FTB - Vendor Taking So Long

ashleighduguid

Hello, 
My partner and I are currently in the house buying process the house is chain free and vacant. The vendors are three siblings selling their parents house that has recently gone through probate and the house hasn't been lived in for a couple of years. We put our offer in on the 1st September. The vendors wanted to consider our offer over the weekend and eventually accepted it on the 7th; during this time our mortgage provider pulled their 10% deposit range from the market and we almost lost the house. Luckily, we found a lender and put a speedy application in that was successful and secured the mortgage. 

Fast forward to now... we have completed our searches, carried out the homebuyers report and filled in everything that we possibly can. Our vendor's have still not returned their initial paperwork to their solicitor. We were told that this was due to one of the siblings living in Spain and the paperwork having to be sent there and due to them being in the midst of COVID we were understanding of this. However, when we asked the EA to chase them for an update it was always filled with a "shortly the forms will be returned". At one stage the EA told me the forms had come back from Spain and handed to the solicitor which turned out to be nonsense. Anyway, last Monday the brother finally received the forms back from Spain but they informed the EA they still needed to get their sister to sign them (she lives in a village about 10 mins from the brother that is mainly dealing with the house sale). However, these forms have still not been handed to the solicitor and the main contact just says that "hopefully" they will be given in this week. I don't know if I am being unreasonable by trying to speed them up? 

I appreciate that they do not have an onward purchase so there is no real sense of urgency for them. They are also quite old themselves and (I am massively generalising here) they don't have much knowledge in the form of technology... everything is handed in and the EA are leaving voicemails on home phones and waiting until the following morning for replies.

I guess I don't really have a question other than can someone else tell me whether my frustrations are justified? As the EA is making me feel as though I am the one in the wrong for constantly asking and chasing?

Thanks!

Comms69

Well you can push for exchange and drop the asking price if they dont. But ultimately you 'want' the house, they dont care about it. 

JGB1955

I think your expectations are way too high.  It's only been 2 weeks since your offer was accepted.  You are dealing with a trio of vendors, one of whom lives abroad.  I DO hope you weren't planning on moving in before Christmas?  If so, I would prepare yourself for disappointment. 

Sibbers123

Tell them your mortgage offer runs out in 6 weeks. They will soon get a move on then.

foxy-stoat

The house may have a big mortgage on it so their inheritance may be so small there is no urgency - if they are set to receive 5 figures each then I would like to think they would be pulling out all the stops.

Maybe let the Estate Agent know that you are viewing other houses and they may lose the sale and their commission unless the vendors put some effort in.

ashleighduguid

JGB1955 said:

I think your expectations are way too high.  It's only been 2 weeks since your offer was accepted.  You are dealing with a trio of vendors, one of whom lives abroad.  I DO hope you weren't planning on moving in before Christmas?  If so, I would prepare yourself for disappointment. 

Hi Sorry, 
I meant 1st September and 7th September...so it has been about 7 weeks?

Comms69

ashleighduguid said:

JGB1955 said:

I think your expectations are way too high.  It's only been 2 weeks since your offer was accepted.  You are dealing with a trio of vendors, one of whom lives abroad.  I DO hope you weren't planning on moving in before Christmas?  If so, I would prepare yourself for disappointment. 

Hi Sorry, 
I meant 1st September and 7th September...so it has been about 7 weeks?

avg house purchase is 3-6 months. 

Thrugelmir

ashleighduguid said:

JGB1955 said:

I think your expectations are way too high.  It's only been 2 weeks since your offer was accepted.  You are dealing with a trio of vendors, one of whom lives abroad.  I DO hope you weren't planning on moving in before Christmas?  If so, I would prepare yourself for disappointment. 

Hi Sorry, 
I meant 1st September and 7th September...so it has been about 7 weeks?

When did you mortgage offer come through. The vendors would have done nothing prior to then. Offer accepted is a meaningless date. 

swingaloo2

We are buying a house with exactly the same situation. Our offer was accepted 3 months before yours back in June, its cash purchase and the house has been unoccupied since March. We have finally exchanged and got a completion date for the end of November. So 6 months for the same reasons, probate issues, one of the family living abroad, sellers lack of enthusiasm for getting the house emptied. Add to this a touch of 'vendor awkwardness' and what could have been a fast sale with no chain has still taken 6 months.
I was like you at the beginning as we had an 'anticipated completion date' of 24th July on the first lot of paperwork so I built my expectations way too high thinking I would be moving in time to still have light nights, nice weather etc but soon came down to earth.

ashleighduguid

@Thrugelmir
Mortgage offer came through on the 17th of September.

Tiglet2

OP, the conveyancing work starts from receipt of draft contracts - has your solicitor actually received them yet, as it sounds as if the initial paperwork hasn't been received?  Unless the sellers solicitor sent draft contracts without the forms that the sellers have to complete and return.