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Thread: House sale strange buyer

  1. #1
    Master
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    House sale strange buyer

    I am 2 weeks away from completing my mums house sale and now the buyer has started to act strangely she is a cash buyer and part of her offer 2 months ago-was that she would clear out anything left in the house and we have been getting demanding emails from her solicitor which she then phones me up and denies telling them the demands .

    last 2 things she now wants me to empty the house which she agreed to do and I’ve reluctantly agreed to do it with her paying half and yesterday had another solicitors email saying she won’t take the house unless it’s cleaned it’s going to be ripped apart for modernisation and she’s not moving in for 6 months anyway she is very keen to complete by the end of the month to save 4K in stamp duty yet she said the other day she doesn’t even have the 4K if it goes in to Oct .

    So my wife phoned her up last night and got very stroppy and the buyer denied wanting the house cleaned and my wife asked her if she was a serious buyer which she insisted she was the she started crying and my wife now says it all seems very wrong, I don’t want to lose the sale as it will cost me a lot of money and a massive inconvenience does it sound normal these days as I have never sold a house before

  2. #2
    Grand Master number2's Avatar
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    Walk away.
    "Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."

    'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.

  3. #3
    Grand Master JasonM's Avatar
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    I would communicate just through the solicitors, there’s a lot of pressure out there to complete by the end of the month, but that’s for her to push, not you.
    Cheers..
    Jase

  4. #4
    Grand Master RustyBin5's Avatar
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    Don’t deal with her. Let the two teams of solicitors sort the details out.

  5. #5
    Cash buyers are generally a pain in the backside
    Last edited by awright101; 10th September 2021 at 18:54.

  6. #6
    Sounds like a nightmare, last minute price reduction next?

  7. #7
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    It looks like it will go through by the end of the month and it was all going smoothly up until 2 weeks I just cant understand all the weird recent behaviour of the buyer if I pull out now I will have the solicitors bill + will have to start paying council tax on an unoccupied house and it will take a new sale into the autumn/winter and I will have to start paying for heating and reinsure it as that runs out in October

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Michael 38 View Post
    It looks like it will go through by the end of the month and it was all going smoothly up until 2 weeks I just cant understand all the weird recent behaviour of the buyer if I pull out now I will have the solicitors bill + will have to start paying council tax on an unoccupied house and it will take a new sale into the autumn/winter and I will have to start paying for heating and reinsure it as that runs out in October
    And she probably knows that…watch out for gazundering

  9. #9
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    Had a similar thing a couple of years ago when selling the last family home. 99% of comms with the buyer were through the solicitor, they made various requests including asking to come round on at least four occasions, at 8 o’clock at night, to measure up first for carpets, then for curtains/blinds, then kitchen etc.

    They had also requested a specific completion date so they could avoid paying an extra month’s rent and then about two days after that was agreed, an Ocado van pulls up in front of the house and the Ocado driver knocks on my door. Very odd, as we don’t shop with Ocado, but it turned out to be the buyer who wanted to discuss changing various agreed terms without involving the solicitors which I immediately rebuffed, and followed up with my solicitors by email to let them know what had happened.

    I’d talk to your solicitors to advise of what’s occurred and ask them to advise the buyer’s solicitors that you won’t make any further contact with the buyer directly.


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  10. #10
    Grand Master wileeeeeey's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RustyBin5 View Post
    Don’t deal with her. Let the two teams of solicitors sort the details out.
    This, and get the agent back in the conversation to deal with the donkey work. The risk is you'll fall out and one of you will abort the transaction.

    Ask for proof of funds if you haven't already. So many times a cash buyer isn't liquid "but will be cash once XYZ happens".

  11. #11
    Grand Master Chris_in_the_UK's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by wileeeeeey View Post
    This, and get the agent back in the conversation to deal with the donkey work. The risk is you'll fall out and one of you will abort the transaction.

    Ask for proof of funds if you haven't already. So many times a cash buyer isn't liquid "but will be cash once XYZ happens".
    This, 100%
    When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Michael 38 View Post
    It looks like it will go through by the end of the month and it was all going smoothly up until 2 weeks I just cant understand all the weird recent behaviour of the buyer if I pull out now I will have the solicitors bill + will have to start paying council tax on an unoccupied house and it will take a new sale into the autumn/winter and I will have to start paying for heating and reinsure it as that runs out in October
    Always used to have 12 months grace for council tax on an unoccupied property? Prices around here are still increasing - check the current value with your estate agent just in case as it might give you the confidence to rebuff them more vigorously. Says she don't have the stamp duty but is planning to gut the property...

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by wileeeeeey View Post
    This, and get the agent back in the conversation to deal with the donkey work. The risk is you'll fall out and one of you will abort the transaction.

    Ask for proof of funds if you haven't already. So many times a cash buyer isn't liquid "but will be cash once XYZ happens".
    The estate agents validated her finances

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Suds View Post
    Always used to have 12 months grace for council tax on an unoccupied property? Prices around here are still increasing - check the current value with your estate agent just in case as it might give you the confidence to rebuff them more vigorously. Says she don't have the stamp duty but is planning to gut the property...
    Yes I said it sounds odd the grace period for council tax has been reduced to 6 months the annoying thing is we turned an offer of 14k more down because she was a cash buyer and offered to clear the house

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by number2 View Post
    Walk away.
    This

    You may have some expenses as a result but a few months down the line have a decent buyer.

  16. #16
    Grand Master wileeeeeey's Avatar
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    Do not listen to the "walk away" advice. Threaten to walk if you want to, but don't actually walk. Speak to your agent.

    You won't find a buyer who can exchange and complete in two weeks. Your buyer won't find a house to exchange and complete on in two weeks.

    Worst case you lose two weeks and start again anyway.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by wileeeeeey View Post
    Do not listen to the "walk away" advice. Threaten to walk if you want to, but don't actually walk. Speak to your agent.

    You won't find a buyer who can exchange and complete in two weeks. Your buyer won't find a house to exchange and complete on in two weeks.

    Worst case you lose two weeks and start again anyway.
    The best advice on this thread by a long way.

    Buying and selling houses in England can be a fraught business, people can behave in very strange ways when involved in house deals. If the buyer turns out to be flaky there’s nothing you can do, in the meantime stick to your guns and keep your fingers crossed. You gain nothing by ‘walking away’, in hindsight you might’ve chosen the wrong buyer to go with but that’s done now. However, if the buyer tries to renegotiate a lower price I should tell her where to go!

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by walkerwek1958 View Post
    The best advice on this thread by a long way.

    Buying and selling houses in England can be a fraught business, people can behave in very strange ways when involved in house deals. If the buyer turns out to be flaky there’s nothing you can do, in the meantime stick to your guns and keep your fingers crossed. You gain nothing by ‘walking away’, in hindsight you might’ve chosen the wrong buyer to go with but that’s done now. However, if the buyer tries to renegotiate a lower price I should tell her where to go!
    Totally agree with Walkerweek above , if you bale you crystallise things with no buyer. Often the most eclectic odd buyers complete on time and in full. If they come back and try to chip your price then stand firm. Keep the dialogue going through your solicitor and agent. But as the old saying goes a bird in the hand………..

  19. #19
    Craftsman
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    The stamp duty saving is only £2500 if she completes before 30th September, where has £4000 figure come from ?

  20. #20
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    It could also be her solicitor being a complete rocket.
    I once bought a property where my solicitor took it upon himself to start demanding stupid things from the seller completely randomly… things like plant pots and such like… which I had no interest in and had never expressed one either.
    The same solicitor was also dealing with my sale, which had fallen through so we had to re-market. Again he took it upon himself to continue communications with the agent of the original offer despite it being clear it was dead.

    He then attempted to charge us for for all these letters and phone calls which he had taken a notion to spend time on over and above the original agreed fee…(how he thought I was going to accept that is beyond me).

    Not saying that’s what’s happened here, but sometimes solicitors do some bizarre things which their client may not be aware of.

  21. #21
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    Thanks for reply’s I’m not going to bail at this late stage no point she is still insisting that she wants to complete as soon as poss,she did seem to think her solicitor was coming out with things she wasn’t sanctioning and wasn’t happy with if she tries to reduce the price I will tell her were to go.

    I can’t understand her behaviour as she was delighted when she got my house as she had been outbid on 5 others so If was in her shoes I would be trying to antagonise the seller as little as possible she said she was paying a lot for it till my wife pointed out we had turned down an offer of 14k for hers

  22. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by gorrie View Post
    It could also be her solicitor being a complete rocket.
    I once bought a property where my solicitor took it upon himself to start demanding stupid things from the seller completely randomly… things like plant pots and such like… which I had no interest in and had never expressed one either.
    The same solicitor was also dealing with my sale, which had fallen through so we had to re-market. Again he took it upon himself to continue communications with the agent of the original offer despite it being clear it was dead.

    He then attempted to charge us for for all these letters and phone calls which he had taken a notion to spend time on over and above the original agreed fee…(how he thought I was going to accept that is beyond me).

    Not saying that’s what’s happened here, but sometimes solicitors do some bizarre things which their client may not be aware of.
    Yup, could just be the solicitor, I had all sorts of grief about the solar panels on the house we sold resulting in me offering to have them removed. The buyer had no idea this was going on and was livid as we’d discussed at some length before he made an offer.

  23. #23
    Craftsman
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    Solicitors in general do not go off on a tangent without instructions from client.

    The buyer is probably saying one thing to you and giving different instructions to solicitor. It’s easy to chance your arm at something and then blame solicitor and claim no knowledge of it.

  24. #24
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    Frustrating situation.

    In your shoes I'd simply stand firm to the terms agreed, other than the ones you've already agreed to change. It's too late in the day to be messing with minor things like cleaning, if she's going to throw the deal away over that then she wasn't serious and probably wouldn't have completed anyway.

    I fear a lower offer may be coming - personally I think it's essential you rebuke any reduction immediately and firmly, it's one of those situations where if you give an inch I suspect she'll want more.

    Out of interest, why was the cash buyer thing appealing to you over an extra £14k? I struggle to see the advantage to be honest, but that may be down to my inexperience. Chain free I can definitely see the advantage.

  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by M1011 View Post
    Frustrating situation.

    In your shoes I'd simply stand firm to the terms agreed, other than the ones you've already agreed to change. It's too late in the day to be messing with minor things like cleaning, if she's going to throw the deal away over that then she wasn't serious and probably wouldn't have completed anyway.

    I fear a lower offer may be coming - personally I think it's essential you rebuke any reduction immediately and firmly, it's one of those situations where if you give an inch I suspect she'll want more.

    Out of interest, why was the cash buyer thing appealing to you over an extra £14k? I struggle to see the advantage to be honest, but that may be down to my inexperience. Chain free I can definitely see the advantage.
    The higher offer involved a chain of 4 and the estate agents strongly hinted to take the cash offer

  26. #26
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    Buyers do weird things. Last house we sold 5 years ago was a bidding war between 2 parties so went well above asking. Fast forward to few days before exchange and buyer wanted £200 discount because of slight damp in one corner of one room , not visible only a damp meter showed it up. Threatened to pullout went on for a few days. We called her bluff, sale proceeded anyway.

  27. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by Michael 38 View Post
    The higher offer involved a chain of 4 and the estate agents strongly hinted to take the cash offer
    Oh dear, estate agents will go for the 'easier' option because they want their COMMISSION ASAP - call me jaundiced.... It's a rising market and forgive me but my understanding is that the stamp duty holiday was a bonus - stamp duty didn't stop anyone who was going to move anyway

  28. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by Suds View Post
    Oh dear, estate agents will go for the 'easier' option because they want their COMMISSION ASAP - call me jaundiced.... It's a rising market and forgive me but my understanding is that the stamp duty holiday was a bonus - stamp duty didn't stop anyone who was going to move anyway
    I know what you are saying but it was done for a fixed price fee

  29. #29
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    I’ve been in the position twice where a solicitor was pushing for matters to be cleared in my favour despite me making it clear that these were of no interest or legal concern to me. Sometimes they do take matters in to their own hands.

    When I bought my first house, I asked my solicitor to stress I wanted the house, loft and garage cleared of any possessions. This was ignored and post completion the solicitor advised me to get a skip as that would be cheaper than getting them to follow this up :)

  30. #30
    Grand Master oldoakknives's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Captaincook View Post
    I’ve been in the position twice where a solicitor was pushing for matters to be cleared in my favour despite me making it clear that these were of no interest or legal concern to me. Sometimes they do take matters in to their own hands.

    When I bought my first house, I asked my solicitor to stress I wanted the house, loft and garage cleared of any possessions. This was ignored and post completion the solicitor advised me to get a skip as that would be cheaper than getting them to follow this up :)
    This, on more than one occasion I’ve had to tell solicitors to get on with it as I’m instructing them not vice versa.
    I’ve also been mucked around by buyers who waste your time then back out. And on two occasions I’ve told buyers I’m not selling to them and put it back on the market when they started.
    Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.

  31. #31
    I have bought and sold a fair number of houses. Sounds to me like a solicitor going off script. Just proceed on the assumption you'll be completing in 2 weeks on the terms originally agreed and 99% sure that's what will happen. Sometimes just ignoring daft requests makes them disappear when deadlines loom.

  32. #32
    Grand Master RustyBin5's Avatar
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    Have to repeat though. She shouldn’t be asking you anything. Her solicitor should ask your solicitor. Last 3 houses I sold I never once spoke to the buyers and they requested all sorts but I fear through solicitor only. Best way for an uncomplicated easy life.

  33. #33
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    Quote Originally Posted by Michael 38 View Post
    I know what you are saying but it was done for a fixed price fee
    Even more reason why they have no interest in getting you the highest price, just the quickest sale.


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  34. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by stuie-t View Post
    Even more reason why they have no interest in getting you the highest price, just the quickest sale.


    Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
    It is but if the buyer turns out to be a waste of time they don’t get anything

  35. #35
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    Sounds a very odd situation. This is why I always insist on solicitor to solicitor comms only versus having than the ball ache of having any kind of relationship with the buyer or seller directly (let’s face it you’re never going to see them again anyway - why do you need to be nice).

    Also, it’s not what you agree with the buyer in any direct comms directly that’s contractually binding you - it’s what’s in the sale and purchase contract - so be careful to stick to that, even if her solicitor is going off piste. Your solicitor simply needs to get theirs back on track and close down these silly enquiries ASAP.

    In contrast, my parents love dong all their negotiations and comms with the buyer/seller, they believe it cuts through any BS. However that just means they get the BS, lies and unnatural demands directly. After 21 house moves they insist direct comms are the best method…cue my 78 year old Dad ending up helping to fix the electric gates and swimming pools of two houses they no longer even owned.

  36. #36
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    We have now had a request from her to bring a builder round on Monday to look at putting in a downstairs toilet my Mrs recons she can afford the house but not the renovation that's why she's bringing the builder and will want a reduction in the sale price or pull out altogether

  37. #37
    Quote Originally Posted by Michael 38 View Post
    We have now had a request from her to bring a builder round on Monday to look at putting in a downstairs toilet my Mrs recons she can afford the house but not the renovation that's why she's bringing the builder and will want a reduction in the sale price or pull out altogether
    Well she’s already had a ‘discount’ of £14k tell her 🤣

  38. #38
    Grand Master Dave+63's Avatar
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    House sale strange buyer

    Quote Originally Posted by Michael 38 View Post
    We have now had a request from her to bring a builder round on Monday to look at putting in a downstairs toilet my Mrs recons she can afford the house but not the renovation that's why she's bringing the builder and will want a reduction in the sale price or pull out altogether
    Just say no; she’s plenty of time to get quotes once she’s bought the house.

    Edit: or at least not until after you’ve exchanged contracts.
    Last edited by Dave+63; 11th September 2021 at 17:12.

  39. #39
    Grand Master wileeeeeey's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Michael 38 View Post
    We have now had a request from her to bring a builder round on Monday to look at putting in a downstairs toilet my Mrs recons she can afford the house but not the renovation that's why she's bringing the builder and will want a reduction in the sale price or pull out altogether
    "You can bring around anyone for any reason once you've exchange contracts, but not before."

    This is what I did and worked out well for me when our buyers kept wanting to meet us after a protracted sale.

  40. #40
    Grand Master wileeeeeey's Avatar
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    Would be interesting to ask the agent what happened to the £14k higher offer who was in a chain. Have they found etc?

    Would be wise to have someone lined up just in case. Maybe give them a 3rd viewing and see if they want to weigh it up again the place they're presumably buying now.

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