Vendor refuses to renegotiate

davilown

OliviaWw said:

eidand said:

Why do you expect the vendor to fit new windows?
He's not going to live there, is he, you are.

If you want to replace the windows, that's your cost to bare, not his. Besides, windows don't cost 17k, that's a joke.
You've got a big reduction already either move on or pull out. You can't keep expecting price drops, surely.

£18k is not a big reduction for a £500k house. And I have briefed about the market price in the same street. 

£18k may not be a ‘big’ reduction %wise but it’s a hell of a lot of money. Why did you offer so much in the first place?

I think you only have yourself to blame for the offer in the first place. Why should the vendor decrease the price because of your error?

TripleH

It might well be that the buyer has planned their forward move based on receiving £600K and are financially quite tight on numbers especially now so are not prepared to reduce further.

It might be that they are oblivious to the windows or of the mentality that they have lived with them so they are fine (same for electricity) or in his eyes why should he pay to replace / upgrade them as he gets no benefit?

House buying eh!

TheJP

Did the surveyor value the house when they carried out the survey? 

Sistergold

aoleks said:

Out of curiosity: why did you offer that much for a terraced house on a street where a semi detached one in better condition sold for less?

OP said they decided to offer as the terraced had a entrance door at the front and semi had entrance at the side. 

Sistergold

I guess what is reasonable or not in house buying depends on which side you are looking from. Both buyer and seller just need to decide when to walk away or compromise. The house obviously needed work. If you don’t mind losing the house then just walk away if the reduction is important to you. To be honest you are free to just have second thoughts anytime before Exchange, I know it’s not nice to the seller but large amounts of money are involved so! 

lookstraightahead

OliviaWw said:

PadreM said:

As others say, you have no expectation whatsoever of a discount - not because it's necessarily unreasonable to expect it but because this isn't about reasonableness.  You've asked - as we all would - and he's refused.  You now either quit as effectively more than you wish to pay (he may then reduce, calling your bluff) or accept as is.  I'd probably not call his bluff if you're prepared to accept, thinking you can say no then yes, as he might have a fallback offer he accepts.  No strategy here, then, just the usual 'how much do you want it?'

Thanks. We know that they can say No, but we thought our request is reasonable so was hoping they can understand. But of course you are right. Our choice is to walk away or to accept. I find it still hard to make up my mind now. 

We did not have trained eyes to notice the windows defects unfortunately during our viewings, contrary to many’s belief, they did not appear obvious to us. The only thing we can rely on is the surveyor’s report. I don’t understand why so many people left hostile comments with regard to that we should know the conditions of the windows by viewing. 

Don't rely on a surveyors report. This is an overview.

when you buy a house you have to allow for on going repairs over the years, including windows. (I take it they are not new windows that have defects).

so, allow yourself a budget for repairs, along with interest rate rises, when making an offer.

as long as the surveyor doesn't say the house is falling down (ie, the structure of the house is ok) then everything else can be put down to maintenance. You just have to decide whether you can afford it, rather than trying to get someone else to pay for it.

years ago we sold a cottage because we couldn't afford the one going maintenance, we also couldn't afford to reduce it by the amount you're asking - so our response would have been no. Have you stopped to think the vendor might not have this cash knocking about?

aoleks

Sistergold said:

aoleks said:

Out of curiosity: why did you offer that much for a terraced house on a street where a semi detached one in better condition sold for less?

OP said they decided to offer as the terraced had a entrance door at the front and semi had entrance at the side. 

I get that, but a front door is not worth tens of thousands...

eidand

OliviaWw said:

eidand said:

Why do you expect the vendor to fit new windows?
He's not going to live there, is he, you are.

If you want to replace the windows, that's your cost to bare, not his. Besides, windows don't cost 17k, that's a joke.
You've got a big reduction already either move on or pull out. You can't keep expecting price drops, surely.

It might be high, but far from a joke. You should check the price increase for material, logistics and the inflation these days.

I've literally had the windows done in my bungalow 2 days ago. Best quality materials, custom design, installation, cleaning etc, all that cost 11k ( and the cost included a £2k front door as well ).

2 days ago ...

All windows changed in 3 bedrooms plus 2 big ones in the living room.

another quote I had, with cheaper materials was around 6k.

eidand

OliviaWw said:

PadreM said:

As others say, you have no expectation whatsoever of a discount - not because it's necessarily unreasonable to expect it but because this isn't about reasonableness.  You've asked - as we all would - and he's refused.  You now either quit as effectively more than you wish to pay (he may then reduce, calling your bluff) or accept as is.  I'd probably not call his bluff if you're prepared to accept, thinking you can say no then yes, as he might have a fallback offer he accepts.  No strategy here, then, just the usual 'how much do you want it?'

Thanks. We know that they can say No, but we thought our request is reasonable so was hoping they can understand. But of course you are right. Our choice is to walk away or to accept. I find it still hard to make up my mind now. 

We did not have trained eyes to notice the windows defects unfortunately during our viewings, contrary to many’s belief, they did not appear obvious to us. The only thing we can rely on is the surveyor’s report. I don’t understand why so many people left hostile comments with regard to that we should know the conditions of the windows by viewing. 

I wouldn't call it aggression, in my case I'm literally fed up.

I had a similar buyer last year, made a fuss about the windows and how they will cost 15k to rectify and wanted 15k off the sale price. Told them to jog on, got someone in to sort a few loose handles, job done, cost £150.

In most cases you don't need to replace a window, a simple , inexpensive fix will do.

You can check that yourself, try to close open all windows and see what you get. Unless they're falling out of the frame, or are completely destroyed, everything else is fixable for not much money.

It's common sense, nothing more.

pinkshoes

OliviaWw said:But the building survey came back reveals that most window frames have come to the end of serviceable life and double glazing has failed mostly. 

£17k?!?!?! Yikes!

I bought a 4 bed detached house in the South East almost 7 years ago. It was built very early 1980s, and although double glazing had been fitted, that was a LONG time ago and it had long gone past its serviceable life and most panels have failed.

But guess what?!?! 7 years on and we still have the same windows! They're a bit misty in places but meh! I can live with that.

We will be getting them replaced soon, but... you can get companies that just replace the glass units for much cheaper instead of the whole window. 

If you didn't notice any glazing on the windows then they can't be that bad, or at least not as bad as ours. 

By all means ask for a reduction, but expect the vendor to say no, and be prepared to walk away.