WHY DID HE BOTHER!

Oh dear! Talk about pulling the rug from under your feet. What a shame.

Sounds a bit like the couple who said they wanted to buy my SiLs house. Had them jumping through all sorts of hoops and then dropped out for no reason. She then found out from another estate agent they'd done it before. The estate agent said some people get some sort of power kick from doing this.

Annoying weirdos.

I know that feeling all too well, Nfk - a couple couldn't wait to buy my house, apparently, and wanted exchange and completion asap.

Eight weeks down the line when I'd found somewhere I wanted to buy and was all set to sign the contract, their 'cash offer' turned out to have been an anticipated sale which had fallen through, so everyone lost out.

I understand that Agents can only go by what prospective buyers/sellers tell them, but sometimes I feel more checks could be made. The system in Scotland seems fairer, but then again if the money isn't forthcoming at the end of the day what happens then?

In the throws of selling and our agent has done the best they can in verifying the financial position, but it is easy to falsify things. I am not holding out any expectations until the money changes hands!

In Scotland the person who drops out pays compensation, as set out in the contract after the missives ( searches, survey ) have been completed.

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My son and his partner had a purchaser lined up with no chain, had found a decent sized house they all liked, and on the point of signing contracts the purchaser pulled out. Disappointment on his and his family's part, to say nothing of the onward chain.

It really does need some legislation putting in place to stop this happening.It can cost £thousands in fees which have to be paid and nothing but frustration and huge disappointment for all concerned.

I do agree the whole house buying/selling/letting business needs a huge overhaul. There seems to be very little protection for the consumer. We have moved house many times and the whole process is nerve wracking for weeks if not months. I do feel sometimes that I would like to move house again but I am quickly put off.

It definitely needs legislation to prevent similar stories to those above. Several years ago a friends move went right down to the wire when the vendor changed their mind two days before completion.
I feel for you and your family hilda

We've been looking for a big enough house for ages. When DH retires next summer we plan to all move in together so that my DD can go back to work. We like the idea of living as an extended family. Finding a large enough house that we can afford is like looking for a needle in a haystack, six bedroom houses don't come along very often. She has offered the letting agent a higher rent, we will just have to wait and see if that makes any difference, although I doubt it.

When I was trying to sell my last house, I accepted a lower offer but the person told my estate agent that she did not expect her offer to be accepted so bowed out. Why do these folk play around? My estate agent gave her a piece of his mind for wasting his time.

I think it awful that in England one can legally put in offers for several houses at the same time.

We are considering a move to another county and had our house valued as offered on a no commitment basis by a local agent. I was later phoned and encouraged to put our house on the market, accept any reasonable offer that came along and drop out at the last minute if we still had not found a property to move to

That's awful Ionniefrances. A local estate agent here has told my friend the opposite. They refuse to send her any house details or viewings until she's sold her present property! Since her house is in a highly desirable area where properties sell overnight this more or less commits her to having to rent for six months until something suitable comes up!

It's a minefield.

DH and I sold many houses over the years and always insisted on contracts being exchanged within 4 weeks of an offer being accepted, if they weren't the property went back on the market and I would chase the agent daily to ensure they were actively marketing it. It would concentrate the minds of buyers. Of course we would be flexible if there was a genuine reason for delay.

Charleygirl is right in that some people will put in offers on several houses in order to "reserve" them while they make up their minds.

Can your friend look on line for a house to buy NFK ? There are sites which many agents belong to and show houses in all areas - I often look at different areas to see what the house prices are like where we could be interested in moving to in the future. If you are interested in a house you can contact the agent selling the house.

She's missed two houses now put on by the other estate agent in town who works completely differently..... They put their houses on Rightmove after they've sold them! Not sure about their reasoning either!

She'll get somewhere eventually!