Home Buyers' Support Thread, Part 4

[BeaufortBelle]

Here we go.

Good luck everybody x

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/property/2139089-Home-Buyers-Support-Thread-Part-3?pg=40

[IuseAnyName]

Whoop, place marking :) Thanks

[Trufflethewuffle]

We finally completed last Thursday after huge delays with our mortgage application. Not our fault just tedious procedures, not the new affordability stuff.

The vendors were still there when we arrived, the place was a tip and they still had loads of stuff to move out so we shooed them along as best as we could. We were a little bit prepared for this as we had done a final visit the previous Saturday and had realised then just how little packing they had done. Have spent most of the time since then cleaning. The oven was disgusting as were the bathrooms. Still, it will be great when it is all sorted.

Luckily, we were camping out in the house for a couple of days until the removals people came so we were able to do a basic clean over the weekend.

Anyway, we are finally in and it is starting to feel like home. Vendors had carefully hidden a few things from us and there is some bodging to sort but the space and potential is amazing.

Good luck to the rest of you.

[TheSilveryPussycat]

I am sitting waiting for a phone call from my buyer to see whether exchange is happening today - the plan is/?was to complete this Friday. Downstairs the cooker is getting professionally cleaned, I am supposed to have removal packers in tomorrow. It wouldn't be a problem for me if I have to wait longer - but I Need To Know.

[laracroft2001]

Marking place. After all the farce last week with the bank and/or broker messing up, surveyor booked for valuation tomorrow morning. Fingers crossed they come up with the right number else we r in a right mess!

[TheEmpressofBlandings]

Hi everyone, what a nice shiny new thread.
No progress here, the mortgage co are asking for endless extra docs so sent those off today. Hope they pull their finger out and get the survey booked soon.
Apparently our vendors now want to exchange on 9th may, I think that'll be pushing it!

[BeaufortBelle]

We have instructed our solicitor to get everything ready for exchange. The bottom of the chain is ready. We suspect our purchaser will ask for a reduction at the eleventh hour but we have done all we can and think they have more to lose than us.

Hoping we might exchange next week. Who knows.

Good luck Lara and Empress

[alabasterangel]

Can I join please? I think my RL friends are sick of listening to me.

We sold our house to a couple coming out of rented, then made an offer for our dream house. We wanted it a year ago, our house was just on the market and we had 8 viewings booked over a weekend when DH lost his job. We loved the house and we were so upset when we had to shelve our plans. Move on a year and by some miracle our purchase went back on the market (the seller had taken it off for a year too ironically) and we put ours on and sold it in a week. All the pieces fell into place, we felt very lucky.

But then our sodding buyers have pulled out, less than a month before the agreed moving date, giving a crappy reason and we are now stuck. We have 3 viewings booked for the weekend, but I'm too tired and too scared to even have any hope. I feel ridiculously over stressed about it all, seriously. I've been in tears again today because I just feel out of control and pathetic. Even at best case it's going to drag on again for months and worse case we will loose the only one we want (there is nothing else on the market in the area we need, at the price we can afford, with the right number of bedrooms, all of which were achieved with this other house).

So hardly a cheerful post, and I'm undecided if I need a kick up the arse or a unMN hug. My heads a bit of a swivel and I don't know what to think!

[redmapleleaves]

Hello all.

Alabasterangel it all sounds a massive amount of stress. Sorry. I think it is very difficult these things which are out of our control, - jobs being lost, buyers pullig out, etc. I've had several purchases go sour on me (I've already completed my sale) and in the end decided I couldn't cope with the stress of uncertainty/chains and woo-ing other people along, so have gone for a chainfree house, which is fine, but by no means a dream home, because I couldn't bear any more after a divorce, with kids about to do GCSE etc.

So you have my commiseration, and be gentle with yourself. If you need to take a break from looking for a bit do. Its a bit like clothes shopping I think, sometimes I can go and be in such a bad mood that even if I found the perfect whatever, I'd turn it down.

But good news here. My mortgage agreement has reached the solicitor. Still waiting to hear from the original developer about a change of use of the garage, but I'm now thinking even if I don't get that will just push ahead. Might be only 2 weeks till we're in. fingers crossed.

[IUseAnyName]

Fingers crossed silvery I hate not knowing too. Don' mind waiting as long as I know what I'm waiting for and how long for :/

Oh dear albad Sounds very stressful! I hope you manage to find another buyer soon, esp as you managed to snap one up within a week :) It must be a desirable house x

[BeaufortBelle]

alabaster , , . What bastards eh! We're dealing with bastardy types too I think but still ploughing on.

[cheminotte]

(((Hugs))) for you Angel
We have another viewing next week and DP saw a house on Tuesday that he LOVES and think I will too. I'm booked to see it next week. The main problem with it is distance from the dc's school. We are currently 5 mins walk to school so any move was going to increase that, but this is nearly 1 mile away. We walked it at the weekend, with DC on bikes and it took 22 mins. We actually walk past another school but I'd be really reluctant to move them. I really don't want to start driving them to school as they love the exercise and I need it as we'll.

[cheminotte]

Well done on your completion Truffle

[alabasterangel]

Thank you. chem that's the criteria for ours too - must be able to walk to school. However we are a mile now, so already pushing it. Our new house is (I hope hope hope) about 1/3 less.

I just wonder if these people have any bloody morals. Pulling out so late has lead to nothing but real upset. Just praying and hoping our purchase vendor hangs on.

2 of our viewers are FTBuyers with a mortgage in place, the other someone with a house under offer. Just don't mess us about, that's all I'm asking.

I am so bloody superstitious too - do I tidy like mad and risk dissapointing, or do nothing barr the basic and hope for the best? I made tea and fruit cake and lit the fire for the bastards who let us down.....

Good luck all.......

[cheminotte]

How old are your DC alabasterangel ? Talking about what compromises we may need to make with DP we talked about whether the problem will get better or worse. So traffic noise and bad parking is only likely to get worse. But having to accompany the DC to school is going to reduce with time. But DC will only be Y1 and Y4 in September so would still need chaperoning for at least 3 years? Maybe ds1 can walk with ds2 as far as primary once they are in Y7 and Y4 but there may be reasons why that doesn't work. I was walking a similar distance with my db at age 8 but its rare to see primary kids walking on their own now.

[TheEmpressofBlandings]

We started out with walking distnace as one of our criteria and have ended up with a house 2.5 miles away from the school!

[alabasterangel]

My DC are 3 and 5, so a lot of years of walking yet I fear! Our criteria (the bits we won't bend on) is a 4th bedroom (parents overseas who need a room when they visit which can be for weeks at a time), detached (bad experiences with previous attached neighbours, we won't compromise on that risk again), walking distance to school and a kitchen big enough to have a table in (either now, or with alterations) and a strict upper price limit due to DH's age (he's older than me, we can't be paying a mortgage forever). So that has led, in 18 months of watching the local market, to our one house which amazingly we got. Yes, there are other things on the wish list (driveway, garden, study, etc etc) and amazingly this house had ALL the wishlist items AS WELL. We can't find (and haven't seen) another house with even the basic list let alone the wishes. And seeing as the one we want is a one-off house, I can't hope another the same on the street or locally will come up as there isn't another like it.

My anger has just built up and up and I know there is nothing I can do, it's helpless. I am just so annoyed with them - they were moving from this uber nice adjacent tiny town, where house prices are through the roof, to our area because they couldn't even get a flat in that area for the price they were paying for our large period house here. However they have cited that they now want to stay in their current unaffordable town. They would have KNOWN that before offering, and if there was any indecision it should have been ironed out before getting 6 weeks into the process? Why do people do it?

Massive pressure is what I feel today - 4 days left before we're going to have to tell our purchase vendor that our buyer has pulled out and inevitably we'll loose it. 4 days to sell our house. Everything hinging on 3 viewings, and thats before they even turn up (we've had cancellations before now too). FFS!

[TremoloGreen]

Wow Alabasterangel, that sounds so, so stressful. Why do people mess about like this?! Everything crossed for you that you get an offer out of your three viewings this week.

We have been trying to buy a house for 6 months! We found buyers back in October and then found one to purchase straight away. However, those vendors did not have an onward purchase and as the weeks ticked by, it became obvious they were just chancers and not serious about moving. So we made offer number 2, on what was basically our perfect property. Got to the point of exchange very quickly, then they decided to pull out of their onward purchase (EAs etc lying to us all the way about how far ahead they had been with it). They did quickly offer on something new, but then decided to pull out of selling all together due to health reasons. The same day this purchase fell through, I found out I was pregnant.

In the mean time, we decided to plough on with our sale, because our buyers had been waiting months and we now need to relocate and get all that stress out of the way before the baby arrives. Selling the house has been a whole other thread, think awful neighbours who caused a boundary dispute and did unauthorised building work. Took 11 months and getting the Mayor involved to have it all put right (day they had to pull down their outbuilding, I celebrated in a very undignified fashion). Basically, I hate them and literally would step over them if they were on fire. Also, shite soliciotrs who I will probably have to dispute their bill and complain to the Law Society about.

So, we've found a rental, move in 2 weeks, found a nursery for DD(2) and looking for a house to buy. Really want to move before DC2 arrives so a) we can get back the early repayment fees on our mortgage and b) I don't want to move with a tiny baby. I saw a gorgeous house yesterday, so much bigger and nicer than anything else we've seen, but further out from the station (DH commutes) and further from schools (although data suggest we would still get a place). Really umming and ahhing about it today.

I am ready to explode with frustration and also anger at lying, smug estate agents!!

[TheEmpressofBlandings]

I really don't understand why we don't move to a more secure system like the one in Scotland. It's utterly crazy that up until exchange anyone can pull out for any reason with no penalties whatsoever. It's too big and important a purchase to leave it like this!
We've lost loads of money over our two failed purchases, at least our sale went through easily.

[alabasterangel]

oh tremolo you're in a pickle too. At lease you have a plan. I don't think I could have coped with this pregnant as well - and not without wine! I think the decision is right though. I dismissed renting in the interim initially but if it was our seller who pulled out rather than our buyer, I would absolutely do the same. It puts you in a good position when making offers even if the double move is a massive hassle.

I've even spent some time this morning looking at some of those 'we buy your house' websites. Trouble is they'll only offer 15k under the asking price. 7k under the asking price and I'll take it. Round here prices are low (really really low, we are selling our very big victorian villa with loads of character and features for under 150k) so 15k on 150k is too much loss.

Struggling to apply myself to work today!

[IUseAnyName]

chem one of our main reasons for moving is to be able to walk to school, i hated getting in to the car each morn, and so did the kids! I never did anything at home and just spent money as I didn't want to go home after dropping them off as felt like a wasted trip if I didn't do something whilst already out :/

tremolo we decided to sell and go in to rented to avoid all the stress of chains. Best thing we ever did as we sold to a ftb so no chaon at all. We're now buying from a guy who's moving in with his girlfriend, so mo chain again :)

We got our contract through today woohoo!.... My dh is working away so I've been to library this morn to scan and send it to him to sign, just waiting for him to send it back..... I was tempted just to forge his signiature!

[TremoloGreen]

alabaster - you're right, 10% is too much, there's no need to give up hope yet! Yes, I would kill for a large G&T some of these evenings, but I may just save the money I would have spent on booze and have a fortnightly massage or something to manage the stress!

Iuseanyname Congratulations. Yes, I'm feeling the pressure deflate a bit now we at least have a plan. Plus, we can buy somewhere that needs work and get it done before we move if necessary. We've just bit the bullet and had an offer accepted on the place I viewed yesterday. Decided being further out was worth it to be detached after my rant about my nightmare neighbours. Third time lucky I hope!

[TheSilveryPussycat]

Exchanged! Had packer in! Nearly there...

[BeaufortBelle]

silvery that's great.

I am drinking wine. Our fears were realised today and I have had white knuckle conversations with the agent. It is tempting to disclose the whole story but I can't - who knows, Mrs Bastard might be on here .

We will reach a decision tonight. If we proceed and when we have exchanged I will retale the whole story.

[Dearhound]

Whoop silvery congratulations! :).... What's the differences between exchange and completion? I should know this, but not sure what things need to be in place for each one?

Is this about you thinking your buyer would try haggle the price at last minute beau?

We have stalled a bit today! I got the scanned and signed contract back from DH and emailed it over to solicitor but she said that she needs to original copy , which means that I have to wait for him to get home in 10 days time before we can send it off!

This is a real pita as we are kicked out of our rental on tues, so it now looks like we'll be camped up in my mum's for how ever long, meaning we have to pull ds out of school for atleast a week!

[Dearhound]

Grrrr... Sorry I tempererally changed my username! It is me IUseAnyName