Big Bird

I am new to the forum, so bare with me.

Hoorah, I received my visa back in May - the Cherry on the cake. (but no icing yet)

We put our house on the market back in August last year and after a slow start and wrong estate agent, we got on track and found a buyer in February. Great we thought, 16 weeks or so and we can move into a house which we bought a few years ago to rent out - once the tenants moved out.

Our chain took a while to complete and then the Solicitors took a while sorting the paperwork. In the meantime our drains blocked and my husband decided to unblock them himself. After hiring 10 rods and having a good poke down the drain, only 7 returned!!!!!

Called the insurance company and they said we were covered and got a company to come in and clear the blockage. A bit smelly!!!!!

He found some minor problems and said to get the NHBC to sort them out.

In view of the sale we told the Solicitor and my husband spoke to the NHBC and they agreed due to the urgency we could pay the Drainage company to complete the work and they would pay us. No problem there.

They came out on Friday 13th August and found another problem which was minor but needed doing and came back out on Monday 16th (which was to do with next door, but attached to our drains). All happy work completed.
The drain company sent a report stating all work done and everything is OK.

In the meantime we have spent 5 weeks cleaning, decorating and moving into the other house as well as working - I am a zombie after this lot.

Now the buyer has now become a drains expert and has quoted from an internet site how the pipes should run, they need another chamber etc etc...
he also wants reports stating all sort of things.

The Drains company and the NHBC both say he is being a ****** but it is getting to a point there is nothing more we can do!

Today he still wants more information!!!!!!!

THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH MY DRAINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am feeling very 'drained' and this could put a stop on us coming out to Melbourne this year.

So I am feeling sorry for myself.

We have decided to put the board back up and speak to the agent tomorrow about putting it back up on the market, while he decides if he wants the house!

Apart from this plonker, we would be in Melbourne in November.

Does anyone want to buy my house?????

Feeling better now I have got that off my chest.

nosuchluck

Hi Big Bird
sorry to hear about your blockage and your ****** of a buyer, hope that things get sorted soon and you can start to live your dream
Rach x

shecha

Well said Rach, exactly what I was going to say!!!

Hope you get your house sold soon Big Bird!!!

We're in the same situation and waiting for house to sell - I'm already not sleeping and the house only went up for sale this week!!!

God knows what I'll be like if I get problems like you've had - a complete wreck I would imagine!!!

Good luck!!!

Shel

Big Bird

Thanks for the kind words girl's

Shel, I definately hope you have better luck. Keep your chin up, it will happen!

jerzy

Big Bird,

Having a similar problem with our buyer who's ****head of a surveyor can't tell whether the plaster board dividing wall we removed from the middle of our kitchen was load bearing or not (what the hell do we pay these people for !)

I know it wasn't, I took it out and it was short of the ceiling by 6 inches !

Our buyers now want to get a builder 'round who will want to pull up the floorboards in the room above (the one with all the heavy furniture in it !) and check that the floor isn't about to collapse.

We've told them that if they don't get it done by the end of next week we'll be putting it back on the market. We're also going to ask the estate agent to investigate the possibility of renting it out, hoping that he'll pass this information back to our buyers and they'll realised we're not going to be messed about (we haven't got time to be as we've booked our flights for mid October).

Best of luck with your buyers.

neil.b

Hi Big Bird.
Sorry to hear that you are having problems with your proposed buyer. Why not just ask him straight. "DO YOU WANT TO BUY MY HOUSE AS IT IS OR NOT?" My inlaws adopted this tactic last year with a buyer. It worked for them and he signed on the dotted line.

Good luck

Big Bird

As you say 'What do we pay these people for?'

Hopefully they will get the message from the estate agents and just sign those documents! We are hoping the same.

Fortunately we have not sorted out any shippers or flights yet so the deadline is not so tight - but we do have to validate our visas by 18th December, so it could mean a holiday this year, then move next October 05.

Big Bird

We did think of saying 'DO YOU WANT TO BUY MY ******* HOUSE OR NOT?', that could be Monday!

debsy

Hiya Big Bird
Welcome to the forum

I had the same kind of problems with my buyers when we sold our property.

I had some large trees in the garden which had been there since the house was built seven years ago. There was not a problem with the roots doing any structural damage and the buyers wanted to contact everyone such as the builders and the local council.

The local council said that the trees were not preserved so if they did not like them they could have them chopped down but they still kept going on about it. Talk about get on your nerves. I HATE BUYERS.

Try to stay cool at all times
Good luck.

where are you off to?

Big Bird

We are looking at Melbourne, at the moment we think we will possibly rent around the Point Cook area. But that will give us a good chance to have a look round and find work for my husband. It really depends where he finds work eventually.

neil.b

Strikes me as though the jerk wants something for nothing.

cresta57

Big bird u really do have my sympathies.
We put our house up for sale early last July got a buyer within 4 days of putting it on the market. Sounds great 1st time buyers (no chain) was told we should be all sorted with 3months tops!!!!!
The buyers employer started playing about and wouldn't write a reference to say he was employed by them so their mortgage was held up.
In the meantime we got out visa's (wept buckets when the agent rang) Sean thought we had been turned down when I rang to tell him!!!!
Anyways then their bank started to mess them about. To cut along story short we booked our flights for Nov 7th on Oct 24th I was in the estate agents having a total nervous breakdown and demanding that they put the house back on the market also threatened to put banks windows through (not usually this unstable honest :scared: After several boxes of tissues and strong sweet tea the agent assured me that everything would fall into place.
We finally exchanged contracts on Oct 28th and would complete 2 days later. We cleared out the house moved in with my parents and stupid me handed over the keys to the couple. WE didn't complete 2 days later this finally happened on Nov 4th after much screaming and cursing at the incompetence of everyone involved. Luckily I hadn't cancelled my flights but it was fun and games trying to get money transfers etc organised. Thankfully we had arranged a 5 day stop over in Bangkok so I had chilled out before we arrived in Oz.


Keep smiling it'll all come good in the wash

Deb

Ps you could always get the buyer back by sewing prawns into the hem of the curtains if your leaving them
Don't get mad get even!!!!!!!!!!! :scared:

Big Bird

Deb

I like your way of thinking - unfortunately we are not leaving curtains. But I am sure I can think of something just as good!

Hels

Big Bird!! I feel your pain!!

I am an Aussie, married to a Pom....We decided to move to Oz when my FIL passed away and we found out we would inherit half the value of the house my Hubby grew up in. We have worked like trojans all year trying to work full time, sort out the probate, move from our rental into hubby's family home, clean the house and declutter (bloody nightmare that was ), get the house ready for putting on the market...

Finally, house goes on the market. Loads of viewings within the first week and celebrations are had when we get full asking price offer 1 week after the house goes onto the market. The buyer appears to be a good one, she is keen, supplies all info right off to the Agent, she has no chain as she intends to rent out her current property. Agent suggests though, to keep the house on the market until she books in the mortgage survey. Probably 10 or so more viewings. 3 weeks later, the Agent calls and is worried as there hasnt been a mortgage survey booked, but also advises we have had another offer. On advice from the Agent, we tell both parties that its the first in with a booked mortgage survey will get the house. The original buyer has her survey booked in the following day (Nothing like a little pressure to get things done!)

Everything running along smoothly. Buyer brings kids round to see the house, we exchange phone numbers just incase, so we dont always have to go through the Agent if any basic questions(BIG mistake...HUGE). Our solicitor is in touch regarding questions about the garage planning permission etc...All sorted. Exchange is imminent!! Completion date is verbally agreed with buyer for 6/9.

Tickets are booked to fly to Oz via Florida for 14/9 with a 2 week lay over . Shippers are booked for 9/8. Leaving party planned for 7/8, invitations sent out, loads of beer bought! Party day comes and goes....was a great night and all got suitably drunk and disorderly. Shippers arrive the Monday after the party and were in the process of packing our boxes when a call comes from the Agent.....

The buyer received the mortgage survey (1 month after it was done) and it has in it that electrics needed updating as soon as possible and one of the double glazing windows is misting...Sorry, but the buyer wants to pull out of the sale!!!

Panic mode sets in.....

5 weeks till we fly out and now no sale of the house!! That night, I get a call from the buyer(hence me saying it was a HUGE mistake giving her my number) saying that she was sorry but she wanted to buy my 70 year old house but not have to do anything at all to it. I was gobsmacked to say the least. I asked her that if we were to negotiate the house price would she? She said she would think about it....

We put the house on the market again the very next day and one week later, we have another buyer but have decided that buggar it, no matter whether we sell the house or not by the 14/9 we are going....Gonna leave it up to the Solicitors and Agents to sell the house...let them earn their money...

See, so when things often look their bleakest...it can still all work out in the end...

Hels

shecha

Cheers Big Bird,

I'm starting to focus on positive thinking and if that doesn't work (not very positive already), plan B is lots of alcohol to sleep!!!

Shell