Unreasonable demands???

Kbee35

Hello everyone,
Was hoping someone could help. We are currently near to exchange of contracts for the sale of our house and purchase of a new build house (under construction). Today I had a phone call from the estate agents saying our buyers are not happy with the completion date and want it to be 2 weeks earlier. Bearing in mind our new house only just for a roof this is not possible. He then went on to ask where our family live and could we not move in with them for 2 weeks!!!!! Um no, family don't live close by, daughter starts school next week and we have a small baby! Oh OK it's just the purchaser has given notice on their rental property and has to be out by X date. Hhhmmm not my problem. We had not set. Completion date so why did they make themselves homeless?
Later rang back sounding very proud of himself saying he had managed to "beg" the purchasers landlord into letting them stay for another month but obviously they would have to pay another months rent. We will pay this for them though won't we as we are delaying the move!! SO CROSS RIGHT NOW
We have been upfront all along about the new build property. It's not a big company building the houses. Each time I have been updated I have passed this info along, we have never finalised a date for moving.
Hhmmm what are people's thoughts on this. Agent actually suggested I contact the developer and tell him that due to the delay I have incurred extra costs (except there is no delay and they are not our costs)
Also really annoyed that the purchaser is going through the agent all the time and not solicitor.

Thanks for your help

wiogs

It is all going well from your point of view it is the purchaser who has screwed up here. Their problems are not your problems. I think they are just at it.

Stick to your guns.

hcb42

A month more rent and a month with no mortgage they are taking the proverbial

danwent

Just move in and stay downstairs until the roof's done.

It's entirely your buyer's problem (and the EA to an extent). Tell them to sort themselves out. You're the one paying the estate agent afterall (or not if it falls through). If it comes to it, consider threatening to go with another agent if the sale falls through (if you'd be prepared to do this). They'll find a way round it.

BTW I think it's quite usual for this sort of dialogue to go through Estate Agents rather than solicitors.

ValHaller

It is probably better that your buyer is going through the agent rather than the solicitors. At least it is one less link. And if the agent ends up negotiating something on your behalf, your solicitor can just block it if it does not have your agreement.

You need to take control of your agent and tell him that you are OK with him negotiating anything which comes out of his fee, but otherwise, there are no deals to be cut. You buyer is being foolish giving notice before contracts are exchanged - they are the ones who should be looking for accommodation with family.

Dunroamin

Kbee35 wrote: »

Hello everyone,
Was hoping someone could help. We are currently near to exchange of contracts for the sale of our house and purchase of a new build house (under construction). Today I had a phone call from the estate agents saying our buyers are not happy with the completion date and want it to be 2 weeks earlier. Bearing in mind our new house only just for a roof this is not possible. He then went on to ask where our family live and could we not move in with them for 2 weeks!!!!! Um no, family don't live close by, daughter starts school next week and we have a small baby! Oh OK it's just the purchaser has given notice on their rental property and has to be out by X date. Hhhmmm not my problem. We had not set. Completion date so why did they make themselves homeless?
Later rang back sounding very proud of himself saying he had managed to "beg" the purchasers landlord into letting them stay for another month but obviously they would have to pay another months rent. We will pay this for them though won't we as we are delaying the move!! SO CROSS RIGHT NOW
We have been upfront all along about the new build property. It's not a big company building the houses. Each time I have been updated I have passed this info along, we have never finalised a date for moving.
Hhmmm what are people's thoughts on this. Agent actually suggested I contact the developer and tell him that due to the delay I have incurred extra costs (except there is no delay and they are not our costs)
Also really annoyed that the purchaser is going through the agent all the time and not solicitor.

Thanks for your help

Don't be, it would cost a great deal more for both of you to do these queries through solicitors.

G_M

Keep calm. Don't get annoyed.

House buying is stressful. You are stressed. Your buyers are stressed. Even the EA will get stressed (if you threaten to pull out and their commisssion is at risk!)

Just instruct your EA (yes, you pay him, not the buyer!) to tell the buyer the Completion date will be set when Contracts are Exchanged which will be when your property is ready.

If the buyer cannot wait, well, he'll have to start looking again, and write off his survey, legal, mortgage application costs.

Owain_Moneysaver

Sorry, who does this Agent work for?

danwent

Agents work for the seller- that's who pays them (I note your sarcasm Owain). Although part of their work for you is to not lose your buyer. The OP's EA probably feels stuck between a rock and a hard place

moneyistooshorttomention

My buyer went through my EA when requesting a shorter time between Exchange and Completion. I refused. Completion will be as I stated I required at the outset and Contracts were Exchanged accordingly (with my chosen Completion Date) earlier this week.

It sounds to me as if this is a bit of try-on by your buyer too. They may not even be telling the truth when they say they have given in their notice already. Even if they are...that's their problem and they shouldn't have done so until Exchange.

They are using "having given notice on rental accommodation" as their excuse for a shorter gap to Completion because it's the only one they could think of.

If anyone goes to live with family temporarily its them. You certainly don't because of their lies or inefficiency (its irrelevant which it is).

I would call their bluff personally. I doubt they will want to start househunting again/paying out money again for the sake of 2 more weeks on the Gap (weeks they should have been very well aware might be there at the outset).

At a rough guess...maybe another months rent to them would be around £500 say (don't know what part of the country you are in to guess more accurately), but they will have already spent noticeably more than that in costs to buy your particular house. If they have to double up on rent and mortgage payments for, say, two weeks then that gives them time to come over and clean and organise their house-to-be (ie your current home).

They're Brats. Time they grew up...and you will be doing them a favour by reminding them that the World doesn't revolve around them...other people live in the World besides them.

Duskylady

Call their bluff they will cave.

I was always stunned on this forum by FTB insisting on exchange and completion around their rented accommodation. Didn't seem worth the risk to me I just budgeted for an extra months rent and asked for everything to happen as soon as possible!