House Buying Is More Stressful Than Divorce, Death or Bankruptcy

[Chicky]

That sounds very promising nine, I hope it goes smoothly for you from here on in!

Emma, I’m glad your new place is ok, you must be so peed off with it all but at least the end is in sight.

We’re still negotiating moving date. I desperately want to move in April but it involves everything going quickly and without hitches, so I’m trying not to get my hopes up.

Look at what will hopefully be my new hot tub view though

[Tsu]

Wow! That's a great view.

Well done to you all for almost getting there. I hope when we get home on February 8th we will be ready to go, there's just a couple of minor boxes to tick, apparently.

[emma_p]

There was a hot tub in the new place?! It was clearly meant to be That looks so, so lovely.

Fingers crossed for you too, Tsu. The end is in sight. At last!

[nineseven]

Wow, what a lovely view!

I just chatted to my vendors and it looks like all parties want to exchange on 7th and complete by 28th.

[Chicky]

There was a hot tub in the new place?! It was clearly meant to be That looks so, so lovely.

Yes! Already installed and they are leaving it too. The view is great. It’s SW facing too so we should get some glorious sunsets.

Sounds like Feb will be an exciting month for everyone

[cluefree]

There’s some very exciting news here for everyone! I’m pleased for you all, congratulations!

Ours is going brilliantly.

The house we’re buying has now gone into probate. Our buyers are the most nervous first time buyers ever and have asked us to pay for three additional surveys. We have nicely told them to jog on, so they’ve instructed a damp proofing company to come round today to do a free survey. What’s the betting they’ll find we need damp proofing work to the tune of about four million pounds? It’s taken them almost four months to even get to this stage. We will be 85 before we move on.

[Dáire]

Damp proofing's a scam (on the whole. Genuine issues are rarer than some salesman with a fake detector and an injector solution) . They're going to say yes to a problem that isn't there and offer a solution that doesn't work.

Did you have any other interested buyers got can offer to? These two sounds like they're keen to hear disaster.

[cluefree]

We’ve told them that as they’re not prepared to pay an independent surveyor, any results from the “survey” they’ve instructed will be considered void and we will not be renegotiating or paying towards any work they recommend. We could live in the Sahara in a sandcastle and they’d still find damp. It’s ludicrous. We’ve told them they’re taking too long and we will happily put it back on the market if they’re getting cold feet. They’ve fallen over themselves to tell us that they’re desperate for the house and they’re scared we’re going to “take it off them” but their parents are in their ears all the time and they’re nervous. That’s understandable, but don’t try to buy an old Victorian terrace then, you fucking berks. We turned down an offer £10k higher than theirs from a buyer ready to go but didn’t want to gazump them. So here we are. It’s so frustrating. I’m sure they’re going to get scared off and we’ll be back at square one again but we’ll see.

[nineseven]

I really feel your pain, Cloof. Could your estate agent contact the other person who offered and see if they’re still looking? Mental buyers never get less mental and believe me I’ve had several.

Your approach to the damp survey is completely correct. When I was buying last year I paid for an independent and he was amazing and sensible.

[cluefree]

Thanks Nince. I also think that if they get over this stupid damp survey (there’s never been a problem with damp here) then it will be the electrics, or gas, or whatever the next thing is. I’ve seen their homebuyers survey (they seem to have a fairly inept mortgage advisor) and it’s a brilliant survey, considering the age of our house. The one we’re buying is nowhere near as good, but I wouldn’t dream of trying to chisel money off our vendors for it. I’m going to contact the agent again on Monday to tell her to put the feelers out. We had about six offers at asking price, two over that, two at what our current buyers are paying (trying not to pay) and one £10k over and above that, all in the space of about three days. In trying to be fair, we’ve picked the most irritating couple to ever buy a house.

It’s also pissing me off because we’re leaving loads of expensive stuff for them (lovely light fittings and blinds and the desk I built in etc) and haven’t even asked them to pay for any of it. We’ve provided up to date service history for the boiler, had a new thermostat fitted. We literally couldn’t have been more accommodating.

I think if they’re still being problematic after this survey then we will have to put it back on the market. We can’t afford to wait much longer. The house we’re buying is going through probate quicker than our buyers are moving! It’s ludicrous.

We might also consider getting an independent survey done ourselves for the next buyer. It’s such a pain in the tits.

[Mayday]

Argh Cluef. You've been more than accommodating! Who are these people who expect old houses to be perfect

[cluefree]

Thanks, Mayday. The unrealistic expectations are nuts! Buy a new build if you’re that worried! I think they want all the character and space of a Victorian house with the low maintenance of a newly built house. GOOD LUCK WITH THAT.

[nineseven]

Very wise, Cloof. I’d pretty much say that to them via the EA and add you’d had a number of other offers and will be putting it back on the market on XX date if they don’t move forward quickly.

When did you accept their offer? The market has really steadied and you may actually get more money from a new buyer.

[Chicky]

God cluefree that’s so annoying especially when you had all those other offers on the table. I agree that you’ve been extremely accommodating and the time might come to tell them to shove it.

No movement here, waiting for the survey on the house we are buying, waiting for our buyers to get going. Ugh. We are taking the boys to see the new house on Sunday though so hopefully we can have a frank conversation about moving dates then.

[cluefree]

I think we will have to do that, Nince.

We accepted their offer before the middle of October. Ridiculous!

[cluefree]

Ooh, good luck, chicky!

It doesn’t help that our agent is a bit dim. I could not get her to understand the difference between an independent surveyor and a company that sells damp proofing. HELPFUL.

[Skips]

Our mortgage advisor did this to us, the fucking prick. And got a quote for loads of work that didn't need doing so I also paid for a surveyor who said it did need work (that was evident) but it was a fraction of the cost of the first quote.

[cluefree]

God, Skips. They’re bloody useless, aren’t they?!

[nineseven]

Our mortgage advisor did this to us, the fucking prick. And got a quote for loads of work that didn't need doing so I also paid for a surveyor who said it did need work (that was evident) but it was a fraction of the cost of the first quote.

Why was your mortgage advisor involved with surveys? (Sorry if I have got the wrong end of the stick!)

[Skips]

Because the lender asked for it and he said he knew someone. I asked if they were independent/RICS registered and he lied which i discovered when we got the report. It was a family friend of J's so I didn't feel we could use anyone else, but I have said we won't use him again.