Buyers driving us nuts - how to calm their nerves?!

Ivana_Tinkle

Hi everyone. This is probably 50% rant, 50% advice-seeking!

Five weeks ago, we accepted an offer on our house. We'd already found a (chain-free) place we wanted to buy, and everything has been going fairly smoothly with the conveyancing. Our buyers are ready to exchange, and I reckon we're about a week or two away from being ready to exchange on our purchase (which is slightly more complicated).

The only source of stress is our buyers. They've already had a purchase fall through and are currently staying with friends, so understandably want to move ASAP. Problem is, they've got themselves completely wound up to the point of paranoia. They've convinced themselves, based on nothing at all, that we're deliberately stalling them. They even threatened to pull out of the purchase when we weren't ready to exchange after 3 weeks because they thought we were being unreasonably slow!

They're ringing our estate agent every day, not chasing anything in particular, just having a rant about how slow everyone is being. Apparently they've now convinced themselves that we're going to refuse to move until the school summer holidays. There is absolutely no reason for them to think this! Our kids aren't even in school!

It's beginning to really wind up everyone involved, and I'm concerned that, even when everything is resolved, they'll throw their toys out of the pram and demand an unfeasibly short time between exchange and completion, because they think we've been slow when in reality we could not possibly have done anything any faster!

Does anyone have any suggestions how to calm everything down? I wouldn't be willing to exchange on the sale without our purchase being ready. Can anyone think of anything else or do we just have to take a few deep breaths and hope this is only for another fortnight or so?! All advice gratefully received!

BitterAndTwisted

Why is your agent taking their calls? There's nothing for an agent to do once they've secured a buyer except to collect their fee on completion. Have the agent tell them to direct all their enquiries to their conveyancing solicitor and no-one else as no-one else can help them or explain what's going on.

Unfortunately for you, it's a buyer's market so you either need to bite the bullet or find yourselves another buyer who won't drive you nuts.

lincroft1710

Tell your agent to grow a pair and inform Mr and Mrs Impatient that house purchase is not a 5 minute job, their continual interruptions and stupid allegations are actually delaying the process, and they should bide their time.

Personally I'm such an awkward (your choice of word) that I'd be tempted to delay things by a day every time they phoned.

I also agree with BAT's comments

Ivana_Tinkle

Agent has already read them the riot act! When they threatened to pull out if we didn't complete by their deadline she told them she could sell our house three times over (v much a seller's market here) and to stop messing us about or they were going to lose the house! It worked for two days, then they started again!

I didn't think of telling the agent not to take their calls, though. That's a good idea as I can't help thinking the constant back-and-forth is actually winding the situation up more.

Ivana_Tinkle

Oh, and yes, it's beginning to making me contrary too. A month ago, I had loads of sympathy for their situation, and might have been willing to complete in a hurry once we finally get to exchange. Now, less so...

pinkteapot

All you can do is work on getting to exchange on your purchase as fast as possible. Don't be tempted to exchange on the sale (unless you're willing to rent if your purchase falls through) just to shut them up.

If you're confident you're 1-2 weeks from exchange then tell the EA to tell them that next time they call. However, only do this if it's certain or you'll wind them up more if it's delayed from there.

They're being unrealistic. I sold a place to a person paying cash (no chain or mortgage to take out) and I was moving into rented. Simplest scenario there is. Still took four weeks to exchange and I thought that was fast!

rachelonna

In the interest of keeping the peace - if your agent needs/want to talk to them, write an email to the agent, saying, this is the timelines we think we can achieve on both the new purchase + sale - add a close saying - pending issues in the survey etc, then send to the agent, and tell them if they wouldn't mind forwarding this to all by email - include all parties - their solicitors/yours/agents etc

then it will get everybody talking, on the same page, it's in writing, you've caveated it all with subject to survey/banks/etc. and maybe that will get them to back off?

BitterAndTwisted

I'd bet a fiver that they're first-time buyers with the jitters. If you can bear to lay eyes on them, why not invite them round to their prospective new home for a cup of tea and a chat? A chat about how vendors who are fully committed to a move to a new home on the very near horizon are not terribly likely to willfully hold things up. Except in certain circumstances where they might feel they are being threatened and bullied for no real purpose except to annoy and alienate those who might want exactly the same things as they do.

Ivana_Tinkle

Ooh no, I'm not grown-up enough to have a civilised chat with them!

GDB2222

Is there anything you can do to speed things up? Repos have to exchange in 28 days, so why is yours taking longer?

You obviously think that you have them by the short and curlies, but you really run the risk of getting a telephone call to say: "we have rented somewhere for 6 months, as we could not stay where we were any longer, so we can no longer continue with our purchase".

equus

"Agent has already read them the riot act!" That will have really helped the situation, the buyers are nervous so having an EA be heavy handed with them will ony have made things worse, sadly not surprising an EA would do this though. The buyers have already had one sale fall through, understand their point of view.