Given my buyers a deadline, anyone had any success?

Bidds10

I’ve been waiting for a month now for my buyers to close off our enquiries and close as satisfied. We had not any had response to our replies to enquires, even after chasing every day. 

Our buyers are a company purchasing our house as a buy to let. The house we are moving to is empty. We are ready to go and move - I’ve been pushing for a completion date but our estate agent and buyers solicitor are slowing things down and causing massive delays. I’ve told our agent - if they cannot give us a response by Friday then I am going to pull the sale and go back to market. 

2x questions - has anyone ever done this and been successful? Can I leave Connels after this and go with someone else to sell? I’ve also raised a complaint today officially with connels as not at all happy. Even my solicitor has said today that the estate agents are usually all over them and she hasn’t heard anything from them to push the buyers?! 

TIA 

user1977

Bear in mind you can remarket without pulling the sale, and leave it up to the buyers to get their act together before you receive an alternative offer. 

theartfullodger

Can you leave estate agent|?? Almost certainly yes, (as in I CAN drive at 100mph on the M4 - but may not..) but depending on your contract with them, likely that will cost you - perhaps what you would have paid them if sold via them.  

Have you read, carefully, the contract please??

Hoenir

Bidds10 said:

 I’ve also raised a complaint today officially with connels as not at all happy. 

You've an agenda. Your buyers have their own. Complaining is pointless. In remarketing your own property your own vendors might do likewise. There's no control over how events may unfold. 

eddddy

Bidds10 said:

Can I leave Connels after this and go with someone else to sell? 

You need to check what your contract says. Typically there are 2 things to check...

• The minimum contract period - you can't end the contract and go to another estate agent during that period

• The notice period - you usually have to give 2 or 4 weeks written notice to end an estate agent's contract

If you're not aware of your minimum contract period, I guess you accepted the default option, rather than negotiating it down.

People have mentioned that Connell's default minimum contract period is 26 weeks. i.e. You have to wait 26 weeks from the date you 'signed-up' with them, before you can end your contract and go to another estate agent.

Bidds10

Yes you are right. I’m on the default 26 weeks although - I only have 2 weeks to go before this ends.

RAS

If you do this, require a list of people who Connells could claim were introduced by them, and make sure your new EA  has a copy of the list.

eddddy

Bidds10 said:

Yes you are right. I’m on the default 26 weeks although - I only have 2 weeks to go before this ends.

OK - but you still have to give the written notice specified in the contract.

I'd guess the notice period is 4 weeks. So if you give notice now, the contract would end in 4 weeks.

Mutton_Geoff

RAS said:

If you do this, require a list of people who Connells could claim were introduced by them, and make sure your new EA  has a copy of the list.

Which, from personal experience, Connells will refuse to provide.

I'd also check they haven't made you sign a sole selling rights contract otherwise you may need to rethink your exit strategy.

eddddy

RAS said:

If you do this, require a list of people who Connells could claim were introduced by them, and make sure your new EA  has a copy of the list.

Mutton_Geoff said:

Which, from personal experience, Connells will refuse to provide.

Connells are members of The Property Ombudsman Scheme. So the mandatory code of practice says they must provide a list of people they introduced.

Mutton_Geoff said:

I'd also check they haven't made you sign a sole selling rights contract otherwise you may need to rethink your exit strategy.

Why are you thinking that a sole selling rights contract (as opposed to a sole agency contract) makes any difference to the OP's situation?




However, if the contract has a "Ready, Willing and Able Buyer" clause, that might cause some arguments if the OP withdraws from the sale.

The estate agent might try to argue that they had introduced a Ready, Willing and Able buyer, but the OP withdrew - so the OP has to pay the estate agent's fee.

Bidds10

Well only 2 people actually turned up to view the house and we accepted the first offer so that list will be very short! Haha.