Third viewing has left me worried about completing on this house

[Goldengamer]

We’ve been to view the house we are well on the way to completing on , surveys done, searches done etc .
It’s a 3rd viewing , we viewed for the 1st and 2nd time a couple of months back, this time was really to have a closer look. My goodness, it was filthy , cupboards dirty , floors not cleaned or swept . Unfinished DIY we hadn’t noticed first time round etc etc . The kitchen although newish has been very badly fitted and we are going to have to rip it all out . The survey picked up a few things but not the standard of work or cleanliness of the place . We are nearing retirement and it’s really daunting knowing we will have to start working on the house when we move in . Surely she will have to leave it clean and tidy when she moves out ? …. I’m sure when I filled in my forms for the sale of my house one of the questions was that it had to be left in a clean state . when my buyers dropped in to do a last viewing of our house it was spotless . I’m really having second thoughts but husband said don’t worry we can get a cleaner in to give it the once over before we move in but it’s the cost of renewing everything is bothering me . I’m 62 and really don’t want to be having to start again when I’m leaving a lovely house that’s been looked after. Can’t believe I didn’t notice it first time round . What do others think I should do ?

Have they already started packing and organising? We completed on Friday and it took us about 2 months to clear the attic, shed etc. Whilst working and caring for our toddler and I usually keep a very clean home, but even I couldn't keep up with all the cleaning during this phase.

Once everything was out of the house it looked lovely and clean again, but if my buyer had visited during that last stage they would have been shocked.
I wouldn't ask for money off at the last stage, if it's really just the cleaning thats the issue, we had this happen to us (they wanted money off last minute due to the war/interest rates) and the stress it caused everyone involved was horrible - had to have most paperwork redone and almost lost our new home due to the delay - thankfully all went through in the end.

If you're not so sure on the place anymore, that's okay, you need to make the right decision for you and I hope you move into your new home soon 🤞

You could try asking for more money off rather than pull out?

62 isn’t that old!!!

When my parents purchased their house (before I was born), they arrived on completion day and my mum broke down in tears. The place was absolutely filthy.
She’d left their old house spotless and she assumed everyone who sold a house would do the same. Unfortunately not everyone does.

Pay for a cleaner to blitz it before you move in. Cheaper than starting again with a new house.

It may be that as a single mum, she would not be able to move at all if the sale doesn't go through for a price that allows her to afford an onward move.

I wouldn't worry about the cleanliness. Staying in a hotel for a night and paying for a deep clean is expensive and inconvenient, but small fry in the context of a house move!

It isn't fair to ask for a price reduction unless

1. the survey has revealed things you couldn't have known at the time of offering
2. the condition of the house (not cleanliness, but actual repair) has deteriorated since offer.

It doesn't really matter how this situation came about OP, the thing is to decide what to do now. Arrange another viewing, take a clipboard and camera, make a lot of notes with photos if possible, and go home to think about whether you want to move in there given the state of the property. Dirt doesn't matter, you can get it cleaned. Look at what is broken or inadequate and decide how long you could live with it as is, what would be the cheapest fix and what you would do eventually. Get approximate costs. Don't go ahead with the purchase unless you really want to, it's too big a commitment.

I've only ever had one house that was clean and very tidy so I could move straight in without getting out the cleaning stuff and hoover etc. and that was because it was a house I knew well as I was buying it from friends.

The one I'm in now was grubby everywhere and the removal people had to leave all the kitchen equipment in the dining room in boxes as the kitchen was really dirty and I had to clean it before I could put my own stuff in. I think on the day of the move they just chucked everything into a van and buggered off.

The I opened the oven door to check inside ...😱😩

Im thr divorced buyer... the similarities are eerie.

Based on your update... I'd pull out.
The "bit of bad work" we found was tip of the iceberg.
I think because their marriage was on the rocks they let the builders do whatever they wanted and did zero snagging. The products fitted were expensive / high end but it was done in a diabolical bad way and has cost us A LOT to fix.

Our kitchen floor began to collapse they had drain pipes running 15m uphill etc....

My worry is that there’s always hidden stuff so if the obvious is a lot, the hidden could be worse

Third viewing.

This for a start suggests your heart isn't really in it. Third viewing are unusual and I'd be getting nervous as the seller. A measuring up close to exchange is slightly different. A third viewing is frankly bordering on rude, inconsiderate and disruptive of those living there.

If you needed a third viewing it probably isn't the house for you. Stop mucking the seller about with your indecision and work out what this is really about and what you really want.

It sounds like you don't really want to move. It sounds like if you have to move you want a newly renovated property. Act accordingly.

Unfortunate, but it's not the buyer's responsibility. They're buying a house; not running a charity.

Our house was so dirty when we bought it (from a divorcing couple both of whom had moved out years earlier and left the country, leaving the house to their student sons who then let rooms to friends) that the cleaning company that was recommended to us usually did crime scenes or places where a body hadn’t been found for some time. We still bought it because the location was great, and it had beautiful bones.

This…

when I opened her built in fridge freezer the freezer part was completely frozen up with ice , it’s only 3 years old as that’s when they built the extension and put the kitchen in.

Jesus.

One of your reasons for getting nervous is someone not having good settings on the freezer and failing to defrost the freezer when they've got kids and have just gone through a divorce?!

You sound like the flakey buyers from hell who don't have a clue.

Very weird to be so obsessed with the cleanliness which stands out over all the shoddy workmanship in your posts. Are you maybe very anxious? If the cleaning feels so daunting I think this is not the house for you and you are best moving into a pristine new build because all other houses you buy will need a massive deep clean.

the rest sounds a bit of a worry but not too overwhelming. Perhaps grounds to reduce by a few k.

It is normal to get cold feet when things become more real. It is just your nerves and you are looking for reasons for a way out. It is also true that whenever you move into any new place, you find things you want to fix - just the way of the world.

Vacating a sale at such a late stage is poor form, tbh, especially just because the house is dirty! That is easily fixed. You can try to get some money off for the poor fittings in kitchen etc but you will be seen as taking advantage of the seller at this late date because after all, you had two previous viewings and didn't say or see anything!

Remind yourself of why you liked the house, talk to your husband, and realise that you can fix anything you don't like.

Dodgy wall ties as in holding-the-house-together ties?
If that's what you mean, you are focusing on the wrong thing. A cleaner can fix the dirt. But if there are structural issues, it's time for a rethink.

I bought a house recently and when I got the keys, I cried. It was the enormity of the decision I'd made, I think, coupled with bad weather when all the viewings had been in bright sunlight.

I think that you're being a bit unfair to pull out over things that were always there, but you didn't clock them. The cleanliness is annoying, but surely not a dealbreaker. If I was selling you this house, I'd think you'd been planning all along to ask for money off at the end, when plans have been made and budgets settled.

I agree with this. This is your 3rd viewing and you've only just noticed all of these issues, which would have been apparent on the first 2 viewings (not including the cleaning issue, which is annoying but easily resolved). So you're going to be one of those CFs who drop their offer at the 11th hour, for reasons which were apparent on every viewing.

You say this third viewing was to have "a closer look" - that's what second viewings are for, not after you've offered, been accepted and had all the searches and surveys done. You say nothing much came up on the survey, so it's all cosmetic. Dropping your offer last minute for cosmetic issues isn't really on. If the roof was iffy or there was damp etc, that's when you drop your offer.

You need to get on with the purchase or pull out. Last minute drop in offer price is the classic move of an asshole.

Sadly you do get people that once they know they are selling do absolutely nothing.
Cleaning can be done. But not by you. Get a company in.
Bad fitting is something else. And would require a drop in price.
If the overall feel is that you are regretting making an offer on the house and no deposit paid you can cut your losses and just pull out. If you think you will be relieved if you did that this might be the right thing to do.
Is it in the right location ? What was it about the house you liked ?
The market is dead at the moment so very much a buyers one. Not a sellers.
I assume you are in a chain? If you pulled out you would need to find another quickly to ensure you don’t lose your buyers.
There is nothing to stop you still looking.

https://www.farrellheyworth.co.uk/blog/what-happens-if-the-seller-leaves-the-house-in-poor-condition/

Some advice here pre-exchange.

Unfortunately there is no legal requirement to leave it clean or in good repair.

My house wss filthy when I moved in. They had also left a ton of shit in the loft. In cupboards etc broken window handles and locks, refused to give in all the keys so before I could do anything inhad to have all the door locks replaced.

Honestly pull out now.

The cleanliness, and particularly the iced up freezer are of no consequence and can be easily sorted.

The damp proof course and the bifold doors are bigger issues. Get professionals to give you an estimate for remedial work. Then decide whether you want to revise your offer taking that into account, or pull out.

Think it through calmly and logically, not emotionally.

Sorry this is what second viewings are for (the detail and working out what to offer). This one’s on you. You can’t start quibbling at this late stage. If the house looks filthy they may be in the middle of sorting and packing and intending to deep clean just before they move out. Or not. Either way, you need to work out of you want the house, and resign yourself to cleaning and updating some things. Which is normal.