What's the fastest house sale here?

Madmel

Sorry it's a strange one! My Dad has just bought a maisonette and is decorating it, with a view to moving in probably just before or just after Christmas. He set himself a 2 year timetable to sell his current house, where he has lived for the last 35 years :eek: . As you can imagine, there's a fair bit of sorting out to do there!

Last week, he was approached by the EA from whom he bought his maisonette as they have a couple on their books looking for a house like his. The lady came today and is very keen. They appear to have the funds in place and she is coming with her other half to view again on Friday.

Dad is now flapping that they want it asap and he will not get the place cleared. I'm trying to calm him down by telling him that these things take time and even if they have the funds sitting in the bank, they won't complete immediately. What's the concensus here for a timescale? Are we talking a month, 6 weeks or longer?

Many thanks in advance

A_Nice_Englishman

I bought my present house in three weeks from acceptance of my offer to completion.

annie123

quick would be exchange 4 to 6 weeks from when your buyers solicitor receives draft paperwork from your dads solicitor. Completion can be when ever both parties agree.
If they offer find out if they want to be in before or after xmas.
Work out how much time your dad needs to clear the place and then with a bit of give and take a reasonable completion timescale shoud appear. If he does not want to rush then let the agent know now.
Dont let him be bullied into doing something he cant.

Good luck

missk_ensington

I accepted an offer on my house 3 months ago and it STILL hasn't gone through. It's driving me mad. Your Dad can easily delay things, he can conveniently go on "holiday" for 2 weeks, and if he tells his conveyancing solicitor there's no rush, trust me, they won't! It's hard to make them rush when it IS urgent! :-)

Madmel

Thanks for the really quick replies. He is quite good about not being pushed into things, but thinks that if they are prepared to offer serious money in the present climate, he would be foolish not to consider it very carefully.

I have offered to spend some of my half term holiday there helping him sort things and I think he is feeling a bit calmer. Thanks again

Doozergirl

I don't think anyone is going to be be up for waiting 2 years to buy the house ! 6 weeks is a good timescale for a freehold purchase with no chain, but if your dad simply gives a date on which he would be happy to move and shows all signs of commitment to this, then I doubt too many potential buyers would be disappointed. Anything beyond three months and he will be losing people's interest.

Never lie, never delay, just tell the truth from the outset. Anyone would rather know when they can move in than be strung along setting their own timescales and being perpetually disappointed when they don't come to fruition. A sale is far more likely to collapse if people lie and stall for no reason.

Seems, miss k that someone else is practising what you preach

missk_ensington

Doozergirl - no, their mortgage was withdrawn cos the stupid pillocks took out a £10,000 loan two weeks before exchange and didn;t know the lender would do another credit check so mortgage was instantly declined, so they've had to self-cert and do a new survery and start from scratch.

There's nothing wrong in delaying, its money and money is business and business is tactical.

Doozergirl

missk_ensington wrote: »

There's nothing wrong in delaying, its money and money is business and business is tactical.

No-one likes a proverbial rear-end in business. It's very easy to get a name for yourself. You'll learn that, no doubt. :rolleyes:

missk_ensington

It isn't being an ar*e its having business acumen. I don't think Sir Alan Sugar got where he is now without being ruthless in his business transactions. I think shrewd is a better word.

Doozergirl

LOL! Yes of course. Sir Alan is not the king of straight talking at all is he?!

Please tell me what long term benefit anyone could derive from lying and deceiving? If it doesn't lose you your sale immediately, it will stop people from deailing with you in the future and they will also talk. Integrity is what gains respect and wins business.

Jesus, if you'd ever even been on a basic customer service training course, they'd tell you that. Nevermind business acumen.

missk_ensington

There's a difference between straight talking and straight dealing. I don't think anyone in business is 100% straight (as you may know Bill Gates financed the beginning of Microsoft by signing onto a cookery course to get the student grant and then never turned up again!)

Estate agents lie all the time, solicitors lie all the time, accountants lie all the time......(add alledgedly to that since I don't want to be sued)..... there's a difference between white business lies and being an all out !!!!!! who couldn;t lie straight in bed. I wouldn't saying delaying a sale a couple of weeks for whatever reason is exactly going to result in an eternity on the seventh circle of Hell.