Did estate agent scupper our house purchase

babyblade41

I think you are over thinking .. The EA, although may not have been very proactive ,would do as much as they can to get a deal over the line and hi-jacking that end result is not what they wanting in any circumstance 

Vendors may have changed plans and TBH you may never know .

I'm not sure agreeing to a different date to one which the vendors want will change much if that's the only sticking point 

rootless45

eddddy said:

It just sounds very much like the sellers have been gradually changing their minds about selling.

Hence, they were holding things up, not wanting to exchange etc.

Maybe they were secretly negotiating a higher offer from another buyer, maybe their 'life-plans' have changed.


What evidence do you have that the EA has done anything wrong?  If the EA is paid on completion, this is bad news for them as well. If they were paid in advance, that might explain why weren't particularly active in progressing the sale.

That might transpire to be the case.

The agents gave us very incorrect information about when the vendors wanted to complete (and we asked specifically). Had we known the truth, we would not have made an offer, lovely though the house was. Then their sales progressor behaved very oddly with us, incorrectly communicating information and fermenting conflict. I complained really to get some answers and because we wasted so much time and money when we needn't have engaged is it at all.

searchlight123

i think if it were me, and after this amount of time invested in a sale, i would contact or call round to the vendors and ask if anything can be done to move the sale on, explaining that you felt the need to contact them directly as you were getting little or no feedback from the agent.

rootless45

tonygold said:

i think if it were me, and after this amount of time invested in a sale, i would contact or call round to the vendors and ask if anything can be done to move the sale on, explaining that you felt the need to contact them directly as you were getting little or no feedback from the agent.

I did write them a nice letter explaining what had happened from our point of view and wishing them well. Haven't heard anything back from that though (only a couple of days ago).

Keswick1uk

Maybe they didn't want to pay stamp duty on their next move? Your fixation on dates might have just made them throw their towel in and give up. 

I can't see any reason for the EA to want to scupper a sale. They'll lose their commission.

rootless45

Keswick1uk said:

Maybe they didn't want to pay stamp duty on their next move? Your fixation on dates might have just made them throw their towel in and give up. 

I can't see any reason for the EA to want to scupper a sale. They'll lose their commission.

They are moving abroad. you are right though about our fixation on dates. However, we were clear about our situation from the start and we have a young child to protect, so didn't want to end up homeless. I think our perspective was fair and, for most people, understandable. When we sold our place to move into rental, we needed a big gap between exchange and completion to find a place to rent, and everyone in the chain was fine about it.

rootless45

Well I have a definitive answer. I'd sent a nice letter to the vendors earlier on in the week, we have a rental place so could accommodate any worries about timescales and the agents approached them to see if they might reconsider. It was a no. I think they are greedy, one party doesn't really want to sell and is manipulating the situation, and/or have some pejorative ideas about us and it's got personal.

Time for us to move on. With the slowing market, I bet we'll get a better place with less work. And while I don't wish bad things to happen to anyone, the vendors might find they end up with a greed tax.

The agents are investigating their missteps so I'll see what happens with that.

Thanks all. I think at least we have some clarity.

jazzyja

rootless45 said:

Well I have a definitive answer. I'd sent a nice letter to the vendors earlier on in the week, we have a rental place so could accommodate any worries about timescales and the agents approached them to see if they might reconsider. It was a no. I think they are greedy, one party doesn't really want to sell and is manipulating the situation, and/or have some pejorative ideas about us and it's got personal.

Time for us to move on. With the slowing market, I bet we'll get a better place with less work. And while I don't wish bad things to happen to anyone, the vendors might find they end up with a greed tax.

The agents are investigating their missteps so I'll see what happens with that.

Thanks all. I think at least we have some clarity.

I think you're being abit vague. I dont understand what you mean. Do these people know you personally?? Or do you mean they've accepted a higher offer? 

Thrugelmir

rootless45 said:

Well I have a definitive answer. I'd sent a nice letter to the vendors earlier on in the week, we have a rental place so could accommodate any worries about timescales and the agents approached them to see if they might reconsider. It was a no. I think they are greedy, one party doesn't really want to sell and is manipulating the situation, and/or have some pejorative ideas about us and it's got personal.

Time for us to move on. With the slowing market, I bet we'll get a better place with less work. And while I don't wish bad things to happen to anyone, the vendors might find they end up with a greed tax.

The agents are investigating their missteps so I'll see what happens with that.

Thanks all. I think at least we have some clarity.

You've no clarity. Just conspiracy theories in your head. Either the vendors will come quickly back on board or they won't. One phone call from the EA is all that is required to obtain an answer.  

Titus_Wadd

Whatever the real reason, the vendors didn't pull out over exchange dates I'd bet!  You just have to keep looking and move on, just as you've said.  It's frustrating having invested time and money towards buying that house but you'll find a better one and by the time you move in you won't give that house another though.