Am I being messed about unreasonably?

mi-key

youth_leader said:

That's a great lease. 

There's a lot of discussion from various posters on the property forum on Mumsnet about 'renegotiating after a survey', some people have unrealistic ideas of the cost of work.  Could you get quotes for the window work to see what it would cost and suggest this as a reduction?  I'd not offer a reduction for the electrical work as I understand not many houses have current regulation electrics.

This is a problem particularly with FTBs. They think the survey is a starting point to reduce their offer and expect to get a perfect brand new house when that isn't what they are buying, even when any minor work is taken into account in the listing price of the property

lookstraightahead

That's a buyer messing you around.

Are you ready to move otherwise? 

tealady

I used to work with someone who was selling their late parents house.
Buyer kept asking for £x off for this then £y for that.
Colleague was at their wits end.
I advised them to tell their solicitor that the next request for a reduction would stop the sale, even if they were minutes to completing the deal.
Result, no more requests from buyer and a sale went ahead.
Some people just like to haggle.
HTH

propertyrental

Well the replies here are pretty unanimous, including mine.

I'd almost be inclined to increase the price - but that's just me being obtuse.

Stop negotiating and tell them to buy at the agreed price or to walk away. Give them 2 days to decide and if they either walk away or don't reply in 2 days, re-market.

eidand

These are not serious buyers and I am almost 100% sure they won't exchange anyway. I think you're wasting your time and money.

I would put the house back on the market immediately at an increased price, even if they they agree to no reduction now, they will keep doing this and more than likely won't exchange. I had buyers like this and I wasted several months only for them to pull out when we were supposed to exchange.

ThisIsWeird

Nightsong, what do you think? Are you selling it 'cheaply'? Could you sell it for more? Could you sell it again, right now, for the original, opening offer? Are you 'happy' - accepting - of their revised offer? And would you be 'happy' with a further £1k off just to keep things going?

Based on the above, I wouldn't bother trying to second-guess what this buyer is trying (or not) to do; they could be sneaky bar stewards, or naive/misguided first-timers. Just be the honest broker - your answer is either, "No.", or "Ok, £1k off just to keep the sale on track, but that is it", or whatevs. But, in the words of an ancient star-mariner, 'make it so'.

So if you are kind enough to offer a further £1k 'as a generous token to keep things moving', make it clear to the EA or conveyancer - nicely - that this is exactly what you are doing, and pull out if they piddle about more.

If you want to say 'No', then say so, and stick with it. 

You cannot possibly anticipate what these buyers are ultimately going to do - see it through, or be like Eidand's above. But at least you will have made a decision, and stuck by it. (And your EA will understand you better.)

walwyn1978

Another vote for these people will do this again. Either drop the grand and go that’s your lot no more movement or stand your ground. Give them a timescale to exchange or you stop the sale and remarket.

The volume of responses should help to convince you you’re doing it right. 

Good luck 

nightsong

Many thanks, everyone, for your very helpful responses. It's clear what we should do!

BobT36

mi-key said:

youth_leader said:

That's a great lease. 

There's a lot of discussion from various posters on the property forum on Mumsnet about 'renegotiating after a survey', some people have unrealistic ideas of the cost of work.  Could you get quotes for the window work to see what it would cost and suggest this as a reduction?  I'd not offer a reduction for the electrical work as I understand not many houses have current regulation electrics.

This is a problem particularly with FTBs. They think the survey is a starting point to reduce their offer and expect to get a perfect brand new house when that isn't what they are buying, even when any minor work is taken into account in the listing price of the property

Depends. Seller will always say "Priced accordingly" but is it really? Someone else may view that as far too much for so many issues, etc. Especially as most seller's expectations are based off years of boom and high demand, low supply. 

Far as I see it, if some issues exist and the house IS prices less than other "similar" builds (that are in better condition) in the area, then fine. However those issues must be mentioned either in the description, or verbally on viewing. Then the buyers can take such into account when making their offer. 

If a survey turns up a load of previously unknown problems then I'd expect those to be fixed or the price to go down, if they're significant.
Everyone should know what they're buying, especially when houses are around a third / quarter of a million quid nowadays..