1st time buyer + Estate Agents

Gedian

Heylo people, Just wanting abit of advice....I'm a first time buyer and put an offer on a house last Saturday...my mortgage guy is taking abit longer sorting this out with my mortgage company (granted its only 4 days since I let him know we put an offer in)....I spoke to the estate agent today and she proceeded to tell me "oh we have alot of interest,so the surveyor has to be there within 7-10 days otherwise the house goes back onto the market and we can accept more offers" Now in your opinions can they do this???? If i'm going through spending a stupid amount of money to do a survey surely they have to give me a chance to get things rolling rather than badgering me with things I can't control....I know they said buying a house is stressful but i'm only 4 days in and I think I may implode.

danm

this is quite common.

you have an exclusivity period to get your survey done. Doing this (i.e spending some cash) shows commitment on your part which then gets it off the market (if that is what you have based your offer on).

if you dont get the survey done, you should get your money back

cats!

Hi Gedian,

Congrats on having on offer accepted.

Right, rule no.1 - the estate agent is not your friend and they work for the vendor. Do not even bother with them now. Put a note through the vendors door advising them that the survey will be done soon. Confirm that you are on top of things with the mortgage broker. Give the vendor a contact number or e-mail address.

Only deal with the agent through written communication if you have to. Once you have a solicitor instructed the agent should butt-out quite frankly. You do not have to talk to them!

Don't be bullied by their comments either! Keep the vendor updated; they will see if you are a serious buyer that way.

Rule no.2 - get a full structural survey done by an independant surveyor.

Good Luck

olly300

cats! gives good information but give the vendor both a day and evening phone number not just an email address. Not everyone uses the internet all the time or has access at home.

Also try and get it agreed with the vendor when you are aiming to complete. That way if exchange is say 3 months away you can tell the EA to butt out. However remember the completion date is flexible due to unforseen factors i.e. chain problems.