Home Buyers Support Thread Part 3

[juneybean]

Part 2 here -> www.mumsnet.com/Talk/property/a1905904-Buyers-support-thread-part-2?msgid=48420379#48420379

Hope it's okay that I made the next thread :)

What's your gut feeling on the price? Have any houses nearby sold recently that you know the prices of? Can you wait and see if there are any next week when everyone's back from holiday and assess after that?

Still stressing. They haven't got the survey yet.

Our purchasers are with the same agent as us. Anyone else had this? Does it mean there's a conflict in that they are working for both of us? Or is it more positive.

We just want to crack onto exchange. How stupid can we be to be trying to buy a house with our hearts?

Empress - part of the problem is we are one of only 3 detached houses in a street of terraces and a few semis, so very difficult to compare. Right Move shows other houses sold for much less, but they are 2 bed semis so they would be. We did go with the highest quote thinking we could accept a lower offer, but maybe its still too high for people to even consider.

Can i join? FTB, been looking for a place for about 20 months, finally making it within sight of the end of the road i think!

We've just had our mortgage offer through (proper one, after the valuation) - second attempt as the tenant refused them access last time -but we've not had the Homebuyers through from the surveyor yet - given that the mortgage provider offered the mortgage on it - it's probably fine, right?

We are lucky in that there is no chain, we're with friends, and the flat is rented, tenants were given notice 7 weeks ago upon the offer being accepted, so should be quick from that score? The solicitor is being quite quiet - how much is ok to prod? They put the searches in upon instructions, so about 6, 7 weeks ago - only had the environmental back yet, should i be concerned? She said she'd keep us updated but... EA is fucking useless, been trying to get a second viewing in for 3 weeks and nothing! There is a HUGE amount of work needed and I want to measure stuff!

I'm also, concerningly, more worried about if I actually want this flat than if it falls through - there is just nothing better on the market and we neeeeeed a home!

Hi coffee - do prod your solicitor, nothing wrong with that. If your sellers wouldn't allow access it may not be the Ea's fault if no second viewing. Have you made an offer based on only one viewing then? I'd be reluctant to do that myself as its easy to miss stuff first time.

Chem, could you try working out the sold price per square metre on the most recent sales, and compare that to your asking price? One ea did that for us, as we were in a similar position to you, no direct comparables. It showed that the price one ea had recommended was way over the 'usual' price per sq m for the area. We do it now too, for all the houses we've been looking at, as some are 4 bed, some are 5. It helps compare value as opposed to price.

I'm going to prod today - hoping the bounty of patience - well, silence at least, is a complete report on title!

i think it's actually largely the EAs fault the tenant didn't let them in, he told them a time, and it was actually a bracket, so they arrived 'early' and tenants were still there.

I've seen it once, DH twice - but tbh, i know we need to gut it - it's where it is, and I've wandered round the streets a few times, which is my main concern. Hopefully should be ok!

Chem, Is yours on at over a bracket on Zoopla or Rightmove? eg, at 310 but you'd sell for 295 - as that would cut out a swathe of potentials. Although tbh, if you don't neeeeed to sell asap (as not found somewhere) I'd probably not drop it just yet - can always do so later on.

Beau, I'd imagine it is good for the agent to have both - they make money from both sides, they'll want it to progress asap! Have you told the EA to tell them that you will not drop it - they might want to save themselves the cost of a cheeky survey!

Empress - great idea, will try that. Do you think £ /m2 would be the same for terraced , semis and detached then?

coffee -if your dh has seen twice that's OK. Price is actually 249k so within a bracket. EA suggested 259k but we thought too high. DP, who has previously left it all to me, has now researched sold prices (rather than for sale) and reckons we need to reduce by 15k when we find somewhere we like.

No, I've only intimated it. The agent agrees they have got it at a keen price.

Beau, might be worth just telling them you will not be dropping it. They could just want to know anyway and it not be a ploy. Really hope it is.

Chem, I'd imagine it's about the same - can you find any other roads with sold prices and the same problems? as a rough guide i can't see it would be too off.

Poked our sols on Thursday - nothing back. Will chase again on Monday, I just want an update really.

EA finally deigned to respond to am email - basically saying nothing! But apparently the tenants are actually council tenants even though it is privately owned -not sure how that one works in terms of notice given - bit concerned that it will cause problems.

Argh. Still v nervous.

Fingers crossed for you coffee

So dream house has just come on today. Big garden, quiet close, detached, in need of some modernisation. We have appointment to see on Thursday, drove past earlier and there was another car also obviously having a gander! Am going to tell EA to drop ours by £15k.

They haven't got the survey report yet!!! Unbelievable!

Thanks Chem - and for you! Hope it gets snapped up asap so you can go for the dream house!

Beau, from my limited experience they take a bloody age - we got our mortgage offer on Weds - therefore, our survey MUST have been a, ok, and b, come back to the surveyor at the latest Tues afternoon. Chased surveyor to get our copy, silence, chased again, got a promise it was 'in the queue' and would be across bef Friday. ... buuuullshit! Ours is only a homebuyers too - the full on structural one must take longer.

Wondering why we do this to ourselves!

But that's the bit I don't understand coffeeAndTheThames. The survey on our purchase was done within seven days of making the offer, the surveyor was there in the morning; in the afternoon he phoned me and gave me a "heads up" big picture but generally no surprises, and we had the full report three working days later. Had nothing to do with mortgage though and neither did our purchaser's.

Could be that my surveyor (and pos your buyers) is just a bit shit Beau!

Mine are just the ones the mortgage co instructed for the valuation, we asked them to do a HB at the same time. It took about 5 weeks to actually get them in the property. The report has to be approved by 2 people after going through the typing queue, probably why it's taking longer - your guy sounds unusually efficient!

Might be the case for your buyers, and if they weren't happy with their HB, they may have instructed a new one to do the structural.

Fingers crossed Coffee for all of us. I'd just like to exchange and breathe. And then move on to the place we have sold our hearts to.

I know the feeling - and you must be feeling it more! This place will be our first marital home, but it's an investment not a heart purchase for me. I really feel for you!

Any progress today, anyone?
I've been getting quite involved in planning over the weekend, decided what diy jobs need to be done, deciding who has which room. I swore I wouldn't do that this time! Need to get further down the line before getting emotionally attached but can't seem to stop myself.

Empress I know what you mean about emotional involvement! I didn't even want to mention my nearly perfect house to anyone in case it jinxed it and seems like it has, as I talked to a friend about moving to the area the other week and am now still - 2 weeks on - waiting to find out more about the previous subsidence mentioned in the property information form

Vendor said he would be happy to answer any queries direct so phoned EA to ask him to call me Friday and he still hasn't called .

I went as far as looking at 2 other properties yesterday but although one is a possible, it would be somewhere to live, rather than a long term home.

Think we're going backwards. They now want a damp and timber survey!

Hi coffee! Hows communication with your solicitor going?.... Our sent off for searches a week ago, I called her today and they're not back yet. I'm going to call at emd of week to chase up. I hate calling them but I've heard that we must pester!.... We need to be out of our rental at end of april so could really do with them coming through soon :/
Our hb survey was done on thurs and we received the report today, so 4 days in total, atleast someone's being efficient :)

Our hb survey has flagged up that the boiler and cp unit haven't been serviced. Would you try to get the vendor to do this?... My pil reckon that you don't really need to service a gas boiler and to just get a contract with british gas when we move in.

After your great suggestion of working out cost per square foot, Empress dp has done a spreadsheet looking at recent sales and comparing to ours and also the house we are viewing this week. Ours is midrange, possible future house is currently at the top end. But that's indoor sq ft only. It has a huge garden and is in a great area, better than some comparators. Do bigger houses normally take longer to sell? Most larger houses seem to sit on the market for ages around here. This one also needs a of redecorating which will hopefully put some people off.

Glad it's been helpful!

We're buying a big house (5 bed) and have been looking in this area for about 8 months - big houses definitely seem to sit on the market for longer, round here anyway. There are quite a few still on the market from when we started looking. The one we're currently buying was on for 7 months.

Hi IUse, solicitor still not responded, but 'D'H has just 'found' a form we should have sent back upon receiving the mortgage so hopefully that should hurry them - I knew there was a reason he is not allowed to do anything about this, despite insisting that he manage the actual purchasing as i was so stretched at work. Pah. Am going to chase again tomorrow, they MUST have an update after over 2 weeks!

Homebuyers is finally back! Flagged up a few things that concern me slightly - the floors are concrete base which i didn't realise, which concerns me, and we might need to replace the windows which were not accounted for. The rest we knew. Valued it at dead on purchase price. Bloody tenants had left their angry dog out on the balcony during the survey though, so still no one has been out there . need to get back there myself to look again. Shit EA still shit.

IUse, I'd not worry about the boiler not being serviced, I'd agree with your PIL there. People don't actually get their boiler serviced yearly ime.

Glad you feel more comfortable with your pricing chem, i think larger places take longer to sell as there is simply less market for them. There are more people starting out!

That sucks Beau - hope they are satisfied soon! Maybe they are just really nervous about buying?

Saw a lovely 3 bad flat with a garden today which has made me wibble - crap investment due to area, no capital growth potential, but possibly longer term place - i know it's not at all what we should do but still, wibble could fit a baby in there