Contacting a vendor directly, what's the etiquet?

RenStar

I'm wondering whether it's the done thing to approach a vendor directly because I'm worried about the slow progress of our house purchase and the clueless Estate Agent meant to be handling it all is well, clueless!:rolleyes:

The story is ths: we're in the process of purchasing a property and selling ours. So far, it seems everything has been moving along fine on our side but things are being held up on the sellers side. Within two weeks of us making and having the offer accepted on the house, we put in for our mortgage app, had the valuation done and received our mortgage offer. We also hurried things along on our sale and yesterday, we got the news that our buyers are ready to complete on the sale of our property, and could we complete next Friday. All this because the EA of the property we're buying had told us that the vendors wanted a quick sale, and that for us to get the house we needed to have our mortgage offer and our sale sorted by end of the month. We were made to understand that the vendors had already lost their first buyers and were keen to move to their next property which was top of chain. We were happy with this this because we need to move urgenty too.

However, our sellers solicitors then took 3 whole weeks to get the draft contracts out to our solicitors and when they finally arrived after us chasing (postmarked the day before) they were incomplete, prompting our solicitor to raise queries and ask for the missing paperwork. This was over a week ago and as at today no replies. As our sols only got the paperwork last week, they didn't instruct the searches till then, but even the search results are due back tomorow but as yet no replies from the vendors sols to the queries or the missing paperwork. I spoke to the Estate Agents today and reminded them once again that they told us the vendors wanted a quick sale. Add to the mix the fact that our buyers are now leaning on us for a completion date, we're relocating 70 miles to a new town, I'm 7 months preggers and need to get myself sorted with docs in the new town before I'm due and I'm becoming very stressed! :mad: The EA so far has been useless, all she keeps saying is that it's early on in the process (its been 5 weeks) and she'll see what she can do which is usually nothing. Honestly, she sounds like a broken record!

I just want too bypass the EA and start a line of communication with the vendors directly rather than relying on EA to act as the go between because I just can't deal with stress and it's inflating my blood pressure.

I have the vendors name and address and was thinking of writing to them to outline the situation and to ask them to lean on their solicitors to get things moving and just really to find out if they really are after a quick sale, so that if not, we can make alternative arrangements. Can I do this? Sorry for the length, any advice very much appreciated.

Thanks.

Ren

LandyAndy

There's nothing to stop you approaching the vendors. Be polite and factual (goes without saying really). They may help you or they may just tell you to deal through their agents (EA and Solicitors).

steb4life

I would get in contact with the buyer if you think that there is something amiss. It may be that they are unaware of the issue with their solicitor not pulling their weight. This may have been the reason they lost the last buyers. If you're polite and explain your situation, but be firm and say that if the situation persists you may pull out, it should spark them into action. Like has been said before you can only be told to deal with the agents.

Hope it all goes well and you're all moved in when the little'n comes along

Ste

RenStar

Thank you both for your replies :beer: . I guess if they're serious about selling then they'd be just as keen to move things along and should respond to my contact positively. If not and they tell me to just deal with EA, then at least I'll know they're not really that serious though I wouldn't imagine why. I don't want to pull out and hope it doesn't come to that because we really like the house but I guess we're in a strong position and if need be we could always move into rented accommodation.

Re

Running_Horse

We gave our vendor our phone number as soon as we bid, and passed any information on delays down the chain to our excellent buyers. When things came to a crunch we wrote a polite letter direct to our vendor explaining why her delays were putting the sale at risk, and sent copies to her lawyers, our lawyers, and all estate agents. After she pulled her finger out we sent a thank you card and flowers. It helped that she was the sort of person to respond to such an appeal, and I believe it is one of the reasons we are now in our new dream home, rather than looking for new buyers.

nelly_2

The trouble with estate agents is they are uneducated untraind and unqualified at anything!

Hands up who can take photos of, say, a bedroom, a living room and a kitchen. Then write underneath them bedroom, living room, kitchen?

That'll be everyone then

Ive got a cup of coffee here thats more use than 90% of estate agents, and if I went and got a buiscuit to go with it then they'd be over qualified

telfordwhite

The delay could have something to do with the "queries"

Are they about planning permission for conservatories or building regs certificates? Perhaps the vendors don't have them or are trying to get them retrospectively. This can take weeks.

RenStar

I've just drafted the letter and I'm going to check with my solicitors if they've had anything back from the vendors sols tomorow morning and if the answer is no, I will send the letter on. I've said in the letter that we want to be in a position to complete witin the next three weeks and to let me know how that sounds to them and also said that my buyers are leaning on us to complete soon or they'll pull out and if they do we can't buy their house and if there was any chance of that happening, we'd reconsider our options. I've given both mobile and home number for them to contact me and hope they do.

What do I do if they ignore it? Should we take it as a sign they're not serious and really pull out? We wouldn't have lost much money if we do, just £500 for the survey and £180 for searches (ouch, actually when added up that's quite a bit!) but we will have the proceeds from the sale of the flat to sit on till maybe after I've had the baby and hope we find somewhere else to buy, though interest rates would probably have risen again by then and we'll lose the low rate we've currently got with our offer. What a nightmare!

Thanks for all your advice - nelly I complete agree. Just now you've made me want a cup of tea and a choccie biscuit, except I aint got any in the house, arrgh!!

RenStar

telfordwhite wrote: »

The delay could have something to do with the "queries"

Are they about planning permission for conservatories or building regs certificates? Perhaps the vendors don't have them or are trying to get them retrospectively. This can take weeks.

Hi telfordwhite,

my solicitors have requested a copy of a Transfer referred to in the Official Register Entries and some clarification on Building Works carried out 2002, referred to in the Sellers Property Information form but with no supporting paperwork. Yes, the property does have a conservatory.
When you say it could take weeks, how long exactly? :eek: If several, then we're going to have to leg it, I am not having my baby in our tiny flat!

Richard_Webster

RenStar wrote: »

Hi telfordwhite,

my solicitors have requested a copy of a Transfer referred to in the Official Register Entries

Worst case time-scale for a transfer is that a postal application for a copy. Vendor's solicitors get it 3-6 days later and send on to your solicitors. Best case is they receive it on-line as a PDF within minutes and e-mail it on to your solicitors a few minutes later!

In general it is always a good idea to talk to the buyers and seller personally if you can. This eliminates the chinese whispers effect of messages being conveyed through estate agents.

Two warnings though:

Firstly some people are frightened of talking to their buyer or seller and want the agent as a shield.

Secondly, individuals who are not buying and selling houses all the time can make assumptions about things that when checked with their solicitors turn out not to be correct or feasible. So when they say they can move by X date, ask them whether and when they checked that with their solicitors. My bitter experience of clients telling me that so and so says he/she can move on X date is that when I ring their solicitor he says it's not possible for some very good reason. The seller just assumed something. On the other hand it is still useful to collect info,. e.g they can't move on certain dates because they are on holiday or whatever.

As a conveyancing solicitor I believe the information given in the post to be useful but I accept no liability except to fee-paying clients

telfordwhite

RenStar wrote: »

Hi telfordwhite,

and some clarification on Building Works carried out 2002, referred to in the Sellers Property Information form but with no supporting paperwork. Yes, the property does have a conservatory.
When you say it could take weeks, how long exactly? :eek: If several, then we're going to have to leg it, I am not having my baby in our tiny flat!

when we were selling, our conservatory didn't need pp but we had no paperwork to that effect. It took 2 weeks from hand delivering questionnaire to council for confirmation of this, apparently retrospective pp (if it is required) can take 6 weeks.
The house we were buying also had a conservatory without pp but to save time we just told the solicitor not to bother requesting it.

Lack of building regs certificates can be more worrying because you don't know if the work was botched or not. persuing this can take...."how long is a piece of string".....if inspections etc are required.

I know this isn't what you wanted to hear, lets hope it isnt too bad...but yep, I think you do need to contact the vendor.

Good luck and let us know what happens.