Seller accepted the offer then went radio silent

nimloth

I'm looking for some advice regarding the house buying process and what is an acceptable wait time for the seller to find their next home.

We had our offer accepted just over a month ago and since then had absolutely no update from the seller (we only communicate via their estate agent). We've been pinging the EA roughly once a week but no luck, not even a rough timeline the seller might have in mind...

At the house viewing, the EA did mention that the sellers will need time to find a property in the catchment area of their choice, which is fair enough. 

My question is, is it unreasonable to expect some information from the seller at this point (even if it's just "we're still looking but hoping to find something soon").

We do love the house and are prepared to wait a reasonable amount of time but our mortgage offer expires at the end of June and with interest rates climbing, we'd obviously prefer to close by then. 

N.B. We also asked several follow up questions on the house itself and heard nothing back as well. At this point I'm no longer sure if it's a case of the EA being lazy or the seller being difficult...

nimloth

The title was obviously meant to say "seller"

brasso

Yes, it's absolutely reasonable to expect spme information from the seller (usually via the EA) on their progress. Do you have a solicitor, and have they received the confirmation of sales particulars from the agent (e.g. agreed price, seller's solicitor details etc.)? If they haven't, then you should be asking the EA to do this ASAP. If the reason for the delay is that the seller hasn't yet instructed a solicitor, you need to ask the EA why not. If you still hear nothing, you can tell the EA that if no progress is apparent within (say) 14 days, you will withdraw the offer and continue looking elsewhere. Of course, you can continue to look in any case. The sellers sound a bit reluctant so it might be best to hedge your bets a bit.

nimloth

Yes, we've already instructed a solicitor and EA sent them the memorandum of sale. The only hold up seems to be the seller. It's annoying because we don't really know how serious they are about the transaction if they won't communicate.

newsgroupmonkey_

nimloth said:

Yes, we've already instructed a solicitor and EA sent them the memorandum of sale. The only hold up seems to be the seller. It's annoying because we don't really know how serious they are about the transaction if they won't communicate.

Problem is, as you'll find, it's very hard to find properties right now. There are so few of them in many areas and they're selling in a matter of days and get multiple offers.

I think end of June is probably pushing it if they've not even found anywhere and there's a hefty chain going on.

eddddy

Different sellers approach this in different ways.

• Some will instruct their solicitor to start work immediately once an offer is accepted.

• Others will only instruct their solicitor once they've found a place to buy and the chain is complete.

But if the seller hasn't instructed their solicitor to start work, there's always the risk that they are not 100% committed to selling. For example, they'll now start looking for a place to buy, but if they can't find anything they like, they'll give up and stay where they are.

Maybe try to have a general discussion with the EA - ask how committed the seller is, how many properties they're viewing etc.  And remind them that your mortgage runs out soon.

And/or maybe start looking at other properties yourself.

Flugelhorn

you have a seller who has no doubt found it easy to sell and has suddenly found themselves as a buyer and possibly not finding it so easy ..

I knew some people who sold in days in the summer, they were moving over 100 miles away and had a couple of weekend trips to look for places but no luck, they missed out on B&F - they then went there and stayed for 2 weeks until they finally got sorted, very concentrated effort 

nimloth

As far as I'm aware, the seller did instruct a solicitor but last I heard they "had yet completed the paperwork"  whatever that means. 
We're definitely on a lookout for something else, it's just really frustrating...

brasso

I think you need to have a frank discussion with the EA. You don’t want to be aggressive but make it clear that you need some information and some sign of intent. This may be only that the sellers don’t want to start the legal process until they’ve found something but you need some sign of life.  Total silence from the seller is plain rude apart from anything else. If the sellers have a solicitor you could ask yours to give them a nudge and to ask the question - is there a reason that they’ve not yet completed the paperwork? Good luck!

nimloth

Thanks @brasso, that's exactly what we're going to do! Just wanted to sense check if I wasn't being too pushy/unreasonable about it  

brasso

No, you’re being quite reasonable, don’t worry.