Are we being messed around?

CherryK87

Hi all,

In the process of selling our leasehold flat and buying a new property. We had an offer accepted on a property back in August after a couple of weeks of being advised that the seller needed to check he could accept the offer as was buying a new build and for various reasons needed to check he could accept our offer which was under asking. During that time, our flat went under offer and we were pleased that the offer was made by first time buyers, so with our seller buying a new build, this would mean the chain was relatively small. 

After the wait to find out if our offer was accepted, we were then told our seller had changed their mind and were not going to be buying a new build but had found another property which was a no chain property so we were happy with this as again would keep the chain simplified. 

After about a month and a half, with a few hiccups along the way on our buyers side, everything was moving in the right direction and all enquiries were nearly complete on both sides. We then got a call to say that our seller had changed their mind about the area they were buying their house in and so had pulled out of that purchase too. They have said they are still keen to sell and will be looking for another property, but I am now concerned that as they have already changed their minds about the property they are buying twice, could it be a possibility that this happens again?

We currently are awaiting to hear if our buyer is willing to wait until the chain is closed at the top, so it could all be taken out of our hands anyway, but wondering if we should consider looking for another property. The problem being is that I do still look and nothing has compared to the one we put the offer in for and so if we do walk away then we would be walking away from something we really, really liked. I want to be patient, but the nerves that the seller could find another property and then a couple of months down the line change their minds again is making me question if they are really serious and if we should cut our losses and perhaps try to find a no chain property ourselves. 

Any advice welcome! Thanks in advance! ☺️

Mark_d

The people you are looking to buy from don't know what type of house they want.  They don't even know what area they want to live in.  They're clearly not serious about moving house within a short timeframe (Maybe they're looking for a "good deal" - something that doesn't exist in the housing market).

I suggest you put your emotions a side and find another house to buy.  There will be many houses that can work for you - and at the right price any of these are viable options.

RHemmings

I know someone who ended up tied to unrealiable sellers. Unrealiable in a different way, but the effect was the same. Their mortgage offer expired at a tiime when replacement mortgage offers would be more expensive. Others in the chain dropped out in frustration. They didn't want to give up on the house as it was a really great house for them. But, the end of the story was that eventually they had to give up and find another house. 

In your situation, OP, I'd value your buyer much more than you seller. But, you're in the same position as my friend in that you really want the seller's house. 

CherryK87

Thank you both. I fear that you may both be right and that we are going to have to cut our losses and try to find something else. 

Back to trawling rightmove whilst still clinging on to some little hope! 

nicmyles

There's no harm in keeping your offer in with this seller until you find somewhere else - but you can just tell them you won't progress further until they have found somewhere.

Do you know they "changed their mind"? Lots of reasons why something can fall through - unfavourable survey etc. They may be just as frustrated as you.

CherryK87

nicmyles said:

There's no harm in keeping your offer in with this seller until you find somewhere else - but you can just tell them you won't progress further until they have found somewhere.

Do you know they "changed their mind"? Lots of reasons why something can fall through - unfavourable survey etc. They may be just as frustrated as you.

Yes, I guess the sensible thing to do is to keep our offer on the table as we have already invested time and money into it what with the survey and searches etc. Yes we were told by the estate agents assisting with the sale that they had "changed their mind" about the area. I think I would give them the benefit of the doubt if it was the first time, but it's the fact initially they had chosen a new build in a different area but then changed their minds on that one last minute, that is also making me anxious about how serious they really are. I get it, everyone wants to find something that is the "right" one for them, it's just all so anxiety inducing. 

Myci85

If it helps to put your mind at rest, we were in pretty much the same position with our purchase. Our sellers pulled out of 2 houses before finally buying house number 3. We had the same worries, that perhaps they weren't that serious about buying and would keep pulling out. After they pulled out of house number 2, we spoke to the EA and made it clear that we were going to start looking at other properties, and I think this made them realise they risked losing their buyer. They managed to push through the third purchase in just over 2 months, and we completed 2 weeks ago. 

I would definitely keep looking at other properties on Rightmove (I never stopped) and view any you like the look of, and also let EA know you are doing so. But keep your offer in with the current one until you find something better as you've nothing to lose if most of the conveyancing is already complete. 

CherryK87

Myci85 said:

If it helps to put your mind at rest, we were in pretty much the same position with our purchase. Our sellers pulled out of 2 houses before finally buying house number 3. We had the same worries, that perhaps they weren't that serious about buying and would keep pulling out. After they pulled out of house number 2, we spoke to the EA and made it clear that we were going to start looking at other properties, and I think this made them realise they risked losing their buyer. They managed to push through the third purchase in just over 2 months, and we completed 2 weeks ago. 

I would definitely keep looking at other properties on Rightmove (I never stopped) and view any you like the look of, and also let EA know you are doing so. But keep your offer in with the current one until you find something better as you've nothing to lose if most of the conveyancing is already complete. 

Good to know that eventually your sellers did find somewhere and managed to move fairly quickly. 

Similarly to you I have never stopped looking at Rightmove but so far am yet to find anything that has compared to the one we have put the offer in for. But we will definitely view others if anything does come up. 

When I rang the estate agent to ask if she thought the sellers were serious, she assured us she would make sure she was chasing up with them and seeing if they have viewed anything or have anything lined up. If they seem to take a long time now and don't have any viewings then it might give us more of an indication and we might just have to take a step back from it. 

We have had news now that our buyer is prepared to wait, which is a little more reassuring, but at the same time, I would imagine they may also be looking potentially for a no chain while they are waiting. 

I guess only time will tell. 

CherryK87

So just a little update....
We have now had confirmation that our sellers do have some viewings booked in so we are hoping that they might find something soon.

In the meantime, we have now had a request for £220 for a management pack from the company that manages the freehold of our flat. We have already had one management pack from the management company but this one I assume would include things like ground rent receipts etc. 

They have said that upon receipt of payment it will take 3 working days to produce which is very reasonable. My question is, would you hang fire on spending more money for the sale in case it all falls through if our seller is unable to find somewhere and pulls out? My thoughts are that if it were going to take weeks to produce the management pack then I would definitely pay it now to prevent any delays, but as it can be produced so quickly, I wonder whether it's worth waiting a bit until we know more as to whether our seller is able to continue with the sale. 

Any thoughts welcome. Thanks in advance. 

gazfocus

I would definitely hang fire until you know for certain that you’re going to proceed. No point spending anymore money until you’re sure, especially, as you say, the management pack doesn’t take long to produce. 

CherryK87

gazfocus said:

I would definitely hang fire until you know for certain that you’re going to proceed. No point spending anymore money until you’re sure, especially, as you say, the management pack doesn’t take long to produce. 

Thank you. I have asked our solicitor to hang fire on the management pack just for now, until we know what's going on with the seller and if they are able to purchase somewhere. Even if they do find somewhere and make an offer, the whole conveyancing process for that property is going to take some time, and in that time we should be able to get the management pack sorted. I think you're right it's definitely not worth spending more money until we have more clarity on whether we can move forward.