Lost the house of my dreams today. Before putting an offer down, I call up some conveyancers to get quotes for work done and one of them instead views and puts an offer down.
Super angry. Had been researching it for about three weeks asking questions and wanting a second viewing. The agency didn’t even respond to my first email asking questions for about ten days because apparently it was in their spam box.
I kinda want to go to the agency and flip the tables (not literally, I’m a skinny shit) and for this conveyancer to do it is probably a conflict of interest.
So yeah, really annoyed and have been stewing all day. How do you deal with such situations?
I was an agent in a former life. Your understanding of the purchasing process is deeply flawed. If you don’t fix it, you’re going to get screwed over again and again. Fortunately, it’s an easy fix. Here’s the process you should follow:
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Look up the house you want to purchase.
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Write the offer, sight unseen. Get some kind of offer in front of the seller as early as possible. Sounds scary? It’s not: You’re going to include “inspection” and “financing” contingencies, and you aren’t going to send earnest money until you’ve actually seen the property.
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Only after the seller accepts or counters your offer do you schedule your first showing. Here is where you confirm the property is what you actually wanted, and is in the “good” condition you assumed. If you don’t fall in love the first time you see it in person, exercise your inspection contingency and walk away. If it’s not in the “good” condition you assumed when you wrote the offer, plan on renegotiating.
NEVER waste your time “researching” or getting emotionally invested in a property until you have it under contract. If you don’t have a contract, it will get sold out from under you.
Your inspection and financing contingencies are your escape route. Use them. Lock the seller in early, and plan on walking away if you don’t love everything about the house and the deal.
This is the way ^
Furious learning about the subject at hand is how I cope with my losses. Make that anger work for you instead of blowing things up.
Thanks for the advice!
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I stop and take some me time.
Alcohol and discuss protest options with my great group of life long friends.
I have a core group of childhood friends, 40-50 years. We’re trying to arrange our first group protest event!
That may actually be against the rules for Conveyancers depending on where you live, find out if your conveyancer is part of a legal body (registered in some way as a conveyancer) and make an inquiry/complaint there.
Yeah, most are registered with RICS. This one also owns a company that is an estate agency as well. As soon as I saw that, it clicked why he sounded really excited at it and then poof gone.
Don’t take that shit. Stay mad. Take any necessary legal action required. Failing that, “be the light you want to see in the world”
spoiler
___and by “light” I mean molotov cocktail.
BORTLES!
“Any time I had a problem, and I threw a Molotov cocktail, boom! Right away, I had a different problem.”
What country are you in? I am unfamiliar with conveyancer but it seems to do a combination of what a real estate agent and attorney do in the us.
They survey the building to make sure it’s fit for habitation, what problems may arise and then write a detailed report and charge you loads of money for it.
ah ok. I just I guess think of it as the inspection and usually my agent found the place to do it. thing is that usually the contract is signed at that point. was that not the case?
I googled “conveyancer” as I’m also unfamiliar with the term, and I think the results should answer any questions about it.
I don’t know if that actually violates any ethics, but it feels like it should, so I’d deal with it by writing a polite letter to whatever relevant licensing body that made it clear how upset I was to get rug pulled by someone I thought was a professional. Even if they toss it you’ll feel better for having written it.
Even if they toss it you’ll feel better for having written it.
Unfortunately, the property market is heating up now for spring, so I need to spend my time wisely. I think I’m just going to can all the listed properties of this estate agency. It’s their fault that I couldn’t have made an offer earlier because they refused to show me the basement because “they never had the key for it” - a common excuse from dodgy agencies - and with there being no photos of the basement it sounds fishy. I know it leaks, it’s a 100yo property and neighbours have told me theirs does, but I think the agency wanted me to put an offer down without seeing it. When I specifically asked questions about it, they went unanswered, so I’m thinking maybe cracks.
Strange, huh!
Infuriating that you had that house sniped by someone you should’ve trusted, but if the agency was jerking you around like that, it was probably for the better. House hunting is a frustrating experience even in a good market, so expect more shit like this to happen. I would contact the agency and inform them that you’ll be taking your business elsewhere and why, and leave it at that. Speak with a manager or owner if you can.
Remember how lucky you are to be in a position where you can think about buying a house in the first place
Coming from a guy lucky enough to have access to technology to send this comment.
The correct answer.
I never believe “well, there’s someone worse off than you” is ever the answer.
Otherwise, you being held in a basement, chained up, raped daily, mothering kids by your abuser is not a bad situation because, “hey, there’s someone worse off than you.”
“well, there’s someone worse off than you”
Thank you, now I am angry about two things.
Lawsuits, just like the Founders intended.
(Only applicable if you’re in the USA 😉)
