Support thread for MN's trying to buy a house

[financialwizard]

I can't find another thread like this, and I thought we could do with a sister thread to the trying to sell.

Thought I'd kick off with my rage!

Currently exchanged on the house that I have sold and living in husbands work accomodation so my situation is not dire, but still.

We offered on a property in August. It is a vacant property, and we said that we would like to exchange contracts 18th October with a view to complete no later than 1st November. We got the house at 95.8% of the market price.

So far we have not received the fixtures and fittings list, even though the vendor completed them the week before last. I have been back several times to measure up for lino in the bathrooms/curtains/take pictures of holes in the wall (for my decorator - there are lots). Went back this weekend just gone to check a couple of things (I always forget something) and the vendor has taken all of the bathroom fittings (toilet roll holder, etc), all of the curtain poles, all of the blinds. Now I am beginning to get a bit worried she is going to pull up all the carpets as well (not budgeted for them). I know I am going to have to wait until I get the F&F list but I am feeling slightly nervous at the potential cost of replacing things like carpets now (the whole house - 5 bed is carpetted). Aaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggghhhhhhhh.

My old man is going away for business just as we are due to complete as well, so it is going to have to be me to deal with it all. Really looking forward to this move.......NOT!!!!

Never EVER doing this again.

London can you take a builder round to the house with you and get them to give you a 'worst case scenario' quote before you start negotiating down? At least then you would have a ball park figure. If you can't you definately need to get some quotes from somewhere.

Just I wouldn't go any higher at this stage, it is very convenient that there is a higher offer on the table now and I would be suspicious because I don't trust estate agents as far as I could spit

Fingers crossed for you Kato

Financial Wizard Thanks - they're saying it's halfway between X and Y at present. I've said we're interested but... prepared to walk. And want to sleep on it.

We have now been looking for 11 months (is that a record???) and need to draw a line under it all to be honest. But not at silly money! We'll see.

Fingerscrossed things go your way.

How is everyone else getting on?

Going greyer, here! The solicitors for the house we're buying haven't sent all the documents to our solicitors. Their original solicitor is on maternity leave and her replacement is off sick and apparently no-one else can access the files.

Our solicitors contact me, to contact the estate agents, to contact their head office, to contact the bank, who contact the solicitors, and then in reverse, every time messages need to go back and forth.

Got fed up yesterday, demanded the direct contact details of each solicitor and insisted that they talk to one another-!!

The bank is saying we need to be completed within 3 weeks, our solicitors is currently quoting 6-8 weeks. Not sure how that is going to work.

Off to kick some butts to make sure we complete before Christmas!

WHat a pain Spirael!

I haven't been on here for a while. We've had our survey back and although these things always look pretty horrendous, there wasn't anything on there we weren't expecting, and the surveyor agreed with the valuation. We were going to get a builder to come round it with us to give us an idea on costs for the work, but then we thought we aren't going to negotiate on the price, as it's a bit under where it should be because of the stamp duty threshold, and we really want the house anyway, so we may as well crack on. QUeries are going back and forth with the solicitors and contracts are being drawn up. I think all the chain is hoping to move before Christmas so let's hope it can be done!

We popped round to the new house the other day and had a cup of tea with the lovely old lady who's lived there for 50 years (and we're buying the house from the equity release scheme firm rather than her directly). She's so lovely and so thrilled that a young family will be moving in! She had a whole bag of paperwork to go with the house, including the original conveyancing document from when the house was built in 1881, all the plans for the 1971 loft conversion, guarantees for all the double glazing done in 1993 and so on! The house has been so well-cared for and it really shows, even though it's very dated.

This is like getting blood out of a stone...

Contacted the selling solicitors (to check he's in today - he is) and got told I'm not meant to be calling him, but then got ranted at about our solicitors as apparently he'd sent the info and had received confirmation of receipt!

So called our solicitors and got a wishy-washy murmur that she'd call the selling solicitors at some point about it. Put my foot down and insisted she does so immediately and get the info emailed.

I'm going to need to call them again at lunchtime to make sure it's happened, aren't I?

I'm a bit put out that I'm paying so much for estate agency and solicitor services and seem to be doing all the leg work myself-!!

Glad to hear things are going relatively smoothly for you, Woodlands! It's not Christmas yet, so there's still hope. It sounds like your solicitors are more on the ball than ours. :)

Spirael It sounds like it is time to be calling them in on every single thing. I would chase your solicitors up every day or two if I were you given your circumstances.

I would be raging if I were you not a very tolerant person emoticon

We're on our second attempt of trying to buy a property after building regs issues on our first attempt this Autumn. Feels liked a lot of money was tipped down the drain.

My DH and I are after a character property but threads like this: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/property/1616667-Has-anyone-applied-for-building-regs-retrospectively

make me very, very nervous as I feel like some problem or other (usually building reg related) are going to crop up...even by staying clear from the obvious like loft conversions there are still knocked through living/dining rooms and ground floor extensions which could potentially have no building reg paperwork if it was done pre-1980.

I feel like giving up at the moment. I wish spring was around the corner when there was more property on the market too!

How odd - we are buying a house with a 1971 loft conversion which would definite not pass current building regs. We've talked to the council and they say no problem as it's so old. The survey flagged that it doesn't have the right fire doors but definitely classed it as a bedroom. The vendor, who has lived there for 50 years, has the original plans for the conversion so we can check the construction etc. The survey also commented on where a supporting wall has been knocked through but says that he assumes this must have been done properly as there is no sign of movement. We asked the vendor and she said this was done even before she moved in.

Anyway, our mortgage has gone through fine despite these issues.

Bother, meant to post this on the thread you linked to! Getting used to new tablet.

woodlands we didn't have mortgage problems at all regarding the no building regs issue. It was the fact that without the building regs paperwork, resale would be tough and we could lose a lot on resale in the future. Apparently, as years go on, buyers are getting nervous about lack of paperwork, especially with loft conversions.

I think in your situation, it's definitely a positive that you have proof when the conversion was done. Things get complicated when there is no paperwork of any kind at all. So there is no proof it was done before 1984 building regs came in. All very complicated!

Right, we're one step closer! The solicitors finally talked to one another and one email later our solicitor now has the information she needs to progress. She's doing the searches now and hopes to be able to give us a date by the end of the week.

Now I just have to hope that the date is a reasonable one this side of Christmas!

We're finally getting somewhere here - we were about to lose all hope of getting a mortgage, but our L&C broker has come up trumps - so sorry James I take back everything I said about you!

LONDON AND COUNTRY ARE GREAT! (and free too!)

We have great payment history and score highly on affordability, but unfairly crap credit scores. Our broker has found us a lender that look at our payment history and affordability!

It's pretty much in the bag apparently, has been discussed with the lender, and the final bits of paperwork will be sorted out tomorrow.

This is all great news as our noisy neighbour seems to have returned from wherever he's hiding (we suspect jail!) this week. He can do what he likes when I'm 10 miles away drooling over my spice rack!

We thought and thought, decided the estate agent was inventing a bidding war, so increased v modestly.

Have been outbid & the other offer is now accepted.

Bah humbug...

Argh, have just offered 95% of asking on the house we've been watching for ages - it's been on and off the market twice and reduced already so no idea whether they will accept (they've already rejected our earlier lower offer).

Buying this would mean a real change of life for us - moving out of London, moving schools, big financial commitment etc so I feel rather sick with nerves at the moment and I not sure what I'm more nervous about, whether they accept or don't!

Our Mortgage Offer finally arrived this morning!!!

Wahooo

ruby great news.

Just - It clearly is not meant to be, and if it is that offer will fall through.

Graven I will keep my fingers crossed for you

Kato VERY pleased for you

My end I have now had the flooring installed, Monday is cleaning day, Wednesday new furniture delivery day and then the following week is removals.

So I shall bid farewell to all you lovely ladies and wish you well in obtaining your dream.

Hope you enjoy every minute of your lovely new home financial!

Forgot to say, well Done Kato!!

We have not heard on our offer yet - not expecting until Monday at the earliest as I know the vendors have other viewings this weekend and they want to see what will happen with them first.

cheerio financial!'

There's nothing worse than waiting over a weekend!! I feel your pain Graven!

Hope you've had some good news Graven - I hate waiting!
Congrats Kato - and bye financialwizard - your advice has been great, enjoy your lovely new home!

After weeks of waiting and uncertainty, it's all systems go here now! We've got our mortgage agreed in principal and instructed a solicitor - and our vendor has made an offer on a property so hopefully we'll be moving even sooner than we thought! Just waiting on a quote for the survey.

Well done, that's very speedy ruby

Well, our offer was.....accepted!! Which is great as we really love the house but still need toget our mortgages accepted so I'm not celebrating justyet. We've decided to remortgage our current house and a flat DH owns and use that equity as the deposit -it means we aren't in a chain but have very complicated financing to sort out. I'll believe it when it happens! We have instructed solicitors however and mortgage application goes in thsi week...

That's fantastic news guys!
Graven the mortgage process has been the most harrowing for me! It's taken Natwest 4weeks to sort ours, but it's been a long 4 weeks!

Congratulations on those who have had offers accepted.

We're still waiting to hear back about our latest offer. We increased it very slightly over the offer we made a couple of weeks ago. The agent recommended that the vendors accept but I think they want to hold out. We made it early Monday and we're still waiting to hear back.

Don't know if that's a good or bad thing. They're obviously mulling it over but we've got no idea which way they'll go.