Gas and electric safety checks cost

[HawkEye244]

That option was suggested by my solicitor but declined, they or their solicitor requested inspection!
Well I got gas check done and it passed, I found a guy today with a lot of calling around and it passed. The guy took fuse-box apart and checked everything and even check the RCD was working and cutting power to garage.

I would be interested in what lines you've been reading between, I've been very open with buyers, surveyor, solicitor, I've got nothing to hide, I've probably been a bit too open with the buyers on a couple of points, but I have a clear consonance, anything not 100% right they are now aware of!

In that case I'm wrong and didn't read the thread thoroughly enough (If I'm honest).

If they turned down your offer on the checks then yes they are trying to pull one.

 

[Doggit]

Ring your solicitor on Monday Jaba, and check if you've exchanged contracts, then decide if you need to do any more. If you've already dropped the price, then they've got the leeway to sort out anything that they want to.

 

[jaba]

In that case I'm wrong and didn't read the thread thoroughly enough (If I'm honest).

If they turned down your offer on the checks then yes they are trying to pull one.

My solicitor was surprised, further to that I'm leaving some stuff here, like bed and sofa so they don't have to buy new furniture straight away and could just move in if they want it! To get the same bed would cost a good bit of cash.

Ring your solicitor on Monday Jaba, and check if you've exchanged contracts, then decide if you need to do any more. If you've already dropped the price, then they've got the leeway to sort out anything that they want to.

Thanx I will do, but solicitor told me on Friday they need nothing more from me, I've done all paperwork and signed everything. Like I said I've signed the contract but buyers have not as far as I know.
I did drop from asking price, and they'll never get another house in my road at this price unless prices drop, it's cheaper than other two that just sold. If they play hardball I'll probably pull out because it's going to cost me a small fortune to move out into rented until I find a place to buy, so by staying here and selling next year it would be a lot less stress and money for me, just means me putting my plans on hold for a while but without the extra move!
I've wasted a lot of time getting these safety checks done, so short on time now to get out of here and without a completion date written in stone it's bloody hard packing all my stuff up and taking to storage knowing I might be bringing it all back again. If solicitor or agent said do safety checks to begin with to make sure it wasn't an issue it would have been good advice, I really didn't think these things would be problematic but I was very wrong. Anyway gas and electrics are safe, balls in their court!
Thanx for the replies guys,

 

[EFLImpudence]

If they play hardball I'll probably pull out because it's going to cost me a small fortune to move out into rented until I find a place to buy, so by staying here and selling next year it would be a lot less stress and money for me, just means me putting my plans on hold for a while but without the extra move!

Fine then.

Tell them if they don't complete on the stated date, you will take the house off the market, or
if you want to wait until next year, anyway, and get more money, just tell them the sale is off.

Then they can start a thread somewhere complaining about you.

I've wasted a lot of time getting these safety checks done,

You need not have done.

balls in their court!

...and yours

 

[jaba]

Fine then.

Tell them if they don't complete on the stated date, you will take the house off the market, or
if you want to wait until next year, anyway, and get more money, just tell them the sale is off.

Then they can start a thread somewhere complaining about you.


You need not have done.


...and yours

It's not about more money as such, it's about getting a fair price, it's about getting on with life!

It's not as simplistic as that is it!

You need not have done.

It may well have been a waste of time, but if I didn't get the safety reports done and buyers pull out then I would never know if sale failed because of me not trying my best!

No, I've done what's been asked of me, so the proverbial ball is on their side of the court now!
They seem reasonable people , but who knows maybe they're getting not such great advice.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Fair enough and you seem to be and have been a very nice person, but it is a business transaction and you must be firm and stand up for your rights and not put up with being messed around with.

Solicitors and Estate Agents will prolong the process as much as they can to justify their fees - and through incompetence.

 

[jaba]

I paid the agent up front to save on the fees, I think in end this may have been a mistake, I have been lied to on one very important point, actually two. Most of them try hard, but the attention to detail is lacking, but would it be any better with a high street agent, I've seen much worse work done by one very recently so that one good reason for trying something else.
I think the solicitor is better but I am worried about the fees creeping, and they don't get paid unless it completes, so that must be a good incentive to get it done!
Well I've done my best so far, not sure that has been enough or seen as nice by buyers or their solicitors etc, but not sure what else I can do to make it happen on time.
I'll pack up most of my stuff today, hopefully I'll not be unpacking all again by the weekend in the same place!

 

[Notch7]

I paid the agent up front to save on the fees, I think in end this may have been a mistake, I have been lied to on one very important point, actually two. Most of them try hard, but the attention to detail is lacking, but would it be any better with a high street agent, I've seen much worse work done by one very recently so that one good reason for trying something else.
I think the solicitor is better but I am worried about the fees creeping, and they don't get paid unless it completes, so that must be a good incentive to get it done!
Well I've done my best so far, not sure that has been enough or seen as nice by buyers or their solicitors etc, but not sure what else I can do to make it happen on time.
I'll pack up most of my stuff today, hopefully I'll not be unpacking all again by the weekend in the same place!

Did you pay an online estate agent then?

Im interested as I often wonder how they compare. I cant help thinking these days that the key ingredient of selling a house is to get it on right move.

There are plenty of agents now that just operate from a home office and have no high street presence at all. But does that actually matter?

 

[jaba]

Did you pay an online estate agent then?

Im interested as I often wonder how they compare. I cant help thinking these days that the key ingredient of selling a house is to get it on right move.

There are plenty of agents now that just operate from a home office and have no high street presence at all. But does that actually matter?

Yes I did, and they've been pretty good. The thing that I find hard is having to deal with so many different people, that's just how they work, each person has a specific task, but they do stand in for each-other when someone is away.
It was put on the 3 main sites including rightmove, I have no idea what site they found it on though!
In the end, it doesn't really matter, to quote a good lyric! I think after seeing a high street agent make a complete mess of a sale from a family member recently and a different high-street agent apparently not do a great job for a neighbour I think high-street agents will decline in numbers over time.
I've even had two send me letter offering to pay full fee of the internet agent to get my business, and another very well know agent is offering an internet service only at reduced cost!
I've been given two very important bits of info that were incorrect though, not sure if this was a mistake or just to keep my business, in the end if it sells I'll forget about it.

One thing I would suggest is not pay up front like I did, it will cost more, there are hidden charges or extras they like to call them, but I also feeling paying up front may have motivated them also, it's just how I called it at the time!

 

[conny]

Don't just pull out or you may have to refund their deposit plus interest, (which is usually a few percent above bank base rate), as a penalty for breach of contract.
Give them a final date of completion and if they don't complete on that date THEN you can withdraw the sale and keep their deposit.

 

[Doggit]

Don't just pull out or you may have to refund their deposit plus interest, (which is usually a few percent above bank base rate), as a penalty for breach of contract.

But we don't know if they've actually exchanged yet Conny. Peters signed his contract, but we're not sure if the other side has; and then the solicitors will exchange contracts an fix the completion date. Interestingly enough, I've never come across a situation where the sellers pulled out, so don't know the consequences; it's normally the vendors that pull out, and then get penalised.

Peter was going to call his solicitor today, so we'll find out later.

 

[conny]

Usually, as you may be aware, contracts are signed in two stages. The first is confirmation to buy subject to contract terms, and pretty much binds each party to transacting. The second is to confirm all matters have been agreed and completion will take place on a specified date. It's very unusual to have a completion date without both parties signing the first contract which leads me to suspect they both have. If the buyers haven't signed I wouldn't jump to their demands until their money was on the table, (as a sign of good intention), otherwise if they drop out and someone else comes along they may demand other checks, thereby costing the seller even more money, or they may just accept the property as it is.

 

[Doggit]

I'm pretty sure it's a one stage process, not two Conny. Both parties go and see their solicitors, and sign their contracts, and the vendor hand his solicitor the deposit. Now the second stage you're possibly talking about, is where the solicitors exchange the contracts, and that makes the binding for a binding contract for both parties to go forward with the sale. The solicitors will have a greed a completion date when they exchange the contracts, and that's why it was a bit perplexing for a completion date to have been considered by Peters solicitor, even though the vendors hadn't signed their contract yet.

 

[JohnD]

The first is confirmation to buy subject to contract terms, and pretty much binds each party to transacting.

In England, a conditional agreement is not binding.

Only the "contract exchange" is binding, it is performed when all questions have been resolved to the satisfaction of the buyers, and funds are in place, and it defines the completion date.

 

[jaba]

Hi everyone

I’m posting back here to give an update, and I really did appreciate the previous replies in my thread.

Things have been (very very) messy indeed over the last 3 months!

It’s crazy how I thought I could have been out of here before end of Dec 2017, that obviously didn’t happen!

To recap, I had singed all paperwork up to point of and including exchange, but other side didn’t sign that yet, but now that is for the moment irrelevant!

FYI. I did sign the exchange document but of course the buyers are still not in a situation where they can sign it without a mortgage! Even though I was told one was in place!

Where the status is now.

I’m still here! Buyers are on there 3rd mortgage application (shock) Not sure what the truth is behind all the delays and messing about. There is so much history on that it’s way too much to list here.

I was told I would exchange and given a rough date for that, mid Feb, but the agent also without clearing with me changed the property to under offer. So with the guidance of the agent telling me I will be out of here soon, when I eventually found out the status had been changed it didn’t bother me too much at the time.

Now I’m 5 months down the road and of course no interest in property as it’s still under offer.

What I would like to know is, can the listing history be reset by the estate agent on Righmove and Zoopla?

I want to relist and reset so emails will go out to anyone with a saved search for my specific area! But I’ve been told by my agent they don’t control the listing history on Rightmove! It’s that 14 day and 30 day window in searches that gets you the bulk of the traffic when you first list!!

I was then told If I create a new account, that would be the only way the history could be reset and I would have to pay a 2nd fee, but then later they didn’t seem so sure even about that. Then I was told I could leave it off market for 14 weeks and then Rightmove would reset the history! (very helpful)!

So I seem out of options, even if I change agents the first listed date is way back 5 months ago, and will not change! Or is that wrong?

I am awaiting further chat with agent, but I'm worried that emails can’t be reset independently either, so anyone with a saved search on Rightmove or Zoopla will not get an update that my property is back on the market?

Even worse other agents and friends I’ve spoken to think many people will assume something wrong with a property that’s been for sale for such a long time, Rightmove or Zoopla don’t show history, so anyone that finds it will just see it’s been up for sale 5 months, but not that it’s been under offer for most of that time!

This seems very stupid to me. I use saved searches and I'm sure many other do also, so why would I then run a manual search also!! In this situation I’ll miss any property changing back from “under offer” to “For Sale”

Would appreciate any thought and advice on the above?

The only workaround I can think of is change the price, that I know fires off an email for property up for rent, but don't remember seeing an email for property for sale changing price! I'll check with agent.

Thanx

PS. What a mess