Nightmare buyers

[wellse]

I am getting so angry and stressed that I had to vent this, to people who hopefully might have experienced this or will know if its normal!!

We had our very perfect house on the market for 3 weeks and sold it (or are about to sell it) for 2.5k under asking price, which is all great. Not bragging about the perfect house bit, just making the point that it is in a fantastic state of decor and repair and there really is genuinely nothing bad to say about it, which the buyers agree with.

HOWEVER - they are now at the just pre-contract stage turning round and asking for loads of our personal goods!!!! I gave them a long list of everything we would be prepared to leave, but that was not the end of it - I was getting furious when they asked for our garden furniture as well, but completely almost lost it today when they asked for my bathroom mirror. I feel like this is a yard sale. We are not emigrating we are also moving house to a larger house, and hence everything we 'throw in' we will have to go out and buy again. I am also about to have a baby so have enough extra stuff to buy, without replacing all my really expensive goods that I bought to last, not to give to cheeky ####s.

Has anyone else experienced this? If said baby was not about to arrive I would love to turn around and tell them to shove the sale.

[OnTheLookOut]

Stay cool. And stay cool with your buyer. Just say no. Make it clear to them that you are selling the house, and that's it Period. Put the pressure on them - let them sweat. Be firm. If they're not happy, let them walk. It's their loss. If you managed to sell the house in just three weeks, it's obviously a nice house at a nice price, so there will probably be other people willing to buy it soon.

[wellse]

Thanks I do feel a bit calmer about it today, and am going to say no. For all they know these things could have been wedding presents, or hired to dress the house for sale which I know a lot of people do, so its astonishing that they think it is just a free for all and they can ask for whatever they saw lying around in the house that they quite like!

Next time I sell a house I am going to be extremely plain at every viewing that it just the house that is being sold, to avoid this nonsense.

[OnTheLookOut]

Hi Again,

Remember, you always have a choice. And here I don't mean the choice whether to sell them the extras or not. I mean you have a choice whether even to consider their offer. That choice is yours to make.

People will always chance it by asking for extras, or to reduce the price, or for this or that. There are three things you can do: accept what they ask for, negotiate, or refuse what they ask for. That's your choice.

If you feel you've compromised enough (which I think you have), make a stand and don't accept any more of their requests.

I was a a management training course recently and the topic of how to handle people when they try to pass their work/problems/whatever to you. They described it as imagine the other person has a monkey on their (the monkey represents that person's problem / request/ etc.). The person wants to off-load that monkey to you.

Conclusion: Don't accept their monkey.

I hope that makes (some) sense.

[wellse]

It does, thanks v much, its v useful to get a calm perception on a situation like this! I don't think I was being v calm yesterday I had just got so fed up with the whole thing. Remind me never to sell a house ever again

[gilliedew]

I really understand and sympathize with you.

We had the buyers from hell who wanted our garden ornaments which included a little girl and a dog fountain which we bought in memory of our daughter who passed away.

They demanded this amongst our other possessions and when we refused because it was not in the sale, they said they would let us keep it. It was never theirs in the first place and made us so very cross as we had left them so many other extras such as a Summerhouse, Gazebo and Rose Arch.

They also demanded that we leave the place where it had been in a satisfactory condition, after that we lost patience and did nothing of the sort even though we fully intended to do it before the demands.

This was after they offered us 35k less than the asking price which we got them up to 15k below, the cheek of some people.

[MortgageBuster]

Two negotiation tips..
1. And-my-wife-too..., when a buyer asks for too much.. just give him a good healthy laugh and add "yeah ! and you want to get my wife too ??" Show him nicely he has crossed your lines.

2. Ask for something in return.
When one side goes too greedy.. it is usually because the other side (you) haven't asked for any thing in return.
When on every request they have you place a request of your own.. "if you want the garden tables that might be arranged.. but in exchange I wish extra two week advance on the..."

[starlitegaize]

Totally agree with Mortgagebuster and Onthelookout! They are taking advantage!
The prospective puchaser always gets a list of items included in the sale sent via the solicitor, where you list virtually everthing that is included, excluded and (something else) in the sale.
A simple "no", when they start asking for grannie's false teeth, should suffice. And if it sold in three weeks, there should be one or two disappointed purchasers who could be interested.... Good luck with the birth...

[faircloughspeed]

Thought I would comment;

Well its simple to me, yes the buyers are taking advantage as they interperate the property market to be "desperate and depressed", hence their cheeky offers. However when we sell new build, we offer lots of incentives. I must say that your are exceptionally fortunate to agree to a 2.5k reduction on listing price.

In regards to the comments, yes I understand but just be calm, clear and firmly say how you feel to them. Remember if they are going through all this messing about with extras then is a mirror or garden set worth you happiness for your new exciting property.

If you offered, just make it clear that no other "extras" are provided. After all its the bricks and mortar that are important.

The problem with selling your property is that it is so personable to you. Ultimately if they persist and you feel upset, tell them that you are willing to increase your property sale price by £500 cost of the mirror and garden furniture, that will shut them up.

[brian]

Originally Posted by MortgageBuster

1. And-my-wife-too..., when a buyer asks for too much.. just give him a good healthy laugh and add "yeah ! and you want to get my wife too ??" Show him nicely he has crossed your lines.

That's a very good comment.

It's certainly not unsual for a buyer to seek to take on the furniture and furnishings as well, especially if they have come out of rented accommdation or returned from overseas.

But the selling of the house is the selling of the house, nothing more. Any extras have to be negotiated. If you're happy to sell some of the furniture and furnishings, you offer a set at a set price, and leave it at that. If they wish individual pieces, they can take note and offer you individual prices on individual items once the sale is concluded.