Help! Seller wants to delay completion

smallredbus

Any advice appreciated!

Me and my boyfriend are in the process of buying our first home and have been patiently waiting for over 6 months for the sale to exchange (very close, but still not happened yet). We have had lots of hold ups including changes within the chain, and somebody unable to find a house to move into, but have stuck with it as this is our dream home.

We are expecting to exchange next week and were hoping to complete before Christmas but the sellers are now saying they don't want to complete until January. We are frustrated after having patiently waited for so long and desperately want to be in our house before Christmas. Would it be acceptable to ask for money off the price we are paying if they want to delay completion? Any other suggestions?

agrinnall

No. Just wait, it's part of house buying, as you'll know when you've been through it a few times.

da_rule

They aren’t technically delaying completion as a completion date isn’t agreed until the contracts are exchanged.

If there is a chain then your seller may be somewhat tied based on the date on which they can move into the property they are buying.

You can ask for anything you want but be aware that negotiations may further delay matters or the seller may pull the plug altogether if they don’t actually need to sell.

System

You've already waited 6 months what's a couple more weeks in the scheme of things, agree to complete in Jan and get exchanged so that the seller is then committed.


You could ask for some money off but the seller will probably say no it is what it is.

[Deleted User]

You could offer more to complete befire Christmas, or threaten to pull out if you don't, but it depends who wants it most.

I suspect they know you desperately want it and will all your bluff. What do the rest of the chain want?

AnotherJoe

There are many disadvantages to moving in just before Christmas.
Postpone it until after. (There's not much you can do about it anyway if they insist)

smallredbus

There are only 3 people in the chain, us, our vendors, and the top who are already in rented.

tealady

Why the rush to be in by Christmas?
If you move in Jan you have months to get the house as you want it ready to show off next Christmas.
I appreciate a new home is exciting, but from experience it can take weeks to really settle in. Also the 1st month can be expensive as you find yourself buying all the things you need.
Best of all you can buy decorations cheaper in the sales after Christmas.
Be patient it will be worth it.

pinkteapot

We're completing next week (we've exchanged) and we wish we could have moved in January! (Wasn't an option as someone in our chain was about to lose their mortgage offer with no option to extend).

Solicitors and removers are insanely busy because everyone wants to be "in for Christmas".

We haven't bothered decorating our current house, and won't bother decorating the new house as we'll probably still be unpacking come Christmas. We've told friends and family we're not doing any cards/presents this year as there's just too much else going on.

So, there are downsides to moving right before Christmas, as everyone else has said.

But also, with house buying and selling you can never time it exactly how you want. If this were any other time of year, you'd just sigh and say "oh well" to another 2-3 weeks. That amount of time is soon forgotten as soon as you're in the house. You can try pushing for earlier completion and see if they cave, but after this long it won't be worth losing the house over.

I would suggest you ask for exchange as soon as possible (whatever the completion date). Once you've exchanged the whole chain can relax and enjoy Christmas, safe in the knowledge things won't fall through. When we bought this place a few years ago, we exchanged on 23rd Dec and completed in the new year!

(One day we'll learn to stop moving right around Christmas. )

Six months is a long time for a chain as short as yours, and I know it's frustrating, but you're nearly there now.

ginger_chocolate

Why the rush to be in by Christmas

As another buyer who really wants to be in by Christmas, it has nothing to do with getting the tree up, but everything to do with the bank holidays providing extra time off to get things sorted once we're in, and not having to use up annual leave allowance!

Marine_life

smallredbus wrote: »

Would it be acceptable to ask for money off the price we are paying if they want to delay completion?

Are you suffering any financial loss because of the delay?

if not then no its not acceptable.