Can you tell estate agent to take house of market?

KareenaMukherjee

As i've written in a few posts now, we have had an offer accepted on a house that we are intending to buy in the Midlands here, for just over 300k. However, what looked like a rosey straight forward deal has turned a little sour. The owners can't find somewhere else to live, and have informed us if they can't find anywhere then they can't move out. Really left us a bit concerned, because initially they and the estate agent reassured us they were ready to sell and serious. Such a shame, because we had an alternative property lined up back then, which was just as nice, but we seemed to have picked the wrong option.

We've paid for a survery on the property, so i'd lose that if the deal went pear through. But reviewing my solicitors charges, they're astronomical. Although he is a good efficient solicitor who we have used before. I don't want him to start any work until they give me something concrete they are willing to move out.

What are my options?

Is it fair game to ask to the estate agent to take the property of the market, once the solicitors work begin?

Any words of widsom would be welcome.

DVardysShadow

Your problem is not solved by getting the property off the market - it requires the sellers to move. Unless you have tanks to put on their lawn, you are probably better served by letting the survey fee go and looking for another property. Explain to theagent what you are doing and leave the offer on the table until you get past the survey on another house.

jackomdj

we are in a similar situation, except having been here before 10 years ago we have not done anything except inform people until they find somewhere. As soon as they do then our solicitors are ready & the mortgage will get sent off to their head office for final approval.

We have started to look at right move again and we will probably leave it a few more weeks until we start to look properly, as if we did not have the house we are hoping to buy.

I keep talking to the estate agent who in turn has been phoning the people we are hopefully buying from.

It has been almost 2 months since our offer was accepted & we just want to get on with things. Having said that they were open with us that they would not move until they find something. We are lucky as we do not have a chain behind us trying to push it through.

G_M

Tell your solicitor to run up no further fees/costs till you tell him.

Start looking for somewhere else.

Don't tell the EA or seller, just wait and se what happens next: they fine a place, or you find a new place, or they ask you why there's no conveyancing progress (unlikely if they're not ready to move) and at that point you decide what to say.

hazyjo

We lost a house we were buying as the top of the chain collapsed. We ended up losing the house as they started umming and ahhing about whether to sell, and they couldn't find anything anyway, and we were getting a bit messed around. It was a huge pain and we will have lost money - we've not paid anything yet though and it'll just be incorporated with the purchase we're now making. We also lost our buyer because of it, so lost out there too and had to find another one.

Unfortunately these things happen

Jx