6 months into the sale process, less than two weeks from completion and buyers are trying to renegotiate £10k. Thoughts?
Hi all,
Was hoping to get people thoughts on the situation, a bit of context, we are nearly 6 months into the sale process of our 3 bed semi to first time buyers - total chain of 3. This process has been an absolute pain especially due to my buyers solicitor and my own. The enquiries have taken over 2 months with the buyers solicitor asking the most asinine questions and asking for several indemnity policies which I’ve refused.
We have been in conversations regarding the completion date in just under two weeks and the buyers sprung a survey on us last minute, which we were not happy about as we’re so far along in the process but happily accommodated - this happened last Friday.
Yesterday we got a call from the estate agent saying the buyer wanted to renegotiate a minimum of £10k off (baring in mind we already accepted £14k below asking) we received a copy of the survey through freedom of information act and to summarise the surveyor said the below:
The property was found to be in an average condition for its' type and age, with no significant structural defects apparent.
As with any property of this age there is general unevenness and wear of surfaces which includes floors, walls and ceilings. This can result in misshapen doorframes, skirtings, architraves and cornices.
It should be noted that in any property of this age there will be general unevenness of the surfaces and structures of walls, floors, ceilings, doors, windows and other elements. These have occurred due to settlement of the structure and general usage over an extended period. It is not possible to highlight each individual example of such distortions and only those felt to be of an unusual nature have been highlighted.
It is noted that there is a level of asbestos still present in the property. This is typical of properties built post-war. See section 3.2.
Of course issues were found but were mostly wear and tear but here is a summary:
Rainwater discharge arrangements are uncertain, with rear gutters appearing to rely on neighbouring drainage and the front water butt arrangement overflowing/not discharging properly.
The garage is in dilapidated condition with structural cracking, defective roof/wall junctions, suspected asbestos cement roof sheets, water ingress and decayed timber elements.
Gas and Electric certificates require validation. There has been amateur adaptions and omissions noted in the gas boiler installation
The chimney stack is generally serviceable, but the open/uncapped pot requires a suitable gas-compatible cowl subject to Gas Safe confirmation.
Ventilation upgrades would be deemed essential to maintain good internal air quality after the cavity wall insulation and window upgrades were applied.
uPVC fascias appear serviceable, but roof void ventilation provision could not be confirmed and should be checked.
The kitchen is serviceable, but the recirculating cooker hood, damaged integrated fridge/freezer fixing and restricted stopcock access require attention.
Grounds are functional, but overgrown vegetation restricts maintenance access and boundary responsibilities should be confirmed.
This is not an exhaustive list and therefore you should read the full contents of this report to establish whether any matters are of concern to you.
As an fyi I provided their solicitor with all the paperwork regarding windows, boiler, new consumer unit etc.
My sister and I who own the property have done around £30k worth of works in the 6 years we’ve owned the house - new windows/doors, new combi boiler, new laminate flooring, skimmed the artexing, new carpet on the stairs, a new fence in the front garden and a new bathroom.
I am upsizing property and cannot afford to renegotiate as we already stretched to offer on our forever home and took the offer from the buyer as the seller was also desperate to sell and we brokered a deal.
What are peoples thoughts? Am I being unreasonable? From the report there are no structural problems and no house is perfect. I’ve looked at similar properties in the area and they’re either bungalows or more expensive than we’re offering them.
Thanks all