Do you think we're nearly ready to exchange?

[Madmog]

Five of us in the chain. We are No. 3 up and ready to exchange, as are No. 4 in chain who want to move very quickly (10-17 days, not sure this is going to happen though!).

Last week they were waiting for searches somewhere (not sure why ours were reported on three weeks ago and people above us were originally going into rented but have got themselves ready to go in five weeks).

Searches won't show anything unusual on our house (as it's around the corner from where we're buying so pretty much the same results should come up). Also, know there's nothing unusual in the road. Know where property No. 2 is - my Auntie and Uncle live around the corner and don't know of anything unusual.

[Bowlersarm]

How long has it the chain been completed? Five is a fairly largish chain, and will be more complicated if there are leasehold properties. Are you totally ready? Mortgage offer, signed contract with solicitor, exchange deposit with your solicitor?

If you are, I'd get on to your estate agent if I were you and get him/her to make some phone calls to other agents to see what stage everybody else is at ie all mortgage offers out, searches in etc. Make sure they report back to you, and chase them up if they don't.

Good luck.

[Sunnyshores]

If there are any leaseholds (most flats are), this takes much longer as the solicitor needs to get ie annual accounts from the management company.
You dont say how long the chain has been going, but exchanging in 5-6 weeks is average.

[Madmog]

We haven't signed a contract and provided a deposit (so that's why I'm thinking No. 4 in chain won't get their wish to move within 17 days). I've been trying to get up to date info from the agents and have told our solicitor I will let them know what timescale we're talking about - he knows I'm willing to go in and collect contracts and get them back in 24 hours and bank transfer the deposit which we need to allow 48 hours, so in theory we could be totally ready late Tuesday/Wednesday if we needed to be. There are no leaseholds.

Nos. 1-4 agreed on their sales at the end of February. No. 4 was going into rented then found property No. 5 around 20 March. They are desperate for a quick completion, so have got their act together and are ready (their solicitor has confirmed this to them). Chain stops at No. 5.

[Bowlersarm]

It sounds as though you are all nearly ready. Keep hassling the agent to get definitive answers.

It is possible that although you know that No 4 wants a quick completion, nobody else does and could be problematical. For example, if the person at the bottom of the chain needs to give a month or two months notice on a rental property, or someone else doesn't want to move until May half term because of changing their children's school, or any other of a zillion personal time scales.

[Madmog]

I spoke to the agents last Thursday and apparently only some searches and our final enquiries were outstanding - we now have satisfactory replies to these and have told the agents this. So it's somewhere at the bottom who got their searches in late as our solicitor reported on all of ours three weeks ago today. Told the agents last Thursday and this Wednesday we know No. 4 want a very quick completion (5-12 May) and even though we'd prefer second half of May will try and accommodate them if others can. The agents told me yesterday they are still trying to find out present position. Our solicitor said he will get us to sign contract when everyone is ready to go and not request money from us until then, but he knows us well and that we won't mess about.

We know the ones at the bottom aren't in rented - they are keeping their present property and buying, so won't have to give notice. Before transaction got going, they had to provide evidence they could get a mortgage, even though they already had a property. In fact, I was told all parties had been asked to do this.

Last time we moved with six days notice (would have been three days but removal vans were booked up) and to be honest are not willing to do this again. We'd like to know a couple of weeks if possible, so that's why I'm fussing.

[Bowlersarm]

It sounds like you are pretty close then. If it's all been progressing since feb and we're nearing the end of April, that sounds about the right sort of timescale to exchange.

[Gemma77]

Sounds like you are nearly there... We are in a similar position (4 in our chain too and we are number 2- although it's 6 if you include the investment buyer at the start and the people going into rented at the end!)

We are pretty much ready to go - just need to get buildings insurance ready for the point when we exchange. Mortgage and searches all sorted. Our buyer is a cash buyer but searches and survey all done on our house. We have a headstart though... it has taken our sellers two months to find their new retirement bungalow and we just cracked on in the meantime.

We now have to wait for our sellers and their sellers to have searches and surveys all finished. Our sellers are cash buyers which helps but I dont know about Mr and Mrs Bungalow.

Our chain didnt officially come to an end unti two weeks ago so I was guessing that it would take around 12 weeks from that point. I spoke to our solicitor earlier in the week and she thinks we could have everything tied up in the next 4 weeks. Apparently our sellers solicitors are moving quickly because they know we have already been waiting two months on them.

I'm still skeptical as with a fairly longish chain I know there is plenty that can go wrong but we are doing everything we can on our part (and I'm hoping because it looks like only us and possibly mr and mrs bungalow are getting mortgages that we will be lucky)

Our mortgage offer expires at the end of June so we need to be all done by then! It is just awful waiting on other people and not really knowing how they are getting on.... Really hope it all goes through quickly for you!!!