Our offer has been accepted and the house is off the market! What next?

[AngryFeet]

Financial advisor is putting the mortage application in tomorrow, solicitor chosen. What now? We are first time buyers so no chain at our end and he is ready to exchange contracts at his end. DH has been dealing with everything and is going away for business on sunday for 10 days. What happens now?

Bump

There is no way that you will be able to exchange contracts for many weeks yet: you will need a valuation/survey; the mortgage company could take a couple of months to process the paperwork; your solicitor will need to carry out searches etc. The buyer may want to exchange contracts but since you have only just chosen a solicitor, the draft contract (and that is all it is, at this stage, a draft) has not even been sent to your solicitor yet and there will inevitably be inquiries to be made at your end. Your husband's absence will matter not a jot.

Keep on top of things by talking to the estate agent and your solicitor but you haven't even got a mortgage finalised yet so it is very much a waiting game.

Depends on survey and whether you are getting a mortgage

Make sure when you receive the reports from the searches you read every single page - I discovered in mine that I have a sewer pipe running under my garden and whilst that is common in London it is good to know as if I build an extension I will need to take this into consideration.

keep chasing everyone (some solicitors doze off if not regularly nagged). Confirm that the searches have been started and find out an estimate timescale. Arrange your survey. Sort your mortgage. Get removal quotes, declutter if needed. Keep chasing.

It's the 21st century. Get involved.