Buying a house - Am I being unreasonable
Discussion
Looking for some advice here as I am not sure if it is myself being hot headed.
House purchase got agreed on the 19th August, great house and a reasonable price for the area.
After a bit of bartering we agreed to pay the higher offer (sellers offer) on the understanding she would move out ASAP as she wanted to get a bungalow but would stay with her daughter locally whilst sorting he self out. Great we thought, from past experience I have done it in 4 weeks as there was no chain on either side.
Our mortgage was completely sorted within week one and solicitor up to date.. The waiting then started for them to play catch up, there was an excuse week after week. We received the contract start of October which is longer than we wanted but we let it slip.
Up on reading through them we noticed none of the re-wiring work was mentioned and we raised a concern asking for the certificate (which she had but never included). Thinking this would take a couple of days to drop off at her solicitor we didnt expect much delay. After a week of waiting I called up to play war only to find out she has gone on holiday for just over two weeks and not told anyone, so the letter is literally sat on her door step until her return last week.
We rang immediately and complained saying we want a completion in two weeks, no ifs or buts.
NOW fast forward a week, our solicitor has called her numerous times (three times today) and its either no answer or we will call you back.
I am planning on waiting until 15:30 and if I dont have a response threatening to pull out of the deal or complete one week today.
We have missed the Xmas deliveries on the shops we want so wont even have a wardrobe or settee delivered in time and I am generally just pissed off and at the point where I have lost all love for it.
What are your views on it, are we being too harsh? Is one week from now unreasonable (even though they should have been told earlier in the week)?
Thanks
House purchase got agreed on the 19th August, great house and a reasonable price for the area.
After a bit of bartering we agreed to pay the higher offer (sellers offer) on the understanding she would move out ASAP as she wanted to get a bungalow but would stay with her daughter locally whilst sorting he self out. Great we thought, from past experience I have done it in 4 weeks as there was no chain on either side.
Our mortgage was completely sorted within week one and solicitor up to date.. The waiting then started for them to play catch up, there was an excuse week after week. We received the contract start of October which is longer than we wanted but we let it slip.
Up on reading through them we noticed none of the re-wiring work was mentioned and we raised a concern asking for the certificate (which she had but never included). Thinking this would take a couple of days to drop off at her solicitor we didnt expect much delay. After a week of waiting I called up to play war only to find out she has gone on holiday for just over two weeks and not told anyone, so the letter is literally sat on her door step until her return last week.
We rang immediately and complained saying we want a completion in two weeks, no ifs or buts.
NOW fast forward a week, our solicitor has called her numerous times (three times today) and its either no answer or we will call you back.
I am planning on waiting until 15:30 and if I dont have a response threatening to pull out of the deal or complete one week today.
We have missed the Xmas deliveries on the shops we want so wont even have a wardrobe or settee delivered in time and I am generally just pissed off and at the point where I have lost all love for it.
What are your views on it, are we being too harsh? Is one week from now unreasonable (even though they should have been told earlier in the week)?
Thanks
Update - Our solicitor called again and has been told the person handling the case is busy and will hopefully call back today.
I have since called the estate agent and threatened to pull out Monday AM.
There is a house exactly the same just came on the market, except it has an small extension on the rear, bigger plot and nicer gardens.
Price wise its similar so if this falls through we at least have an alternative..
I have since called the estate agent and threatened to pull out Monday AM.
There is a house exactly the same just came on the market, except it has an small extension on the rear, bigger plot and nicer gardens.
Price wise its similar so if this falls through we at least have an alternative..
Had similar a couple of times before I sold up almost completely. Often the seller is dealing with or hoping on other offers that will be marginally better and just being greedy
I've always taken the same tack as you but with less time generosity and stood by my ultimatum ... that's fundamental if you threaten to pull out and they still take the piss you need to follow through on it else it shows your weakness
Are you actually prepared to draw a line under it, suck up what it's cost so far and move on??
I've always taken the same tack as you but with less time generosity and stood by my ultimatum ... that's fundamental if you threaten to pull out and they still take the piss you need to follow through on it else it shows your weakness
Are you actually prepared to draw a line under it, suck up what it's cost so far and move on??
Yes I am prepared to pull out. Its a great house but they come up often and its not the bargain of a life time.
As mentioned above one literally round the corner has popped up and we can get it at a similar price, that house is vacant with no chain so that should be straight forward.
The reason I am frustrated is we paid more on the understanding we would be in ASAP, were now in the predicament where no furniture is going to be delivered in time for when we actually want to move in!
As mentioned above one literally round the corner has popped up and we can get it at a similar price, that house is vacant with no chain so that should be straight forward.
The reason I am frustrated is we paid more on the understanding we would be in ASAP, were now in the predicament where no furniture is going to be delivered in time for when we actually want to move in!
EN2016 said:
Yes I am prepared to pull out. Its a great house but they come up often and its not the bargain of a life time.
As mentioned above one literally round the corner has popped up and we can get it at a similar price, that house is vacant with no chain so that should be straight forward.
The reason I am frustrated is we paid more on the understanding we would be in ASAP, were now in the predicament where no furniture is going to be delivered in time for when we actually want to move in!
You've answered your own post I think !As mentioned above one literally round the corner has popped up and we can get it at a similar price, that house is vacant with no chain so that should be straight forward.
The reason I am frustrated is we paid more on the understanding we would be in ASAP, were now in the predicament where no furniture is going to be delivered in time for when we actually want to move in!
Good luck
Yup, hardball it, especially as you have a plan B with (seemingly) no great financial loss.
We had similar moving in to our last place. I felt sorry for the vendor in a way, as it was an enforced sale because the taxman was going to otherwise bankrupt them. We paid asking price at a time when places were going for below that, specifically for a quick completion, and because it was a house in a specific road we wanted to live in, rarely up for sale.
It worked, but on move day we were sat outside in our removal van, waiting for this guy to load the last few things he owned into a beat up old truck.
"Complete by XX/XX/XXXX or it's off" does tend to focus the mind.
We had similar moving in to our last place. I felt sorry for the vendor in a way, as it was an enforced sale because the taxman was going to otherwise bankrupt them. We paid asking price at a time when places were going for below that, specifically for a quick completion, and because it was a house in a specific road we wanted to live in, rarely up for sale.
It worked, but on move day we were sat outside in our removal van, waiting for this guy to load the last few things he owned into a beat up old truck.
"Complete by XX/XX/XXXX or it's off" does tend to focus the mind.
In my limited experience of this it always seems to take way longer than you'd hope. When the wife and I bought our house we thought that would be quick, she'd already sold hers and the house we were buying was vacant, the owners had moved to Spain. Still took ages, the sellers were rubbish at responding to anything and the distance was always used as an excuse. You'd think in this day and age of email, mobile phones, instant messaging etc. it could all be done in days. Get solicitors involved and they find new ways to string it out even further despite being on fixed fees.
Bide your time, try and chivvy them along a bit for sure but is it worth losing the £1k+ that you've probably spent so far with the solicitors, survey, etc.
As for the Xmas delivery on your furniture, try shopping somewhere other than DFS. Most places have quicker turnarounds than that
Bide your time, try and chivvy them along a bit for sure but is it worth losing the £1k+ that you've probably spent so far with the solicitors, survey, etc.
As for the Xmas delivery on your furniture, try shopping somewhere other than DFS. Most places have quicker turnarounds than that
Thanks again everyone. I thought it was me being hot headed, I will see how things play out today as the estate agent is apparently calling me back.
No major financial loss if we do pull out, thats the last of my worries.
Also I do understand these things take time, I have been there before but when either side has no chain and we are at week 11 with no update again there has to be a line? Swanning off on holiday for 2-3 weeks without letting us know was also a joke and a hold up.
No major financial loss if we do pull out, thats the last of my worries.
Also I do understand these things take time, I have been there before but when either side has no chain and we are at week 11 with no update again there has to be a line? Swanning off on holiday for 2-3 weeks without letting us know was also a joke and a hold up.
EN2016 said:
.......and at the point where I have lost all love for it.
There is your answer, if that is genuinely what you are thinking now you will never bond with this house and will always be looking at the other, larger house on a 'what if' basis.Pull out of the sale now if this is your thinking!
If you are just getting (understandably) frustrated, take a breath and just accept that people don't always play ball on a house sale, get an electrical survey done to overcome the electrical certificate issue and agree to discount the cost of the survey and any finding off the house price unless they issue the 'lost' certificate. Go back with a deadline date and push for an agreement to knock-off the 'vacant possession' extra cost you were prepared to pay if they delay beyond that date.
KrazyIvan said:
Go and see the other house,if you like it better, put an offer in, if they except, pull out of the other one and live happily ever after.
We did this with our current house, marketed as 'no onward chain' by the agents (the owners were in fact waiting for a house that was subject to a probate sale, but had indicated they would rent in the interim) and made a reasonable (but by no means generous) offer on the understanding that we'd want to move in asap as my wife was pregnant.After a month of excuses and inaction, I went into the agents, told them the owners had a week to complete or we pull out and by the way "could you arrange an appointment to view the one in the same village at a similar price".
Went to the viewing and made a lot of positive noises.
Owners moved out promptly and we got the house we wanted, but we were quite prepared to pull out and the agents knew it. Subsequently found out they were hoping for more (agents had reduced below what they wanted and we came in below that) and were delaying as much as possible.
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