A bloody stressful time buying a house and surprisingly there is so little clear & straighforward information on the internet that guides you through the process for first time buyers.
Thanks so much to EVERYONE who has helped me on here. I will be true to my word and meet you all for drink if it works out.
Our (new) solicitor has smashed this to bits in the last 2 weeks. He got all the searches back in time and organised everything at a canter. All of you who said it could be done were absolutely spot on! We wouldn't have called anyone else without your help so you genuinely might have saved the day.
Turns out, HIS solicitor messed up this week! Our solicitor and the estate agent (who was frightened of losing his money) have chased them since Tuesday and they wouldn't even reply with news about the lease and maintenance questionnaire. Yesterday, we were copied in on an email from the seller who was PISSED (and probably a bit embarrassed) that his solicitor hadn't sent the stuff over after giving us a deadline. The taste of your own medicine can be bitter!
Anyway, he sent a message to us today saying don't worry about the deadline it'll happen when it happens - lol! So pleased with that.
just picked up on this thread, well done Danny and well done all who helped, the CL community is alive and kicking, good teamwork, hope it works out, it sounds like it will.
Orrible ting...the shark infested feeding frenzy that accompanies every house purchase. Prob his.solicitor has higher priorities now. anyway,.being.cc'd in the seller's email is a good sign so fingers.crossed
Fell through today. We were just waiting for the maintenance questionnaire to come back them we could exchange. We had an email saying he's decided to go with a 15k higher offer.
Our estate agent wasn't happy for obvious reasons but he also said he doesn't know how this happened as he had the only keys to it.
As he's pulling the plug I hope he has the decency to offer to pay the costs you've incurred. If not, perhaps it should be suggested. Followed this thread from the start, sorry to see things have fallen through.
sorry to hear that Danny. Not sure what to say apart from stick at it & I'm sure you'll find another (and better !!) place v. soon. I would be half inclined to do what nla suggested although that course of action is only for the brave !!
As he's pulling the plug I hope he has the decency to offer to pay the costs you've incurred. If not, perhaps it should be suggested. Followed this thread from the start, sorry to see things have fallen through.
Don't have a leg to stand on best part of a grand too.
Really sorry to heat that. I'm sure you're gutted at the moment but hopefully something betters just around the corner. The system really does need sorting out once and for all but governments of all persuasion keep dodging the issue.
Sorry to hear that Danny A similar thing happened to me quite a few years ago and I thought f**k this buying lark and I ended up renting for about another 7/8 years and in the long run cost me a lot lot more money so just take a deep breath and carry on searching, you'll find the right one eventually Good luck
Ridiculous system, remember just how stressful it was as we similarly we buying from the sort who played games trying to get the offer upped. Sorry to hear Danny.
Still, the positives are that you've now got a solicitor onside who you know you can trust to get things done quickly next time around, so overall you're in a much stronger position than you were.
Is it true that in scotland, once a bid is accepted that the seller can't pull out or take a higher bid or is thatjust a myth?
That's true once the contract has been signed. The reason that gazumping is rare in Scotland is that properties in many cities are marketed/sold mostly by solicitor/estate agents rather than non-solicitor estate agents (like your Foxtons, Countrywide etc).
Solicitors are bound by the rules of the Law Society of Scotland, even in their estate agency work, whereas non-solicitor estate agents are unregulated. The Law Society of Scotland, in an attempt to ensure that the Scottish property market was not blighted by the problems of gazumping that exist south of the border, binds all solicitor firms to follow Anti-Gazumping rules.
As a seller, you can still accept a higher bid from someone else. However, if you do, your solicitor/agent would then have to withdraw and no longer act for you.
Could happen here now, with the change in the law for legal firms to allow non-solicitors to be owners of the business and this opening the door for cross-sector professional firms (law/accountants/estate agents etc). Would need the Law Society of E&W to follow the Scots example as well.
Sorry about the flat and your experience this time Danny. Hope you find somewhere better soon. All the best.
They also have the "offers over" system in Scotland. Not entirely sure if that's better or worse in the long run as you would still have estate agents giving moody valuations, but at least it stops some chancer offering you £50k below the asking price and basically taking the pish.
Comments
Our (new) solicitor has smashed this to bits in the last 2 weeks. He got all the searches back in time and organised everything at a canter. All of you who said it could be done were absolutely spot on! We wouldn't have called anyone else without your help so you genuinely might have saved the day.
Turns out, HIS solicitor messed up this week! Our solicitor and the estate agent (who was frightened of losing his money) have chased them since Tuesday and they wouldn't even reply with news about the lease and maintenance questionnaire. Yesterday, we were copied in on an email from the seller who was PISSED (and probably a bit embarrassed) that his solicitor hadn't sent the stuff over after giving us a deadline. The taste of your own medicine can be bitter!
Anyway, he sent a message to us today saying don't worry about the deadline it'll happen when it happens - lol! So pleased with that.
Fingers crossed next week some time.
anyway,.being.cc'd in the seller's email is a good sign so fingers.crossed
;-)
Our estate agent wasn't happy for obvious reasons but he also said he doesn't know how this happened as he had the only keys to it.
Devastated.
As golfie said, maybe this one wasn't meant to be and there is a better one out there for you.
Good luck in finding it.
Make sure you have nothing more to do with the estate agent - don't let him come up with an "better alternative"
Leave him/them to rue the lost commission from a genuine buyer.
I'm sure something better will come up.
Stay positive and good luck!!
A similar thing happened to me quite a few years ago and I thought f**k this buying lark and I ended up renting for about another 7/8 years and in the long run cost me a lot lot more money so just take a deep breath and carry on searching, you'll find the right one eventually
Good luck
Still, the positives are that you've now got a solicitor onside who you know you can trust to get things done quickly next time around, so overall you're in a much stronger position than you were.
Good luck.
Solicitors are bound by the rules of the Law Society of Scotland, even in their estate agency work, whereas non-solicitor estate agents are unregulated. The Law Society of Scotland, in an attempt to ensure that the Scottish property market was not blighted by the problems of gazumping that exist south of the border, binds all solicitor firms to follow Anti-Gazumping rules.
As a seller, you can still accept a higher bid from someone else. However, if you do, your solicitor/agent would then have to withdraw and no longer act for you.
Could happen here now, with the change in the law for legal firms to allow non-solicitors to be owners of the business and this opening the door for cross-sector professional firms (law/accountants/estate agents etc). Would need the Law Society of E&W to follow the Scots example as well.
Sorry about the flat and your experience this time Danny. Hope you find somewhere better soon. All the best.