SO Frustrated

Wannabesaver_4

We have sold our house to a FTB and were due to complete this Friday - with this in mind (at her request on dates) we have rented a flat - found one we like and put deposit and first 2 weeks rent down (long story). Last week as we were due to exchange we hear she has had big payment for something and cant exchange until April. We have asked her to commit to completing by mid April which she has agreed to BUT she also wants an abestos survey on the artex done on the flat which was converted in 2000 and asbestos has been banned since 1997. Anyway it has been a week and no sign of Asbetos survey date. Now the agent is telling us she is getting stressed with him keep ringing, we are getting stressed because of the money we have lost and the fact were nearly completely packed and ready to go! Not sure i believe the agents version of things and just feel like pulling out of the whole thing.

So stressed nearly in tears constantly!!!! PLease any advice would be great.

Wannabesaver_4

Bump please cheer me up

silvercar

get your solicitor to chase her solicitor and find out whats really going on. In my experience solicitors are less likely to lie to each other than others.

You could threaten to remarket the property if she doesn't exchange by a certain date. The asbestos thing sounds like a delay tactic and the exchanging delay also - she could exchange now and complete after "the big payment" if she wanted to.

Take control of the situation. do you want to remarket? do you want to stay in your current home if this falls through?

N79

Getting an asbestos survey would be a waste of money so sounds like a delaying tactic. Set a deadline to exchange (although you talk of completing, I am assuming that you have not yet exchanged contracts) of 1 week, with a completion date of late April. If they can not or will not meet this without providing a detailed reason, put the property back on the market. You can still sell to her if she gets her act together.

N79

nollag2006

She’s definitely wasting your time, with this spurious asbestos issue.

Tell her that you plan to remarket it on Saturday, if she hasn’t exchanged by Friday. That way, you can at least try to get some weekend viewings in.

If you leave it much longer to pull out, the Spring market will start to quieten.

Tiger_greeneyes

I doubt a FTB would be happy about the prospect of losing all the money they've ploughed into the purchase so far, so I would take the advice given above.

You could also gauge the situation by testing whether or not she's holding things up because she's genuinely got fears about the artex... if you want to, you could call the agents and suggest that if she's worried about the artex, you're prepared to reduce the purchase price by £500 so she can put it towards having it professionally removed. You could even put a condition on your offer that you exchange within a week. That should give you an idea of what your next move should be - either exchange or remarket.

nollag2006

Or you could offer her an indemnity against it, if she pushes it.

Your solr could set this up within minutes, and should cost you a couple of hundred quid

Wannabesaver_4

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH for your advice it makes me feel better to know you think we are doing the right thing

Tiger - i think offering the money is a good idea but will see how tommorow goes (she is supposed to be talking to the abestos people) and hold that one up my sleeve.

We have put the house back on the market much to the agents displeasure. Apparently the FTB is very stressed that the agent keeps calling but i feel we have been lienient enough with time as its costing us money!

I really hope she wont want to lose her money and hurrys up beacuse the whole situation is making me sick, not to mention this week that i have found out my Dad is terminally ill. Could cry but will try not to.. just want one thing settled at least - and she thinks she is stressed. :rolleyes:

I woudl really appreciate any more opinions on the situation, if only to make me feel like i have done the right thing!

nollag2006

In the grand scale of things, moving into rented accommodation, and reselling is just a minor issue, compared to the health of a loved one.

Perhaps, for your own peace of mind, given the emotional strain you are no doubt under, you should consider moving into rented for a longer period, having covered the sale of your own place, notwithstanding my earlier comments about being out of the market. It sounds like you have bigger issues to focus on, at this time.

Wannabesaver wrote: »

We have put the house back on the market much to the agents displeasure. Apparently the FTB is very stressed that the agent keeps calling but i feel we have been lenient enough with time as its costing us money!

Good, you’re doing the right thing to protect yourself

Wannabesaver wrote: »

I really hope she wont want to lose her money and hurrys up because the whole situation is making me sick, not to mention this week that i have found out my Dad is terminally ill.

While its entirely laudable that you should be anxious for the would be purchaser’s financial position, the ball is firmly in her court, and she needs to extract the digit from her derriere in order to secure the sale. Her financial position should be the least of your worries.

You have a number of choices as I see it:

1) Tell the purchaser to exchange by Friday, offering either an indemnity for asbestos removal or a price reduction if you feel it will help. If she does not meet this deadline, then you need to withdraw papers from her, or you will have lost all credibility. Then try to sell to someone else
2) Take your house off the market immediately, notwithstanding any time delaying tactics by the purchaser, until your personal family issues have settled somewhat, and start the moving process later. This would mean paying both rent and a mortgage
3) See if you can get out of your rental contact and stay in your current home until things settle. I’d imagine a scrupulous landlord would be amenable to cancel a contract in the instance of grave illness of a family member

Best of luck with what you decide.