House Buying Is More Stressful Than Divorce, Death or Bankruptcy

[Toast]

Good news about the valuation. I can't remember if you had a rough completion date in mind or are you relaxed (ha!) about it?

I've finally had my solicitor's report and the draft contract through. Everything looks good so we're ready to transfer the deposit, sign, etc. Still no word on a date yet though.

[Derek Nimmo]

I'm pretty relaxed about it - I'd like pre-Xmas but bearing in mind my sellers' slow as fuck lawyers, I doubt it. If nothing else, I'd like to be sure enough of the purchase to use the January sales to good effect!

I do hope you get some good news soon, no more endless dragging on

[Toast]

My solicitor has spoken to the vendor's solicitor and they're saying end of November is not achievable I really don't want it to go into December because Christmas is going to screw everything up but it's looking like there's no option. I bet you'll be in before me

My buyer's queries are coming in now. The buyers who refused to complete in December because they can't make the finances work (meaning I need to pay two mortgages for two months longer than I need to). They want me get the boiler serviced and have all the electrics checked. FFS. I'm not spending any more money.

Oh, and they want copies of all my utility bills.

[Ella77]

Surely they can't require you to do either of those things, Toast! And as for asking for copies of bills, good god, people can be rude.

[Derek Nimmo]

Cheeky buggers! Those are exactly the kind of costs that you swallow when you move house, they'll be asking you to change the locks at your expense on the day you move out next

[Livilla]

They want me get the boiler serviced and have all the electrics checked.

Gosh, wouldn’t it be nice if someone else paid for the things that buyers always have to do when they buy a house!!!

And utility bills too - mind you, that;s easily swerved by just telling them that given the current state of the gas and electricity markets, past performance is no guarantee of future performance so they’d be of no assistance.

[emma_p]

Presumably solicitors just have a check list of questions they go through. Our solicitor asked for certificates of electricity checks and boiler services (we didn't;t ask them to). Our sellers provided the latest ones but they had but they weren't that recent and we were fine with that.

Utility bills though!! Push back on that.

[Little My]

Providing utility bills is pretty standard here. Buyers ask for them, but I think it's mostly just because it's a recommendation on standard checklists. But a waste of time, really. I mean, I don't think it puts anyone off does it?

I wouldn't want to pay for electricity checks and boiler services, because then what if something needed replaced.. You don't want to go digging for problems. Although I would be tempted to get the boiler serviced if they would complete earlier!

[Toast]

Yeah, that stuff is standard, emma, and I have provided what I've got (certificate of when the boiler was last serviced, for example) but the buyers have asked my solicitor for these things in addition. I have declined. I'm paying the mortgage for an additional two months which they are aware I'm not happy about it. How do they have the nerve to ask me to spend even more money?!

I really like your wording, Liv!

[Marth]

I think it's reasonable not to supply electric certs and bills. The bills are your private information especially. I suppose the solicitor needs to pass on any requests. Like my vendors wanting to sell me their manky curtains and poles for £750.

Thanks but ...

[emma_p]

You are right to decline. When our sellers dropped out of their onward purchase at last minute after we had already been pressured into exchanging on the date THEY had pushed for hard with our also very pushy buyers and we then had to sort out airbnbs right before christmas (it ended up being three months!) we asked them to include the range, washing machine, dryer, wall-mounted tv and fridge which they did. There is definitely room for negotiation!

[Toast]

I wouldn't mind providing the utility bills too much although, as Liv said, I don't know how useful they would be. And you're right about the solicitor passing on reuqests - I'd be annoyed if she wasn't passing my requests on. It's more the bloody cheek of my buyers.

That seems reasonable to me, emma. My vendor keeps asking me if I want certain things (apart from the oven) which is lovely but I don't want any of it!

[Estrella]

Our buyer’s mum commented on the IKEA kitchen we have in the outdoor kitchen area so I’m toying with leaving it for them. I don’t think I’ve shared but our buyers are the equivalent of a Premiership footballer and his partner and kids.

We are packing now and I need to get removalists booked in. I kind of feel ok about sharing now, so this is our new place. Half an acre. They’re leaving us their bees and beehive too

[Derek Nimmo]

Wow, what a house! Is that a granny annexe at the back? Is that your pool to the right?

[Estrella]

That’s a three car garage and granny flat (soon to be gym) to the back and our pool is hidden in that shot (it’s between the house and garage, the photo is an awkward angle)

[Squirrel]

Oh wow! That looks incredible.

[emma_p]

It looks huge!

[Mountain Goat]

Holy crap! That's amazing.

[F'Artiste]

That’s amazing!

[emma_p]

I’d love to see inside!