Flat buying - seller turning nasty

RHemmings

This is a great thread. I really want to read what happens.

My opinion is that the vendor is pulling a multitude of fast ones. If it were me I think I'd pull out no matter what the cost. Increasing the cost of the furniture to £2500 and saying he will have to stay 14 days longer if the OP doesn't buy it? What a ridiculous scheme! I bet those "developers" never existed either. Who knows what other "fast ones" the vendor may try and pull if the OP keeps on going ahead.

But of course the OP has more invested in this, emotionally and financially, than we do. So it's much easier for me to say "I'd pull out" than it is for the OP to actually do so.

Guy_Montag

RHemmings wrote: »

This is a great thread. I really want to read what happens.

My opinion is that the vendor is pulling a multitude of fast ones. If it were me I think I'd pull out no matter what the cost. Increasing the cost of the furniture to £2500 and saying he will have to stay 14 days longer if the OP doesn't buy it? What a ridiculous scheme! I bet those "developers" never existed either. Who knows what other "fast ones" the vendor may try and pull if the OP keeps on going ahead.

But of course the OP has more invested in this, emotionally and financially, than we do. So it's much easier for me to say "I'd pull out" than it is for the OP to actually do so.

Perfect summation of what I was thinking.

ghekkomanic

Guy_Montag wrote: »

Good luck, but I would suggest, if you can put it delicately enough to maintain your relationship, that you get one of her colleagues to deal with it, or at least keep a close eye on things.

I'd be lying if I said we haven't had the odd argument, but at the end of the day my GF is more important to me than this or any other flat! So while I'm trying to get all the information I can, now that she's started the conveyancing she will finish it. But she does have to run everything past her boss anyway as she's a trainee. Some things are just a judgement call I guess.

She actually has today off work though, so I called the EA to find out if the seller's solicitors had sent the correct enquiries etc yet. She phoned me back to say they had yesterday. I checked with someone at my GF's office and they hadn't received anything. I phoned the EA back and said shall I call the seller's solicitors myself as this is getting ridiculous? She said of course, but I can't officially give you the number . I phoned them and spoke to the seller's solicitor (I understand this is a no-no for the solicitor, but she still spoke to me after I identified myself as the buyer) and explained my GF was off work today, and could they re-fax the enquiries today please as we haven't got them? She was very nice and said yes of course.

Phew!

Just had a coffee with my GF and she was amazed they spoke to me, but it remains to be seen whether they do fax the documents. As clutton pointed out this could be just a delaying tactic.

RHemmings wrote: »

But of course the OP has more invested in this, emotionally and financially, than we do. So it's much easier for me to say "I'd pull out" than it is for the OP to actually do so.

At the moment I still feel I have very little to lose by staying in and seeing how this pans out. I think I stand to gain more than they do as they long as I stick the offer I've made, which I will. The seller is insane if she thinks I'm paying £2500 for the furniture, and if she insists on needing an extra 14 days to get rid of it I will simply offer even less for the flat.

Emotionally my GF is struggling with this (!!) but I think the seller got the impression I was a soft touch initially and still needs to sell, but is counting on me caving in to her demands. Also we found out our housemate is abroad for a while longer so now we can stay in his room until the 15th December which buys us another week!

Thanks again for the interest and advice everyone - if the seller is forced to begrudgingly sell me the flat after all this I'm tempted to post her a link to this. I think she'll find it interesting reading!!

Curv

ghekkomanic wrote: »

... if the seller is forced to begrudgingly sell me the flat after all this I'm tempted to post her a link to this. I think she'll find it interesting reading!!

GenuLOL! I'm loving your style, ghekko

carpetbelly

ghekkomanic wrote: »

Thanks again for the interest and advice everyone - if the seller is forced to begrudgingly sell me the flat after all this I'm tempted to post her a link to this. I think she'll find it interesting reading!!

I love it! :T

Also, it's nice to see you've changed from someone not to sure about arguing over price and furniture and now determined to get the property for the conditions you want. Well done :beer:

ruggedtoast

carpetbelly wrote: »

I love it! :T

Also, it's nice to see you've changed from someone not to sure about arguing over price and furniture and now determined to get the property for the conditions you want. Well done :beer:

I agree. At the start of the thread you seemed terribly worried about how well you treated the seller but quite unconcerned about how badly they were treating you.

IME buying/ selling houses does put you in contact with some truly horrible people. The couple who bought ours were so vile I was more than half inclined to reject their offer and take another, slightly lower one, from the absolutely charming young family who lived a few doors down. Unfortunately the spivs who were marketing it for me took the matters out of my hand and didnt tell me about the other offer til too late.

Dylanwing

Quality thread, better than any soap. Personally I would forget the furniture, as others have said, you can get cheap stuff in the sales, and you just don't know what her stuff is really like. If you go ahead and buy it, ensure that you inspect it, with the EA, and get a list of items added to the contract. We once got a curtain pole returned as it was included, but seller had taken it. Something sounds wrong here, so I would just go back to original offer, and look elsewhere - You might find a better buy, and if you pull out, leaving her in the lurch, it's exactly what she deserves.

BrandNewDay

I just love this thread! I "tune in" several times a day!

I think we can all take a bit of the credit if this goes well, don't you?

Guy_Montag

Go back & read the first page or two, now look at yourself now. How do you feel?

I bet you feel much happier, much better about yourself, more confident, more virile. Now show this new man to your GF, that will get her over any emotional issues

ghekkomanic

BrandNewDay wrote: »

I think we can all take a bit of the credit if this goes well, don't you?

Oh, completely. Wish I could buy some of you a drink for all the help I've received here.

In fact what am I saying - if all goes well I'm buying!

Dylanwing wrote: »

Something sounds wrong here, so I would just go back to original offer, and look elsewhere - You might find a better buy, and if you pull out, leaving her in the lurch, it's exactly what she deserves.

Absolutely.

Believe me I've read and considered all the advice here very carefully. And given everyone seems mostly in agreement on what to do, there's no way now I'd go near this flat with a ten foot curtain pole for more than the original offer!