To chase them every day?

[Teaandcakeat8]

Them being my solicitor.

Background info: I'm currently buying my first flat. I'm madly keen for it to go through asap as I'm living in a temporary flat and each week is costing me £100 in rent.

So far I admit it's been quick. Offer accepted 30/12, mortgage offer received 15/1, searches back 22/1. I'm just waiting for the solicitor to sort out some enquiries raised on the seller contract as its a leasehold with a management company I understand it's a bit more involved.

AIBU to call my solicitor every day for an update? My parents think I'm being far too pushy and my Mum is suggesting my recent break up was probably attributed to me being too 'on things'. I know that things have so far moved quickly but I don't want the sale to lose momentum!

Will my solicitor be used to this pestering or am I likely to annoy them and slow the process down?

It will be just too stressful to chase all the time. Let things happen as they do but on a weekly timescale?

Ask when you can expect to hear. Once a day is probably a bit much.

I'd say yes, it's pushy. They haven't let you down so far, so give them a break. Ask for a time frame and give them chance to stick to it.

I know buying a property is stressful, I did it a few months ago, but you need to remember, although it's your first priority, likelihood is, it won't be your solicitors - he will have many clients in exactly the same boat.

I think you need to find a balance. I wouldn't check in every day, but after a bad experience with a shit conveyancer, I would chase. Start with weekly and adjust depending how it goes.

Definitely not every day - I think that's overkill and realistically I'm not sure they'll be working on your file every single day surely, given they'll probably have a large number of clients? Once or twice a week I think is fine to make sure you're uppermost in their minds and you're reassured that progress is being made.

You only put the offer in 26 days ago? Chasing every day would be way too much. Once a week I'd say.

Every day is a lot although I sympathise with your impatience. I don't think it will slow the process down but they might bill you for the excess time spend responding to your calls. Why don't you write to them explaining why you are impatient and arrange to check in with them weekly or fortnightly?

If you are a first time buyer there is likely to be a longish chain ahead of you and there will be little you or your solicitors can do to expedite things.

I'd ask them when they will get back to you with an update, then chase the following day if you hear nothing.

If every client chased every day the solicitor wouldn't actually have time to do any work. Why not send an email politely asking for a timescale and explain you'd like things dealt with asap due to your rent situation

Are you involved in a chain at all because if so there are others who need to get all their paperwork done as well. I've worked in estate agency and it is quite normal for the whole process to take up to 12 weeks.....

Do you think that they have nothing else to do or that they have some desire not to get paid by failing to do the work?

Its totally counter-productive for you to chase daily. If the solicitor has, say, 50 clients doing that, its the equivalent of 350 pointless emails/calls per week. Let them do their job.

Buy this month's edition of House Beautiful to distract you!

Your solicitor will be waiting on replies from the sellers solicitor too remember, they won't have anything to do on your file every single day.

I bought my first flat late last year so I know how the excitement and desperation of finally getting your own place can be overwhelming and you just want it to be done and finished and to be free of renting.

If it's all gone well so far and your solicitor is good at keeping in touch when there has been progress, then you really just have to try and stay calm and not harass them too much.

My solicitor was good but I definitely had to call each week to bump my file back to the top of her to-do list. Sometimes it was necessary to clear up misunderstandings - e.g they were waiting for my mortgage offer. As I was a cash buyer they'd have been waiting a long time! So I think it's worth staying in touch.