Buyer makes an offer, what happens next?

[Mike Mitchell]

I'll mention it to the vicar.

MM

[G&M]

Given that our local council now takes 11 weeks + for searches, it's nigh on impossible unless the vendor has done these first.

[Mike Mitchell]

Hasn't anyone complained to them, I mean, big time? How can the council possibly delay the process by almost a quarter of an entire year? :(

Didn't anyone yet take on the council and make someone's life a thorough misery? There will probably be some jobsworth at the heart of it who says he's not going to be rushed, no matter what, even if people's lives are ruined, which probably gives him the satisfaction of Schadenfreude because he's not in a position to buy a house.

Three weeks is adequate, if the council has its brain in gear. Five weeks would be just about acceptable. But you let it slip to 11 weeks and soon it will be 13 weeks, then 15, and so on. How can the system possibly be so convoluted that the council needs 70-odd days to peruse documents, write some letters, and chase up the replies? I bloody well hope it ain't Bucks County Council, otherwise they'll be getting a flea in their ear from yours truly.

MM

[Buxnot]

I know a couple of people recently who went from making an offer to moving in - in exactly 4 weeks to the day! That's got to be a record!

[Cicero]

Not really! Have a look at my post dated 14/09/04 timed at 21:11. Nonetheless most people would be highly satisfied with a 4 week timescale.

Cic.

>

[Mike Mitchell]

Interesting. Did they do anything special? Was this a special case? Or was it just that people were doing their jobs properly?

MM

[Richard Faulkner]

In message , Mike Mitchell writes

this problem has been recognised for many years and, whilst little has been done to solve it, it has always been possible to pay for a personal search, where someone actually walks the document around the council offices. Your solicitor will know how to do this. The search can be back in 24/48 hours.

For various reasons, not everyone in the chain will be willing to do it, so you still remain vulnerable to the weakest link.

Have you actually had an offer which you have accepted? How much?

I havent responded earlier because there has been some good info where little could be added.

However, some comments refer to the delays and changes of mind which can be caused by buyers, their advisors, and the process.

It does not actually make sense to take a property off the market until you are reasonably sure that your buyer is fairly committed. E.g. They have had their survey and mortgage offer, and have committed some money to the legal process.

The law requires your estate agent to continue to market the property until exchange of contracts, unless you confirm otherwise in writing.

Having said that, there is usually a point in the transaction, before exchange of contracts, where it makes sense to take it off the market. This is down to your agents judgement, and can vary with the house, the buyer, and your situation.

Regds

[Mike Mitchell]

The situation at the mo is that I am quietly confident, though desperately trying not to get my hopes up, because I have seen this amazing old cottage in Lincs that I'm sure would be fantastic for me. My potential buyers came around again to look at my property, and the chap said it was between my house and another outside the school catchment area where his child already attends school. He opined that he much preferred my house - rooms bigger, NOT next to the railway line, near the school, and, basically, exactly where he wanted to live, whereas he did not want to live at the other address. His other half, however, wanted to "check a few things", but she was noncommittal as she was going around my house. This time I just let them roam around, since they knew where the rooms were and I heard them talking upstairs about what they would do to this room or that. The following day I got news from the agent that they had now expressed a preference for my property and were trying to get the buyer of their property to commit to a revived offer. That buyer had already made an offer some days (or weeks?) ago, which "my" buyer (putative buyer) had not accepted, thinking he could get more, but said he would review the offer in a few weeks. This I take it was a little while ago now.

In the meantime the agent has two more viewers lined up, so interest is definitely picking up. I won't be taking the property off the market until I am confident that a sale will go through.

MM

[G&M]

Nope - it was in the NorthWest. Apparently they are getting worse not better. We were in no hurry as the property was semi-derilict anyway so it gave us time to get plans drawn up and so on without us having to be paying a mortgage on it. Vendor was a little more pissed off but we told them any other purchaser would still want a search so we were going as fast as we could.

On third-party searches, somebody here did mention certain councils were making life awkward for these by not releasing documents as they are supposed to, claiming they don't have to until this November I think it was.