You gotta be flippin' kidding me?!?

guyb99

We are all set to exchange on our house - £160k sale, owe £166K but have taken a bridging loan to cover it - want to exchange on Friday and complete on Friday Nov 21st (we are moving to the states).

The buyer has come back today via our solictor and estate agent and request we complete on Friday Oct 31st (Friday!) or the deals off :mad: (apparently, if she doesn't leave by Friday she's due to pay a mortgage payment on her old property for £800)

After frantic negotiation on the part of the estate agent, they will generously let us stay in the house until Sunday Nov 2 - still leaving us four days to find somewhere and move with all our furniture and our 1 yr old boy. The buyer is a woman divorcing her husband so is only one of her.

I think I'm being quite reasonable and have suggested that she go to a hotel/guest house/stay with a mate for 3 weeks but no joy.

Thing is - I've given my notice at work (Dec 19th) and if we go back onto the market it's almost too much of a gamble, given the loan payments have kicked in already.

What to do? My more hawkish wife is fed up of being pushed around and wants to tell her to do one. I am more conciliatory by nature and want to help out but 4 days notice to move, just for 3 weeks, is stretching it a lot - especially as we accepted an offer £12k under our asking price initially (back in June).

What would you do? Suck it up, pack our cases and look back and laugh in a year; or go back to the sparse roulette table of the market?

pawpurrs

Although she is being unreasonable, surely it makes no diffence mortgage payment on old or new house.

For goodness sake do not cut off your nose to spite your face, do you know how difficult it is to find a buyer at the moment, you could be waiting another year to find one, and at a substantially lower amount than agreed back in the summer.

I would just agree to it, if she really wont budge, your imigrating anyway, go and stay with family or whatever, but dont let this make you lose your buyer, and thank the heavens thats all it is and she hasnt Gazundered and knocked off another 20k due to house price falls.

Just get the blinkin thing exchanged!

lincroft1710

To cut through all the hassle, could you not reduce price of your property by £800 so her mortgage is paid or £400 to meet her halfway. Or you could stand your ground, because if she drops out of sale she still has to find £800 for mortgage.

Notlob

I suspect she is trying it on. If you’re rational about it, you have to ask yourself would she really withdraw at this late stage for the reason given, highly unlikely. The caveat though is there's nowt so queer as folk.

Just a thought, but won't you be saving on a mortgage payment if you complete earlier?

Notlob

silvercar

Something isn't right. If she is completing on 31 October and getting a mortgage, then she has to have vacant possession on that day. I can't see her solicitor allowing you to remain in the property. As completion on a sunday is not possible, someone is saying anything to get the deal through.

Personally I would offer to pay the £800 mortgage payment as long as she exchanges this friday.

Conrad

Unreasonable, people with lack of empathy for others are deranged, so there's no telling what she will do.
Maybe go along with her little game but then dont go out of your way to help. You might accidentally bin all those important manuals, and forget to tell her how the location of the water mains. Take every lightbulb, fuse, door knob, curtain rail and so on - she wont come to America to find you thats for sure. Even if you stayed in the UK its highly unlikely she would ever go to court as any lawyer would advise there is lack of evidence and so on (people I bought from took things that were part of the slae but 2 lawyers said it wasn't worth persuing)

Mr_Friendly

I think silvercar has the right idea. I'd also buy a stash of woodworm, lice and shelled prawns and lay them under the floorboards as you exit the house when you move.
Should be a nice surprise for the new and obviously unhelpful buyer when you go.

Obviously I am kidding of course

deano72_2

i agree with pawpurrs,,just get the thing sold,alots changed since june so u could find if u do find another buyer u gona get 1,lot less interest 2,lot lower offer....

bootalishus

I agree with the others - as much as you want to tell her to shove it - bite your tongue, swallow your pride and do whatever she wants to exchange and complete - a few weeks of hassel is nothing compared to what you will go through if you put it back on the market it might be months before you sell again and at a much lower price. You will endure much more stress then the next few weeks of inconvienience.

GDB2222

It sounds like you're only being gazundered for £800, which is a pretty good result in this market. Even so, I would start off by negotiating the £800, ie offer half initially.

Gangstabird

I would pack everything up put it in storage and go for it. Maybe she is putting pressure on because she is about to be made redundant and her mortgage offer will not stand or something like that.

Good luck.