Help Me Sell My Elderly Parents House

the_greed

Well my dad accepted a written offer today, subject to sarvey. Can anybody tell me what this involves in Scotland as now he is worried they might tell him his house is falling down. It has stood for eighty years without any major problems and I reckon it will stand for another eighty years plus. What is involved in Scotland?

mchu6am4

Someone with knowledge of the Scottish system will hopefully be able to help. In the meantime, tell your dad to 'chill-out' a little bit - life's too short to worry about such things! :j

Tiger_greeneyes

All this means is that if there is a major problem with the structure, the purchasers can withdraw from the purchase if they feel it's going to be a problem. It's the only way they can withdraw from the purchase now though, the offer has been accepted.

They're obviously very serious about buying your parents home and I really don't think there's much that's going to put them off

I would expect an entry date (completion) to be around 6 - 8 weeks!

the_greed

My parents house is in east central Scotland and is about 80 years old, it's just my dad suffers from high blood pressure and is getting himself in such a state. When the estate agent first came to value the house, he said we should put it on the market at offers over £89500, my dad got the offer of £110000 and grabbed it with both hands.
The couple were obviously very keen and have already sold their flat, it's just that my dad is thinking that a surveyor's report will value the property at £89500 like the estate agent did. He thinks that he is going to be told that his house needs major repairs, which personally I do not. He, is at the moment having a large whisky because I don't think he can handle all this stress and quite frankly, neither can I. It was me that put the idea in his head to move to a cottage beside me as the house and garden were too big for them, and won't forgive myself if anything tragic happens because of this. My dad is a worrier and I just want to put his mind at rest. Thanks to everybody for their help and advice.

Tiger_greeneyes

Personally, I think you can put your dad's mind at ease. Explain the way the house prices are at the moment and that his house is in good condition - it will just be a formality as 99% of surveys are.

Just a thought, could you deal direct with the solicitors on behalf of your parents? It might even be worth setting up a power of attorney. That way if there is anything the solicitor wants to discuss then your parents will be oblivious - I know it sounds a bit 'off' for me to suggest it - but I'd have done it for my Dad and I'd do it for my Mum if necessary. It's being kind and practical at the end of the day.

Also, could your parents have a break and stay at your house for a while, or could they go out for the day when the surveyor is due and let a neighbour hold keys?

You could also tell them that you know of someone (me!) who sold a house in Scotland recently and it went very smoothly Once I'd accepted the written offer, the the only other thing I had to do was sign some documents - and that was it. It all went like clockwork with no hiccups at all.

Scotland is so much easier than England when it comes to conveyancing

Doozergirl

My husband deals with solicitors for his parents as, (and I mean this respectfully) when they older and retire, because they have less to do, the little things in life become much bigger... and a bigger thing like the process of buying and selling houses become almost unbearable.

They go to the solcitors to sign papers etc but form filling and fire fighting, my husband will do. (what do I mean husband? It's me that actually does it! :rolleyes:)

If you can try and fend off the smaller problems and keep things ticking along, they might be happier.

the_greed

Tiger_greeneyes wrote: »

Personally, I think you can put your dad's mind at ease. Explain the way the house prices are at the moment and that his house is in good condition - it will just be a formality as 99% of surveys are.

Just a thought, could you deal direct with the solicitors on behalf of your parents? It might even be worth setting up a power of attorney. That way if there is anything the solicitor wants to discuss then your parents will be oblivious - I know it sounds a bit 'off' for me to suggest it - but I'd have done it for my Dad and I'd do it for my Mum if necessary. It's being kind and practical at the end of the day.

Also, could your parents have a break and stay at your house for a while, or could they go out for the day when the surveyor is due and let a neighbour hold keys?

You could also tell them that you know of someone (me!) who sold a house in Scotland recently and it went very smoothly Once I'd accepted the written offer, the the only other thing I had to do was sign some documents - and that was it. It all went like clockwork with no hiccups at all.

Scotland is so much easier than England when it comes to conveyancing

I have been dealing with the solicitors on my mum and dad's behalf, I have arranged and attended the viewings when prospective buyers came to the house and quite frankly, I thought that most of them with two exceptions thought that they were walking into a prehistoric cave. In fact I felt like telling some of them to p*** off, it felt like I was defending our family home.

My dad is one of those types who wants to know every detail of what is going on so as for getting him out of the house when a surveyor comes is a no no. Sometimes the estate agents have rung him regarding some details but usually it is me. If the estate agent rings me to tell me about a surveyor coming, I think I might take your tip and not let him know about it and try and get them to go out for the day. I know he will be furious but what the hell. Peace of mind is a wonderful thing.
I mean, they have not done any major improvements to the house, only things like a new bathroom suite fitted, kitchen replaced a long time ago. I mean the couple have seen the house, noticed the potential for extension etc so I know they are keen on it otherwise they would not have made the offer the same day they viewed, they had been looking at new builds and know that this house will increase in value as I think they will be spending a lot of money on it. There have been no extensions added or anything like that so I cannot really see a problem unless the house is full of dry rot or woodworm or something like that, which I think we would have noticed after thirty three years of living there. I'll see how it goes.

jennifernil

The main thing is that the surveyor values the house fairly close to what they are offering, as this will decide what they can borrow. The size of their deposit will also affect how much above the survey price their offer can be. Also that he does not raise any significant structural problems, which does not sound likely.
Relax, once the offer is confirmed and accepted it will all go smoothly. They can decide their moving date, or go with what the buyers suggest if they can be flexible.
Personally I would prefer a house that needs new kitchen/bathroom/decor, that way I could have what I want, not what someone else thinks is "neutral".

the_greed

Thank you to everyone. I feel like I am being a pain in the neck to everybody but I just want everything to go alright for my dear mum and dad. I would hate the thought for anything to go wrong, stress levels would rise, you know what I mean.

Doozergirl

Why would you think you're a pain in the neck?

You can't mean the people here as I as can assure they wouldn't be here if they didn't want to be! Anybody else, well, you're paying them!