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Buyers Seem To Be Stalling...
About-time
Posts: 62 Forumite
We're in the process of selling our house and buying another one, and we're hovering around the exchanging contracts stage. We've signed our contracts, as has our seller, and our buyers were due to go into their solicitors this week to sign theirs, hopefully in order for everybody to exchange this week, and then look at completing sometime early next month. This has all been rushed through a bit, at our buyer's request - it was them that wanted to be in ASAP, we weren't too fussed and neither was our seller, but we've tried to accommodate them because, well, there was no reason not to really.
Anyway, we've now been told by our solicitor that they have NOT made an appointment to go and see their solicitor after all, and in addition have sent through a series of questions with regard to the house, all relating to work that was done years ago before we owned the place, about which we know very little. This is after we've already ironed out various other questions that came up immediately after the survey was done. In addition, they've asked to come and look at the house again, and it seems they have no intention of signing the contracts until they have done so.
Part of me thinks this is all harmless and part of the process, and I should chill out and just let it ride. Part of me has the sinking feeling we're about to get gazundered!
Anybody any thoughts/advice either way?
Anyway, we've now been told by our solicitor that they have NOT made an appointment to go and see their solicitor after all, and in addition have sent through a series of questions with regard to the house, all relating to work that was done years ago before we owned the place, about which we know very little. This is after we've already ironed out various other questions that came up immediately after the survey was done. In addition, they've asked to come and look at the house again, and it seems they have no intention of signing the contracts until they have done so.
Part of me thinks this is all harmless and part of the process, and I should chill out and just let it ride. Part of me has the sinking feeling we're about to get gazundered!
Anybody any thoughts/advice either way?
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Comments
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I'd just let them have another view, answer any questions as best you can, and be firm about wanting to get on with things once you start running out of patience.
Everything else is out of your hands, and not worth stressing over.0 -
We are going through something similar we get close then 5 questions will come through
hope you exchange soon x 0 -
Let em have their viewing but make it clear you want a speedy conclusion.0
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About-time wrote: »Anyway, we've now been told by our solicitor that they have NOT made an appointment to go and see their solicitor after all...
How does your solicitor know this?
In my experience, it would be unusual (and unprofessional) for a seller's solicitor to share this level of detail about their clients.About-time wrote: »and in addition have sent through a series of questions with regard to the house, all relating to work that was done years ago before we owned the place, about which we know very little.
Has the buyer already got their formal mortgage offer?
If not, these may be questions that the solicitor has raised on behalf of the mortgage lender. (They sound like they could be mortgage related questions - which end up with you having to buy indemnity insurance policies...)0 -
How does your solicitor know this?
In my experience, it would be unusual (and unprofessional) for a seller's solicitor to share this level of detail about their clients.
Has the buyer already got their formal mortgage offer?
If not, these may be questions that the solicitor has raised on behalf of the mortgage lender. (They sound like they could be mortgage related questions - which end up with you having to buy indemnity insurance policies...)
Their solicitor has told our solicitor in an email, which has then been forwarded to us (for us to answer the questions they have asked).
Yes, as far as I am aware they do have their formal mortgage offer. We were told they did anyway. The initial queries followed on from the survey, and were dealt with at the time. These new questions seem to have been plucked from thin air though? Or at least if they were on the survey, they didn't ask us about them at the time0 -
The fact that you don't know the answer to the questions doesn't make them unreasonable. What do they relate to? Was a load bearing wall or chimney stack removed?0
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The fact that you don't know the answer to the questions doesn't make them unreasonable. What do they relate to? Was a load bearing wall or chimney stack removed?
No course not, they're fair enough questions, it's just why suddenly ask them all this time into the process, when we're all just about to exchange contracts? I think that's all that's thrown us.0 -
My reading of it would be that the concerns following the survey came from the buyer. These questions sound like they could be from their solicitor - tying up loose ends following searches etc after they have gone through all the documents, contract etc.0
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About-time wrote: »No course not, they're fair enough questions, it's just why suddenly ask them all this time into the process, when we're all just about to exchange contracts? I think that's all that's thrown us.
Fair enough. I would try to reassure them as much as possible but, as others have said make them aware this needs to reach a conclusion soon. Don't be afraid to politely set a deadline.0 -
I disagree about being firm about a deadline when they view. They're not bad, they're investing in a lifetime of payments and naturally want to check everything is ok. They may have not thought about some things that have now occurred to them, and of course prompts following surveys and searches.
Putting them on the spot and making awkward comments to their face isn't going to speed them up. In fact, if i was a buyer and a seller was pushing me I'd bloody well make sure we didn't rush! If you and your seller don't have a crucial deadline then just relax a bit. The buyers obviously want the house.0
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