Buyer still not appointed a solicitor

xPollyx

Hi,

I'm fairly new to the house buying and selling process. We are selling our first home having lived here for nearly 10 years. We accepted an offer on our house nearly 2 weeks ago. We chose our solicitor about two days after the sale. However after checking with our estate agent yesterday it appears that the buyer still hasn't given them details of a solicitor that they will be using. Could this one be a non-starter? Is it normal for this to take so long or would this ring alarm bells if you were the seller?

I rang the agent last weekend and again yesterday. I don't want to end up badgering them if it is normal for it to take so long but at the same time we have had an offer accepted on a house we wish to purchase and as far as I am aware there isn't much more we can do until the legal process begins.

Thanks

ThemeOne

I suppose it's possible your buyers intend to do the conveyancing themselves - apparently it can be done, though few attempt it.

I think it's more likely they're stalling for time, for whatever reason. I suggest having another conversation with the estate agent with a view to maybe putting it back on the market.

nubbins

Have you found a place to go yet?

xPollyx

Hi Nubbins

Yes we have found a place to go

Mr_Costcutter

I'm afraid the alarm bells are ringing. In my experience, ''serious'' buyers have usually appointed a solicitor within 2 weeks. Indeed, Estate Agents (no doubt concerned about their commission) would also be pushing for things to get moving. Perhaps old age has made me cynical and your buyers have a genuine reason for delay. However, in your situation I would press for action.

nubbins

Ok, they should be able to line up a solicitor within a few hours, the fact they have taken 2 weeks (so far) would start annoying me to the point of telling the agent to put it back on the market. If its like this for a relatively simple task whats it going to be like with other bits of paperwork and queries further on down the line. If they are genuine I would imagine it would give them a kick up the Uranus if you still get no response you know they are time wasters. I live in an area where properties get snapped up very quickly, if you live somewhere that is not like this you might be a bit more cautious.

Andrew_Ryan_89

I am a First Time Buyer and on the first bid we had accepted (it fell through), I never planned on appointing a solicitor until the survey had been done. Did not want to pay cost for nothing. With that said, I had 3 lined up. There must be a reason why. I would get the EA to simply asking them the question why it has not been done.

Do you know if a valuation/survey has been booked?

househuntingmad

2 weeks?! I had my solicitor lined up the day after my offer accepted (as buyer) and details passed on that same day.

The EA wouldn't take the property off the market until I had supplied solicitors details either.

I tend to roll my eyes a bit when people repeat the 'timewaster' mantra on here, but in this case I think it's an apt description.

pinkteapot

Is the chain complete? Ie has your vendor found somewhere to go or are they still looking?

xPollyx

Hi thanks for your replies yes the chain is complete. The buyer did call my agent with some questions which we answered a couple of days ago nothing major. EA has told me that the buyer seems very 'motivated'. I agree perhaps we should have told the agent to wait until they had received solicitor details from the buyer before we took ours off the market. I have to admit Im losing patience with the buyer now. If he thinks he can renegotiate just because I have found somewhere I want to buy then he can forget it.

nubbins

If it was me I would tell the EA to tell the buyers that if they have not found a solicitor by cop Monday to put the property back on. Don't believe everything an EA tells you and follow what you think is acceptable.