Honestly 8 weeks is nothing. Try 8 months because that is where we are.
But I totally agree that conveyancing is SLOW and very very annoying. The problem is they take on so much work now that they have literally so many case files to work on. Every one of those case files, the people involved want things done immediately or quickly. But due to the case load of the solicitor they just don't have the capacity to put the work in on your case at the speed you want it doing.
Honestly its the most frustrating and stressful experience needing and wanting stuff done quickly and getting no replies or updates from the Solicitor. I get you. We have been doing this since last bloody May.
Our Solicitor told us that realistically he can work on our case once a week. So he will review it, check emails that have come in, and reply to those or do work on our case and then move onto the next one. Any replies that come back or come in just get pushed aside until he can look again next week. And Fridays are a no go, as its completion day.
We were even told at the beginning of December that nothing would be done on our sale/purchase now until January as he was busy with completions before Christmas.
I mean, at least he is honest, but its majorly frustrating when you have put enquiries and questions forward then have to wait until the Solicitor has time to look at your file again to get any answers back.
My DH and I have both been SO stressed by it all that we made a pact at Christmas to just think FUCK IT. There is no point constantly chasing and getting wound up as it gets you no-where. Both buyers and sellers are fully committed and it seems we have no choice but to sit in and wait for them to sort it all out.
We have no bloody idea if we will move or not, or if someone will get fed up waiting and will pull the plug on the whole thing. If they do, it will be down to how long we have had to wait for Solicitors to get their act together.
But it seems there is nothing we can do. Despite trying, calling, emailing and chasing, it doesn't move things along quicker. We have limited our chasing to one email a week on a Monday morning. There is literally no point doing any more.
Maybe we have a shit solicitor, who knows? But our buyers and sellers solicitors both seem to work as slowly and are just as unresponsive as ours is so I am not sure.
Anyway, pull up a chair and wait it out for it to be 'your turn' and try and lower your expectations.
This seems fairly normal from everyone I have spoken to who has sold and purchased a property in the last year.