Buyer threatening to pull out of sale

martindow

Having a chain with two branches is not really different to a normal chain where everyone wants to exchange simultaneously.


If you did decide to separate the two sales, in what way is your partner's house unsuitable for pets? Could you cats not stay there for a short time. Even if it's not ideal it may be better than a cattery.

Bossypants

Do the cats really have to go in a cattery in any event? I understand that your partner's place may not be ideal for them, but surely you could arrange it so that they could stay there (with you) for a few weeks. My cats have moved with me a number of times over the years, and while they don't enjoy it (neither do I!), they generally settle pretty quickly so long as they are surrounded by their familiar things and people, and don't have to deal with too many strangers.

Comms69

Ermintrude89 wrote: »

Hi there

I’m just after a bit of advice of how to approach this. My partner and I both have houses to sell and are buying one together combining the chain. My house sold within a week at the start of November to first time buyers. My partners took a little longer with Xmas and everything and he agreed a sale last week to a first time buyer. We then the next day had an offer agreed on a no chain property to keep the chain as simple as possible. On ringing my estate agents to inform them they tell me that my buyers are now threatening to pull out unless we can complete in the next 4/5 weeks. They want me to move out of my house into my partners and break the chain. However I have never promised to do this and the situation was discussed with the buyers on viewing the house. We have been advised financially that it is best to sell both at the same time and my partners house is not suitable for my pets so this is not something I want to do. I am to ring my estate agents in the morning and speak to my sale advisor. I am going to say that the buyers are unlikely to complete quicker on another sale now and possibly offer to pay for the repeat searches if they are needed.
Does anyone have any advice of how to deal with this and negotiate further? Apparently my buyers are a bit of a nuisance and are ringing the estate agents every day.

Thanks in advance!

I can understand their position. They are a bit too keen, but they are only interested in your house, not your partners.


As for not moving in with your partner; well sure but you risk losing the buyer now and going back to step 1

diggingdude

Them being first time buyers isn't really the problem. If they are ready to exchange and you aren't let them know a date you will exchange on and hope they don't find something better

AdrianC

Bossypants wrote: »

Do the cats really have to go in a cattery in any event? I understand that your partner's place may not be ideal for them, but surely you could arrange it so that they could stay there (with you) for a few weeks. My cats have moved with me a number of times over the years, and while they don't enjoy it (neither do I!), they generally settle pretty quickly so long as they are surrounded by their familiar things and people, and don't have to deal with too many strangers.

If the partner's place is a flat with a no-pets rule in the lease, and the cats have been used to having garden access...

ReadingTim

They might be bluffing; but in the event they're not, what's more important - the well-being of your pets or the sale of your house?

AnotherJoe

Ermintrude89 wrote: »

Thanks for your replies. Being a veterinary nurse I am conscious of the stress moving twice would put on my pets and I’m not prepared to put them in a cattery for an indefinite period of time. It’s tricky when my buyers have known the situation all along and now when it’s all in motion they threaten us with this deadline. I’m hoping they come around when they realise it’s all in motion and everyone wants to complete ASAP.

Just noticed your words there; Maybe your buyers arent prepared to wait for "an indefinite period of time" either ?


Sure, everyone "wants" to complete asap but its not very convincing when "indefinite" comes up.

Bossypants

AdrianC wrote: »

If the partner's place is a flat with a no-pets rule in the lease, and the cats have been used to having garden access...

But it's not permanent, just a month or two. My cats are used to roaming but they sometimes have to put up with being shut in for a while, for one reason or another. As for the lease, there is that of course, but the flat is in the process of being sold anyway, so while it might not be 'correct', I doubt anything much will come of it. As a cat owner myself, I would prefer that risk to having my cats in a cattery for any length of time.

jonboy321

I'm not sure it is fair to describe the buyers as being a bit of a nuisance for calling the estate agent every day. The have had an offer in for two and a half months and nothing has progressed. I would be pretty annoyed if I was throwing my life savings and a hell of a mortgage at something and the sellers were delaying because of their cats.
Its a buyers market at the moment and they are likely to find someone else who'll snap their had off. The price of new searches is likely to be eclipsed by other month(s) rent if they don't know when they are going to move.

CarrieVS

Have you got any friends or relatives who don't mind cats and have a suitable property, and could take them in temporarily? Or is your partner's place an option for the short term even if it's not ideal?

Of course it would be better for the cats to only have to move once, but most cats will get over it, and as I daresay you know there are options to help ease stress. When I moved with my parents as a child we had to stay in a rental for a few months before getting our permanent new home, and our middle-aged cat coped fine with two moves, one of them long-distance. Of course you know your pets better.