Wise words, Missfoodlove.
I think the last thing you need Lucky is any more stress, which would certainly happen, if you were to track this person down and try to tackle him. Even if he’s only acting out of malice, without any criminal intent, he’s very likely to respond aggressively to being questioned about his motives.
I’m afraid that not all estate agents are as ethical as they might be, and they don’t have to be registered any regulatory body.
It’s perhaps unfortunate that the agent you’re using is the one who’s selling the property you want to move to. Perhaps if you intimate to him that you think there’s shady business going on in an attempt to reduce the price, it will focus his mind into acting in your interests instead of someone else’s.
Although a prospective buyer will probably want their own survey doing, the only way you’ll know whether this man’s claims have any basis in fact is to pay for a survey yourself.
If it turns out that there are problems, you’ll be in a better position to argue when it comes to lowering the asking price, rather than feeling you have to take the word of the buyer’s surveyor.
Bear in mind that depending on the age of the house, a surveyor can always find something wrong, and if they’re acting for a buyer they will paint a worse picture than if the survey has been commissioned by the seller.
Are you really sure you want to sell just now? What would be the worst that could happen if you gave it six months?