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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to want to know whether or not I'm moving in less than 3 weeks?

18 replies

MythosLivetheDream · 07/01/2014 19:37

Or is it common to not find out earlier when you're moving?
We've sold our house and are buying another. Trying to get any definite answer from solicitors or estate agents is giving me a headache. No one seems to be able to say whether we are exchanging contracts on Friday or not.

AIBU to think this is mad?!!

OP posts:
IHeartKingThistle · 07/01/2014 19:43

It's hideous. The whole process is hideous. The whole damn system's out of order.

Chlorinella · 07/01/2014 19:48

We had the most horrific move in March of 2012 .
Exchanged contracts on Wednesday 16th , moved Friday 18th
Awful
But we managed

DoJo · 07/01/2014 20:08

It's pretty standard, and three weeks' notice is actually quite a long time in my experience. I hate the fact that I had to constantly bother my solicitors to get even the slightest nubbin of information from them, but it was the only way to get things done as I wouldn't hear from them otherwise.

LunaticFringe · 07/01/2014 20:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MythosLivetheDream · 07/01/2014 20:28

Really? 3 weeks is a long time??? It's mad!!! I keep pestering everybody for info, as I can't stand the uncertainty of it all. It's been a whole fucking year trying to move!

The current system is bonkers, hate it. Will never move again.

OP posts:
LunaticFringe · 07/01/2014 20:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

AndIFeedEmGunpowder · 07/01/2014 21:00

We had less than a week like Lunatic. HORRENDOUS! Although I think Chlorinella wins the prize.

There was almost a divorce. DSis, BIL and my best friend had to be drafted in along with lots of prosecco.

AndIFeedEmGunpowder · 07/01/2014 21:31

Just realised my post wasn't very supportive. Sorry.

OP you will be fine! Here are some Flowers for your new house.

Chlorinella · 07/01/2014 21:36

If I can do it , anyone can !
Accepts prize gratefully .

Lucylouby · 07/01/2014 21:51

3 weeks notice is loads. We moved house on the 18th December. The chain nearly collapsed on the 12th (which had been the suggested moving day in the beginning) because of our numpty of a solicitor. We exchanged on the Friday and moved the following Wednesday. Exactly 2 months after putting the house on the market. A week later I hosted Christmas dinner for 14. That is mad.
The whole process is a nightmare. I don't know how it could be made easier, but there has to be a simpilar way of buying a house. I do feel for you though, it was the most stressful experience of my life I think.

BillyBanter · 07/01/2014 21:56

My solicitor said as it was straightforward we would exchange and complete on the same day, friday. They didn't exchange so we couldn't complete and I had to rearrange everything by a week and beg my landlady to let me stay for yet another week. Angry

bellasuewow · 07/01/2014 22:23

Sorry op I have moved three times and this is the killer stress bit same every time sorry hang on in there

IfAtFirstUDontSucceed · 07/01/2014 22:35

It's been over 12 years since we last bought a house and I forgot how much if a pain in the arse it was.

We originally put an offer in for the house we wanted in July last year, we should be getting the keys tomorrow!!!

We got a call from the solicitor on the 9th of December asking us to come in to exchange as the vendors wanted to complete on the 18th! Panic stations!
DH took time off work to go in and sign, packed boxes arranged removals, etc. Franticly wondering how we'd cope with Christmas as well.

17th December arrived, another call from solicitor, people further up the chain went in to exchange but didn't want to move out until 18th January! Angry Unpacking boxes, putting Christmas tree back up.......

We've just been told today as well, that we've been charged £25 for the return of the money back to the mortgage lender as the sale didn't complete.

Kayakinggirl86 · 07/01/2014 22:42

It's horrible, there was no chain when buying my house (I had nothing to sell, and the people buying from bought a new build which was finished) but even then no one would give me a date but should be end of dec. I ended up exchanging on 25th and getting the keys on the 29th!

Riprap63 · 07/01/2014 22:43

Took us FOUR WEEKS of trying to exchange contracts every day.

Goldmandra · 07/01/2014 23:44

We accepted an offer on our house which was made in Oct on condition they could be in by Christmas. We had a property in mind which was already vacant with no chain.

We got our searches done quickly and were ready to move by early November. Our buyers kept stalling but still saying they wanted to be in before Christmas.

Ten days before Christmas they were still messing us about so I phoned them, as we had their number from arranging the viewing, to ask whether we should put our Christmas tree up as we had a two year old DD. She said they still wanted to be in before Christmas and not to call her again. I then got a bollocking from the estate agent for not going through them to contact her.

At that point I told them that we would not be moving before the New Year and, if the buyers didn't like it, they could lump it. They didn't pull out and we completed on 3rd January. We took every light bulb, curtain, blind, lamp shade, decent piece of carpet etc too because they'd agreed to pay £500 for the carpets and curtains then changed their minds at the last minute. Apparently they were very cross when they moved in and found so many bare boards. We had been happy to leave the lot as they were a young couple moving in together for the first time.

I still get cross thinking about it and it was 14 years ago!

girlywhirly · 08/01/2014 09:15

No it's not U to want to know. You need to pack up, arrange removers, and still maintain your usual daily lives. No wonder moving home is up there with bereavement and divorce as one of the most stressful things you can experience.

We were due to move on the 18th Dec twelve yrs ago, short chain, cash buyer for ours, us buying a vacant possession house. We heard next to nothing about progress of the sale. Eventually I rang the solicitors to demand an answer as to whether we were moving before Christmas or not, they put me through to the senior partner in the firm who told me the member of staff dealing with the conveyancing had been sacked! He informed me that he would be dealing with it himself, and that we were now looking at around 7th Jan for completion. I was concerned that my buyer would be upset, as really there was no reason for us not to have completed in six weeks, but she was OK about it.

We had Christmas at home and decs came down on 27th, and continued packing. As the new house had been empty for some months, the survey highlighted a new ball valve was needed in the header tank and the central heating needed a full service, refilling etc as it was drained down. I asked the estate agent if he could let us have access to the house before moving for the work to be done (as it was sub-zero outside) and he agreed to call the relocation company that had effectively 'bought' the house from the previous residents. They flatly refused, even though I had insured the house from the date of the exchange of contracts, and the estate agent would be present with myself and the gas engineer throughout. They insisted it had to be after completion.

The result was we had to move into a house with no water turned on, no gas and no heat. The engineer was two hrs late and had to work around the removal men to-ing and fro-ing, and it was raining so everything was damp as well.

Fortunately we got a bit of discount from the solicitors bill, and the estate agent shared a bit of gossip about the one who was sacked, saying she had become notorious locally between all the agents as being completely inefficient and putting a lot of property sales and chains at risk.

5amisnotmorning · 08/01/2014 09:29

Ha ha ha it's the most stressful thing I have been through.

Only 3 in chain, DC2 due in 6 weeks, moving 100 miles away to a new area and need to settle DD into new nursery, supposed to have moved on December 20th - still didn't know on 18th whether we were going to exchange.

Didn't exchange, now waiting to hear if it will be the week - we really need to move in the next 2 weeks or it's all off.

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