Am impatient! Timescales for buying/selling?

[Pisky]

We accepted an offer on our house three weeks ago and had our offer accepted on the house we are buying a week ago so its all fairly recent but am still getting impatient!

How long do these things tend to take? Our solicitor seems to be speeding on with our sale (have had draft contract to sign already) but last time we spoke to our estate agent, our buyers hadn't finished their mortgage application so no survey has been done etc.

We are loath to pay out £900 on the survey for the house we are buying until have seen some progress from our buyer - but don't want to annoy our estate agent by phoning for updates too often and becoming a nuisance . Our mortgage application is all ready to go as soon as we get the word.

What length of time is reasonable to wait between hassling our agent?

Am moving 100miles so got lots to sort out before we move so would like to know roughly when to expect things to happen...

[MyCatJeremy]

A lot will depend on your buyers. Are they selling or FTBs?

[Pisky]

They are first time buyers (with significant parental help) and seem more keen on buying their new sofa than arranging a mortgage.....

[Fiddledee]

I would threaten to put the house on the market if they don't have a survey booked by christmas. They need to realise they need to get their skates on. The estate agents should be putting deadlines/pressure on them.

I would never ever worry about hassling the estate agents too much - phone every day until its sorted. They are twiddling their thumbs between getting pissed at this time of year.

[Pisky]

Went in and saw the estate agent yesterday - am expecting a call TODAY with some detailed info on where they are up to.

Have had enough of talk from our buyer's mum about how excited our buyer is and how she is buying sofas etc - just want her mortgage application in, survey booked and searches being progressed by her solicitor.... and all this NOW not after Christmas! Then I can get excited again and not be panicking its all going to fall through...

Am getting tired and stroppy now as finding it difficult to sleep without everything constantly going round & round in my head!

Just glad that the house we are buying is FAB! It will be our forever house and we will never need to move again. :)

I keep telling myself the stress WILL be worth it!

[MegBusset]

Tb brutally h I would not have accepted an offer from a ftb without a mortgage in place. It is entirely possible they will fail to get a mortgage. This happened to us in Sept - sold to ftbs, their mortgage broker promised they would have no trouble getting a mortgage, get to week before exchange, lo and behold they can't get a mortgage and have to pull out.

I would tell the buyer and EAs your house will remain on the market and continue to take viewings until the buyer provides proof of the mortgage offer.

[Fiddledee]

I completely agree sorry but don't think about the house you want to buy it is the road to madness. You need to make sure they can get a mortgage there are quite a lot of mad people out there. I'm really surprised you took it off the market without a mortgage in principal letter being shown - crap EA or desperate perhaps.