Throw in the microwave?

theartfullodger

Is buyer male?? If so it sounds like he has a small ***ly and needs to feel "powerful" by making daft demands... Alternatively he's a control freak and just wants to see how far he can pusah people. Not nice, not fair: probably not much of a private life either.

(Of course he'll be reading this board.. so he'll know what we all think... ;-) )

The OP sounds a much nice person....

Cheers!


Artful

hamblettamaud

do you know what, i disagree with everyone (apart from theartfullodge). i would tell the buyer no. either he want to buy or he doesn't, & if he does then he won't be put off by a 5-year old microwave not being thrown in. i would call his bluff. i don't like being played for a giddy kipper.

kunekune

It's hard to be strong in that situation, QTpie. You're doing really well. We're rooting for you (many of us started our families the same way, as it were).

QTPie

Thank you everyone - for your support, your advice, your understanding and for a few laughs (Artful and Strapped in particular ).

With me, personally, things are getting better day by day. I am a tough little cookie and time and peace and quiet are a great healer (so I will make sure that I get lots of both). Also have the most wonderful husband and we are working through this together - which is a huge help.

So, update...

On discussing it with husband and him with the solicitor (we decided that husband should take over any negotiations - to keep me away from any "irritants" ). The conclusion we all came to was "let him have it" (the microwave that is ), but for the price of an extra week until completion. We now have a completion date of the 15th April (which may be moved forward on mutual agreement, if we wish).

We exchanged contracts this lunch time :j

The house sale is straightforward: he is a cash buyer and made a reasonable offer. We accepted £420k on an asking price of £449k. House was originally put on the market at £459k at the beginning of November, we had an offer of £420k in early December, they gazundered to £380k in mid-January (which we refejected and the sale fell through), reduced to £449k at the beginning of Feb, accepted £420k on 13th Feb. So took 5 weeks to exchange. I believe it was reasonably priced and the cash investment buyer who bought it must have too.

He is actually quite a famous architect (or at least his main client is VERY famous :eek: ). Shame on him for arguing over a microwave. :rolleyes:

Anyway, the solicitor has passed our details on to the buyer's solicitors and we are waiting for the buyer to get in touch. We now have 4 weeks until completion, so need to get on - very quickly - to either agree staying here OR find somewhere else (I have viewed quite a lot on the rental market, though, so know what is out there).

Whatever happens, we will start with a 6 month AST and go from there. Will get the tenancy agreement checked by the solicitor first - to ensure that we don't get caught out by anything.

We prefer to stay in something a similar size to this (4 bedrooms). We had considered smaller, but the uncertainty of how long we will rent and the possibility of starting a family would not really support that. Plus parking is a big issue in this city: 98% of flats don't have parking for one car, let alone two.

Ideally we would like to buy again in 6 months, but who knows: there is not a lot out there that we are interested in at the moment and much of that is still "optimistically" priced (like priced above what very similar properties were sold at the peak of the market).

Will keep you updated about what happens with the rental negotiations.

Thanks again.
QT

Icey77

AlwaysWorking wrote: »

I worked in residential sales very briefly around 10 years ago and had a buyer make an offer on a house and then, just before exchange of contracts, ring to say that his offer included the vendor's antique bedroom furniture (which wasn't in any way 'built in'). The vendor thought I was joking when I phoned to let her know! She (quite rightly) refused and the sale went through. Some people, huh?!

I had something similar when I sold my first flat, the buyer was a first time buyer and after making an offer which I accepted he came back and wanted to know if I would throw in my fridge, my freezer, my washing machine and my sofabed on the basis that he was a first time buyer and needed all that stuff!

I laughed my back side off and said no chance as I needed all those things in the property I was buying!

Some people really will try their luck. In the end this buyer pulled out and the buyer that did end up buying the flat paid the full asking price

OP - I hope you get things sorted, I can sympathise for the situation but try to keep in mind it's only a 5 yr old microwave.

Ps - How funny would it be if 3 weeks after the sale completed and you had your tenancy that you called up the buyer/new landlord and told him the microwave had broken and he needed to replace it ... Pronto! :rotfl:

ib0211

Sorry for your loss.

Just wanted to say that this sounds like a power trip thing to be honest. Some people feel that anything and everything they do - especially when a deal's involved - has to be on their terms.

It's only a microwave, 5 years old, and £150 will be a small proportion of the overall purchase cost. However it makes him feel like the deal is on his terms after you pushed back the completion date (in his eyes, meaning the deal was on your terms again).

Just flexing muscles and showing off his ego to himself.

GDB2222

I thought it was something much more sinister. I thought the buyer was testing the sellers' resolve. If they had given in too quickly on the microwave, I thought he was going to mark them down as being ripe for a gazunder. as it is, I think things have gone very smoothly.

In any case, it might be worth checking the sales particulars from the agent. They may have mentioned the microwave, for some reason, or perhaps it is built in?

pawpurrs

If you do end up renting from him, make sure the Microwave blows up, and of course you need it replacing!

QTPie

We are now directly in contact with the buyer. Will post a seperate thread (so it doesn't get buried in this).

QT