Vendors stringing us along

r_evans193

Hi everyone, looking for some advice.

We had an offer accepted on a house 3 months ago. We are renting so have no chain, and the estate agents assured us that although the vendors hadn’t found anywhere, they were happy to move into alternative accommodation if timescales weren’t met. We have this in writing via email from the agent. We had continuously said our ideal date was June / July (heating system need major upgrade) and their response was always the same, happy to move in somewhere to avoid chains.

We have spent the last few months going through surveys, additional reports etc and an amended offer reflecting some of the things brought up in said reports. This was all sorted by the end of last month. So we have been ready to exchange ASAP since then, and all of a sudden, the vendors have gone quiet.

The last month has been us chasing on completion / exchange dates and not getting responses. Then our solicitor got in touch last week to say the vendors are waiting on dates for their ‘onward purchase’. I spoke to our solicitor today and explained that all along they had said they had alternative accommodation to move to. To which she said the last correspondence she had with their solicitor, their solicitor said they were still chasing them for a signed copy of the contract pack (!?!)

I have left a message with the estate agent to ask what on earth is going on. Are we being strung along here? We really love the house and it’s absolutely perfect for us, just feel completely thrown by all of this. I know people say one thing about moving out to break chains and then change their minds when it comes to it - but for them to not have even signed a contract pack seems very dodgy to me?

Mobeer

Possibly they have worked out if they slow down the sale then they can get both moving out and moving into their new place at the same time, avoiding any need for short term accomodation?

It will always be hard to guess from afar - you are doing the right thing in chasing both solicitor and EA. If you really love the house you are buying then you may have to accept the purchase is now part of a chain.

MaryNB

It sounds like they looked into alternative accommodation and decided it wasn't worth the effort, especially if an onward house purchase is on the horizon. The fact you have it in writing means nothing. 

It's very easy for a vendor to say they will move into alternative accommodation to make their property more attractive to buyers, but harder to do. Very easy to backtrack on that promise once they realise how much hassle it can be to find rental accommodation or move in with relatives. Until you exchange there's zero legal obligation on them to leave their property, despite any promises they have made. By the sounds of it you'll have to wait until they are ready to exchange on their onward purchase. 

fishfingerbutties

It does at least sound like though their onward purchase is chain free, but it would good for you to clarify that too. Otherwise you could be a long time waiting.

r_evans193

Thanks everyone. It’s hard to tell what’s going on at the moment as the vendor’s solicitors have even said that it’s hard to get hold of them. Concerned that we’ve wasted time, money, effort on something that potentially might fall through. Not to mention the fact that the market has dried up around here - good for prices but there’s been absolutely nothing suitable for us come up for a couple of months now.

We can wait for a chain, that’s okay just annoying, but the fact they’re ignoring their solicitor, agent etc and haven’t signed the contract makes me feel like their heart isn’t in it anymore. I guess if they’ve found somewhere they like, they’ll be keen for the sale to go through.

youth_leader

So sorry, it's so frustrating.  My friend put an offer in on a property in April, and the elderly vendor eventually wrote to her after three weeks, saying that she was looking, but had been 'priced out' of the original area she wanted and was looking at different areas.  After a four week wait my friend lost her buyer, who didn't even have the courtesy of telling her, she found out through a neighbour.

cheeky-peach

Well it doesn't sound like it will fall through as such, unless you were to pull out. It just sounds like they are trying to get sorted for an onward purchase but are mindful that they said otherwise hence the sketchy attitude. I guess all you can do is wait it out. You could reach out and say that you are aware of the fact that there is an onward purchase but hope that they will make best endeavors to ensure that it is going as quick as possible but I would wonder if their vendor also needs to complete an onward purchase?

NameUnavailable

There's another thread here the other day with the same issue - as I said in that one, people say they'll move out into rented accom but hardly ever do in the end. Annoying for you, but there's nothing you can do about it I'm afraid (other than pulling out of the purchase).

r_evans193

An update to this, we managed to get in touch with the estate agents last week who confirmed that the sellers do have an onward purchase and that the property is in a chain 😬 but that they said again that they are willing to move into alternative accommodation if timescales (June / July completion) aren’t met. On their contracts not being signed they claim to have not received anything from their solicitor yet. So either they or their solicitor are lying or there has been a big miscommunication between them. Anyway we once again put forward June / July (now really July) dates.

Cue another week and surprise surprise, our solicitor has been chasing for an exchange date and is being ignored by their solicitor again. The agent is very difficult to get hold of too. Just so annoyed that we’re being treated like mugs - it’s clear that the vendors are still trying to delay things for their onward purchase despite telling us otherwise. But they’re only a month in to the process and with their onward purchase being in a chain, we could be sat here for months. Just wish they would be honest instead of saying one thing then doing another. We are very close to having to make ultimatums which we really wanted to avoid, at this point they have delayed things by 6 weeks. 

lookstraightahead

r_evans193 said:

An update to this, we managed to get in touch with the estate agents last week who confirmed that the sellers do have an onward purchase and that the property is in a chain 😬 but that they said again that they are willing to move into alternative accommodation if timescales (June / July completion) aren’t met. On their contracts not being signed they claim to have not received anything from their solicitor yet. So either they or their solicitor are lying or there has been a big miscommunication between them. Anyway we once again put forward June / July (now really July) dates.

Cue another week and surprise surprise, our solicitor has been chasing for an exchange date and is being ignored by their solicitor again. The agent is very difficult to get hold of too. Just so annoyed that we’re being treated like mugs - it’s clear that the vendors are still trying to delay things for their onward purchase despite telling us otherwise. But they’re only a month in to the process and with their onward purchase being in a chain, we could be sat here for months. Just wish they would be honest instead of saying one thing then doing another. We are very close to having to make ultimatums which we really wanted to avoid, at this point they have delayed things by 6 weeks. 

Lots of vendors think that it's too hard for them to go into rented, yet are happy for their buyers to spend months in time and money servicing the vendor's lack of flexibility.

look for something else, you will either find a vendor willing to be professional or you will know one way or the other about these flaky ones.

It's part of selling to be able to actually sell and to think of the consequences.

peterhjohnson

MaryNB said:

It sounds like they looked into alternative accommodation and decided it wasn't worth the effort, 

I do wonder if there is a business opportunity for someone offering  a flexible 3 months - 1 year rental of "standard" 3 bed semis targeted at this nice market. Possibly even furnished with a linked storage service for the movers own furniture?