Have I done the right thing and/or annoyed the Estate Agent

bilbodreams

I agree with pp, run... Your first home together should be one in which you are excited to move in, not concerned about annoying the leaseholder. You'll know when is the "one"

The day you move in to your first new home should be very special. Don't let anyway take away that feeling.

With a freehold you can decorate, get a pet, have a loft, rent it out, clean whenever you feel like, all whilst singing your heart away :0)... if you can get sthg with an outside area even better ( think bbq, candle light dinners, sunbathing, lovely plants.....)

The estate agent is getting paid by the vendor, of course they want to sell that flat.

The terms have changed, you have been honest with the agent, the property is not suitable for our requirements, it's your investment ( and hard earned cash) not the agent's, i wouldn't even bother to have another look.

You are well within your rights to move on and look at other properties. ( with the same agent u other agent).

Good luck op and happy hunting.

GaleSF63

Small_Yeti wrote: »

Hello Everyone,



We viewed and offered full asking price for a flat we saw a while ago. Both myself and my husband completely fell in love with it and although it was leasehold and we knew there would be conditions we decided it was a good property for us so we went ahead.
offered what we did and that was it so we would honour this.

I have to be honest and my gut is telling me this property is not right for us and we should go for the freehold house.

We're heartbroken because we loved the flat so I'm really just in need of some reassurance I have done the right thing.

But are you still in love with it? It's worrying you terribly.

Buy a freehold house with a garden and get a lovely rescue dog (or two).

Smodlet

It sounds to me as if the woman downstairs is selling part of her house only because she can't afford to keep it all to herself, which is what she would prefer. Imho, she would be far better off renting it out instead of selling it, then some of these ridiculous restrictions might actually make some sense and she could get rid of any tenant she did not like/who did not clean to her satisfaction/dared to use a washing machine/sang.

The only trouble with that, which she may have found out is that renting has rules. LLs are not allowed to just waltz in to "inspect" a property whenever they like for no reason. She sounds like a complete nightmare waiting to happen... if you don't want it to be your nightmare, I suggest you wake up now, OP and do as everyone else has suggested; buy a freehold house, if you can and good luck to you.

Small_Yeti

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for taking the time to reply - all with valid points and it is incredibly reassuring to hear that others are finding the situation concerning and we are not without grounds for our reservations!

Having slept on it for a second night both of us are still feeling certain that the flat is not for us. I'm glad we've taken the time to allow the new information to sink in so we didn't have an immediate reaction that we might have regretted but rather that we have taken time to consider how we would really feel living with the reduced floor space and terms.

Originally I wanted to view the flat again as it has been a few weeks since we last saw it. This would enable me to confirm that the lack of floor space in the second bedroom is as impacted as I remember (although I'm pretty sure my memory is clear) and then, had we still wanted it and thought we could work round it I would have renegotiated based on the lack of floor space and the fact that the loft was not included.

With regards the the floor space issue in the second bedroom neither of us has ever seen this kind of thing done before and I know we're not alone as my parents or friends had never heard of it either, although I now understand it is common in some houses. When we looked at the cupboard it just looked like a built in cupboard filled with stuff - I didn't want to really go routing through their stuff so I just checked the walls were removable and moved on.

However, there are two issues here and the second is that the lease is seriously restrictive coupled with the fact that the lady downstairs is the freeholder. I'm sure she's a lovely woman and she's probably more amenable than the lease would imply but I feel that the lease is the lease. It's legal. It's what you agree to. Even if she is lovely then she could sell and you could end up with someone who is less understanding. With the best will in the world you will always hear a washing machine if there is one on the floor above and the lease states that any vibrating or audible equipment is not tolerated.

The clause about the pets would mean in reality I would not get a dog because I would never adopt unless I knew there was no possibility of me having to re-home the animal later. It's not fair on the animal. So that's a big one for us.

To be fair I'm pretty sure my singing is truly terrible and she's probably right to safeguard against hearing this :rotfl:

If it was just the space issue we may have renegotiated but I think the two issues coupled together mean that the place is not right for us. It's incredibly sad as we really loved it and affordable and lovely homes do not come up in the area that often. Discussing it both of us feel we would rather compromise on other areas (e.g. a slight tweak of location) than the feeling that we could enjoy our home!

In terms of being emotional or meek I think my text probably came across as such but that's not how I'm feeling. I'm sad about the flat but I'm calm and logical at the same time. However, I'm not someone who would want to let down a seller without good reason (yes I am aware we have good reason). When I make a deal or say I'll do something I like to follow through. Everyone has spent money and this will no doubt be upsetting news to them. I felt like the least I could do is not take the decision lightly.

The Estate Agent still hasn't called me back but I think we are going to confirm today that we are not taking the flat and want to view the house that is on their books. There are a couple of other houses in the area with other agents and I will line up the appointments to go and see those as well. He is probably annoyed with us and I didn't want to commit a massive blunder by expressing our doubts before we had made a confirmed decision. I've not purchased before so I don't know if it is a massive faux pas to express concerns or whether you should make the decision first and then just say you're done. However, I'm a straightforward kind of person and I don't like to feel duplicitous so I'm still glad I emailed and then it won't come as a bolt out of the blue when I speak with him later.

warehouse

glasgowdan wrote: »

Try to stop being so emotional about all of this. Stop worrying about annoying people, and stop being so meek about it all. Make some damned demands!

Exactly this. I know you're a FTB but stop acting like one or they really will walk all over you. You need to walk away from this property.

Out,_Vile_Jelly

Buying a property is a business transaction. There's no need to send the agent a 10 page essay explaining your emotional state at every stage of the process; just keep communication prompt, succinct and polite. There are many valid reasons why sales fall through along the way; just keep all parties up to date with your decision.

motherofstudents

The estate agent won't be annoyed with you, it's all in a day's work to them. Just go and view some houses and find a nice one for the dog !

Small_Yeti

Hello you two, I think you maybe need to read the post above yours. I'm not emotional and I'm not sending the Estate Agent a 10 page essay. I am, however, trying to be a decent human being who understands that whilst buying a house is a business transaction it is also an emotional situation for the parties involved. You have an emotional reaction to whether you like a house and the seller is definitely going to have an emotional reaction if their buyer pulls out.

By providing clear reasons why then hopefully the Estate Agent and sellers won't think we're flaky/flippant/we just changed our minds. This should mean the Agent takes us seriously should we want to buy the house and the sellers understand our decisions and maybe own up about the loft/floor space/lease earlier. Maybe they even think the loft does belong to them and this is news to them as well!

Smodlet

Smallyeti, I do hope you take this as it is intended, which is to help, only to help: You need to toughen up right now and stop worrying about everyone else's feelings or you will be eaten alive.

It is a buyers' market out there right now, sales fall through all the time for myriad reasons, a common one of which is that buyers do just change their minds/find something they prefer. Most don't care a fig for vendors' feelings and as for EAs... it is a moot point whether they even have any and if they do, they are most certainly not your concern. No-one lasts long as an EA unless they have a hide like a rhinoceros.

Try to remember they are not working for you, they don't give a rat's rear end about your feelings, they just want your money. No-one is fighting your corner but you... apart from a few us on here but we ain't gonna be there when you view. When you do, I seriously think you should belt out a chorus or two of some power ballad; say you are going on Britain's Got Talent and need a place with decent acoustics. :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: :cool: Please let us know how you get on.

Small_Yeti

We have...retracted our offer. Tellingly I feel like a huge weight just came off my shoulders. Much as we loved the flat it wasn't right for us.

The Agent was very decent about it and agreed the lease terms were complete insanity. We're going to see the freehold house on Saturday as well so fingers crossed.

Honestly thanks everyone for the feedback. And honestly I am a pretty tough cookie - I just want to act as a decent and considerate person at the same time.