To expect to exchange on our house purchase?

[Elouie]

Trying to buy a house has been a nightmare.

There have been several issues to resolve with the house which means that although there has been no chain. It has taken us 4 months to get to where we are.

The current position is that both solicitors are sat on signed contracts and our solicitors have our cash which is 40% of the purchase price so not an insignificant amount.

The sellers are separating and need to each find rented accommodation. All along they have maintained they haven't been able to look seriously because of the insecurity before exchange. We had agreed all along to have a few weeks between exchange and completion. I am a nice person and have a degree of empathy for their situation and have been happy with this proposal all along.

Last week I asked to exchange by the end of the week and proposed a completion of mid July (3 weeks between the two) in between they'd suggested the end of July. Then on Friday they said they couldn't agree a completion date at all until they'd found rented. So much for needing the security of exchange!

We gave them a deadline to exchange or we pull out and so far this week they have only offered up a provisional completion so their solicitor won't exchange.

AIBU to expect to be able to exchange given that we have accepted a completion date of end of July?

I'd give them a deadline of the end of next week or you will pull out and stick to it. And then (and I appreciate this is mean) when they come back to you grovelling if reduce your offer by £10k

We had no chain either but still found it complicated. I called their estate agents and threatened to pull out if it didn't get moving. Solicitors don't really care, they get paid for their work, but estate agents don't want the hassle of starting from scratch. It really got things moving for me, they contacted the sellers and talked sense into them. Estate agents want that sale! Good luck.

Both EA and solicitors are equally useless.

We're going to have to follow through and pull out 😟

Pull out. You've given them a deadline and they're pulling the piss. They have no intention of getting out of that house anytime soon.

You are. They don't want to sell for whatever reason.

Are there any implications for you if completion doesn't happen in July?

Will your mortgage offer expire for example? Do you have to be out of your current home by a certain date?

If not, why push?

I'd send a strongly worded email, copied to both solicitors and the EA.

Express your concern and dissatisfaction, then state that unless you Exchange Contracts before xx date you will be withdrawing from the purchase

Our mortgage offer will expire but not till Aug, there is significant work to be done before we move in and we're losing the summer months.

Also I have no confidence it will happen if we don't exchange.

Purpleprincess good plan. It's all been over the phone so far. An email sounds reasonable.

Put it in writing that you want to exchange contracts by X with completion on Y, and that you have been looking at other houses and will withdraw your offer if the above not met.

Just had an email to say they're viewing a property at the weekend and are hoping to exchange next week. So going to hang fire a little bit longer.

That's good news but I would still email to setnout your clear expectations - otherwise there maybe many viewings and no completion - hope it works out

"Just had an email to say they're viewing a property at the weekend and are hoping to exchange next week. So going to hang fire a little bit longer."

Wow. Just wow. They really lucked out getting you didn't they?

They haven't bothered to sort out their living arrangements and there is nothing to make them do so. If you are happy just to wait around on the off chance, then fair enough, but it doesn't make you a 'nice person'.

In the unlikely event you actually decide to buy this house, all you would have to do is set a deadline, as described by PPs.

Thanks donquix. I didn't ask for analysis of my character!

They may have lucked out but if this all goes through so will we with the property. It's been stressful yes and today I was ready to throw in the towel but at the moment there is a chink of light.

It might not last but for now I'm going to remain positive.

I agree if it goes on we will need to set a deadline and I thought that was this week but I am happy to wait for another few days to see where it goes!

Good luck!

Thanks Peaface

Unfortunately you're caught in the middle of two people who are possibly point-scoring off each other. The EA and sols can't make them exchange any more than you can........... BUT you can put a deadline on if you mean it and that will make the sellers decide what they'll do. Good luck!

We found it was the ea and solicitors playing games. So give them an ultimatum and stick to it.

Their circumstances are not your problem and they are now just taking the piss.

It worked for us, suddenly all the issues disappeared and we would have stuck to pulling out even though it would have been a right royal pain in the ass.

@Elouie "I am a nice person and have a degree of empathy for their situation and have been happy with this proposal all along"

There was no judgement or character analysis. I was quoting from the reasons you expressed for your actions (see above) and disagreeing.

There is a 'normal' way that people buy houses. If you want to do it differently by waiting around and doing as you are told by the sellers instead, that's fine; but it isn't positive it's just passive.

Be as passive as you want, it's your money and therefore your choice- but I don't think its unreasonable to comment that it's unusual and (in my experience) ineffective.

We had a similar issue where the people in our house couldn't find anywhere they wanted to buy, kept saying they found somewhere then pulling out. This went on for months. We got our solicitor to send a letter asking them to agree to be out by the middle of the month or we would have to pull out. (We we're living with my husbands parents and 7months pregnant). They then arranged rented accommodation and moved as they knew we weren't going to hang on anymore. Definitely worth sending it in writing