why is our house purchase taking so damn long?

[drxerox]

We had our offer accepted a couple of months ago. The list of questions was sent by our solicitor a month ago to the vendors., and nothing has happened. In our last phone call the estate agents said that the vendors had returned the answers to their solicitors, who had not passed them on. We have now found out, via our solicitors, that the vendors have still not answered the questions.
We've left a message with our estate agent, asking what's going on. But a) why would the ea lie to us about this and b) why would the vendors behave this way? After all, surely they want to sell. If they'd changed their mind, why don't they tell us? What makes it more difficult is that the sellers have said that they will only deal with us through the ea's.
If this wasn't the house of our dreams, we would walk away.

It's probably more likely to be the solicitors to be honest, on both sides.

Our house sale, which just concluded last week, took SIX MONTHS because both sets of solicitors were absolute incompetant arseholes. Questions were asked, the answers to which were in the sale pack, and yet neither actually read the pack, so the questions got volleyed back and forth for months until I actually stepped in and told them to tell ME what the questions were and I read the information and picked out the answers.

It was frankly ridiculous.

I wouldn't be quick to lay blame at the feet of the vendor, therefore, from my experience. It may be the case they're dragging their heels, but they could also be as much of a victim as you.

Our first house took ages because the solicitor went on holiday without bothering to tell either party.

First I knew about it was when the vendor rand me in a panic to ask if we were still interested.

It was sodding Nov. not exactly peak holiday time!

I agree that it could be your vendors' solicitors at fault. If they had for example mislaid the forms they could be stringing both sides along.

some vendors are dozy, some think you are little people who will wait, some are hoping for a better price.

and yes, all too many solicitors work at a glacial pace, and are unable to delegate work when they are out of the office.

you can only talk to your solicitor and the EA. Tell the EA that if they want their commission, they need to get this moving sharpish. Set a deadline.

there is always another house.

I feel your pain - I am in a no-chain situation. We are selling. I have chased our solicitors twice - they have refused to chase the buyers' solicitors because apparently it's "not the done thing".

Bollocks to that.

Why do convenyancing solicitors think they are a breed apart and we should not chase them to do the job we are paying them to do?

the crazy thing is that we are cash buyers - you'd think they'd be biting our hands off!

Nag them EVERY SINGLE DAY. Get arsey so they think you will pull out. Honestly they are always rubbish. You will have to do all the work here - no matter how annoyed people get with you.

I.FEEL.YOUR.PAIN.

I have a sore jaw today from speaking through a clenched mouth all week!
I would be money it is the solicitors, I would bet a LOT of money on it infact.

We were supposed to exchange on the 4th,, turned out that there was a problem with an extension and the top of the chain had not told the seller that indemnity insurance was needed.
Then there was a disagreement over who should pay the 150 fucking pounds, top of the chain was refusing, but we were not told this for nearly 2 weeks!
We offered to pay the stupidly small amount so long as we complete by the end of April, this was accepted no fucking surprise, it becomes all ok when you don't have to pay for YOUR OWN INSURANCE! DOESN'T IT!
ARGGGH! sorry I am getting pissed off just thinking about it.

Any way,,,,, supposed to exchange last week.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH,,, HAHAHAHAHAHA!
Still waiting all this week for an update and all they can bloody tell us is that everyone has agreed to complete on the 2nd May so deadline for that as an exchange is,, duh, duh duh, TODAY!

I am phoning the solicitors every hour on the hour, last phone it transpired that they haven't phone the other solicitors since Tuesday [shocked]
So I told them to make themselves as much as a pain in the arse as I have and maybe we might get somewhere.

Fuckers.

ooh and sorry for hijacking you thread

hope it goes through OK mordirig

I pretty much took to phoning our solicitors/estate agents daily, several times a day.

I also did the majority of the legwork and chasing of things.

My solicitor then tried to charge me an extra 500 'for all the extra work.'

That I HAD DONE.

He got told to get himself right to fuck.

Also, I say all of this AS AN EX-SOLICITOR!!!

Who did a stint in conveyancing. Fucking ridiculous.

The delay most certainly will be the enquiries. Letters go back and forth between solicitors raising enquiries and answering enquiries. Then there is the evidence i.e. right of ways, breach of covenants and queries regarding titles, planning permissions, building regs, completion certificates, FENSA certificates, Gas Safe Certificates and electrical certificates that are requested and if any are not forthcoming, indemnity insurance is requested (should be paid by the seller). Then if a property is leasehold there are the leasehold packs, management enquiries and landlord enquiries. These can take forever. Our clients sign their contracts quite early on in readiness for exchange but exchange will not take place until both sides have satisfactorily sorted out the enquiries first.

Oh, I can relate... Thankfully our solicitor and estate agent have been wonderful. Their solicitor is truly awful and funnily enough our "cash buyer" actually needs a mortgage....

Such a stupidly stressful experience AND this was supposed to be the easy bit as we embark on a major building project...

I know it's not my thread but I thought I would let you know we finally managed to exchange with 30mins spare!
Have been singing and dancing and drinking to celebrate.

Fingers crossed things go a bit more smoothly and swiftly for you op

I'm glad to hear it. Congratulations!

The whole conveyancing process is just ridiculous. Our house purchase last year took four bloody months, and we were a chain of two.

Ours took 3.5 months. We were ftb who rented.

I'm still traumatised now.

I give 8 months. We were chain free but buying from a trust of a deceased person. I'm still traumatised too.

We first viewed our new house in November! Put an offer in three weeks later after second viewing and it will complete in two days time! Good job we have photographs so we can remember what the house is actually like inside! Our delays were obviously offer/counter offer and agreeing on a price, full structural survey which took a while to organise as vendor was on holiday, incorrect mortgage offer issued so that had to be redone, more wrangling over the price after the survey highlighted lots of issues and finally, at long last, completion

In fairness to the agents, who usually get such a bad press, these were very good. Same agents acting for us and vendor and for vendor in purchase of his new property. I hope we stay put for the next 20 years

Mordirig congratulations

Nag, nag and nag again. Send emails detailing precise questions and actions and when you need action on these points. Follow them up. Keep saying how keen you are to buy but you need to see commitment to sell.

Do you have a proposed exchange/completion date yet? If not suggest one and see what happens - nothing like a date to focus the mind.

Make people say clearly what are the stumbling blocks, then at least you can plan a way round them.

Good luck, it's just horrendous isn't it. My solicitor was brilliant. I've done 3 buy/sells with him smoothly and never had to meet him, even though we live in the same town now - first time we were 3000miles apart and he sorted it all perfectly. But it was me that had to keep on top of all the chasing.

Ours took 3.5 months. We were ftb who rented.

That seems pretty quick to me. My quickest house sale was 12weeks, slowest 7 months

Our buyer has not paid his 20%,should have been paid last week !

10% not 20 .

Another one here in the same situation. Chase, chase, chase. We have an alcoholic vendor and possibly a chaotic solicitor on their side. I am chasing the estate agent whenever necessary - this is what that hefty fee is for. It helps that I have worked with my solicitor before and trust her to be thorough and efficient.

I can't even fucking remember what the house looks like at this point. Here's hoping I still like it .