Home Buyers' Support Thread, Part 4

[BeaufortBelle]

Here we go.

Good luck everybody x

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/property/2139089-Home-Buyers-Support-Thread-Part-3?pg=40

We've been asked to do an electrical test due to the survey.

The only electrics the surveyor looked at was the fuse box.

So can I assume it's due to our old style fuse box?

No issues otherwise and we know the wiring is fine.

TheEmpressofBlandings Hope this helps a little bit and yes there is often a huge backlog of searches for the council to provide. The Local Authority Search records will indicate:

• whether the highways adjoining the property
publicly maintained?
• whether there are major road schemes close to the property, and
minor schemes abutting or affecting the property.
• A list of planning decisions affecting the property.
• whether the property is built on contaminated land.
• whether the property in a conservation area.
• A list of building regulations affecting the property.
• whether there have been any enforcement notices for violation of planning permissions.

However it will normally not volunteer specific information about nearby road proposals or new developments, unless there has been a formal application for outline or detailed planning consent.

Your Solicitor will not visit the property you are purchasing. If you are concerned about potential development as your property abuts vacant land or fields you should inform your Solicitor who can make further enquiries on your behalf.

Local searches will not reveal details of any flooding or mining in the vicinity.

A Local Search is time sensitive. Recent planning proposals submitted after the date of your Local Search will not be covered.

Fingers crossed all is ok.

Empress, we're waiting for our Local Search too. It was requested on 11th May and according to the LA website it usually only takes 5 working days so I'm not sure what the hold up is really.

Our buyers are waiting for all their searches to come back so I'm seeing my June completion slipping away! Our local solicitor is excellent but I think the buyers are using a large Conveyancing outfit so they might not be quite as on top of it as I'd hoped.

Sigh

That's very helpful thanks, spickle. As far as we can tell, none of that should bring up any issues, fingers crossed! The search was requested at the end of April and they have a 20+ days backlog so should be back very soon. Bank holidays haven't helped of course.

DP made an offer this morning after seeing a house. I've not seen it yet! Don't want to take kids with us and no one to look after them so we could view together. Only one Saturday appointment available. EA said they have had interest but struggling to fit people in as so busy.
Question for the EA on the thread - do EA's employ casual staff in busy periods? Or do they have the same number of staff all year round? This EA only do Mon- Sat 9-5, with til 6 on Monday and Friday.

Late to the party but we complete in 2 weeks. Only just found this thread but wish I had seen it sooner!

It's our first house (rented for 10 years) and we are ridiculously excited but nervous as we are moving 40 miles away from all our family.

Can I join the thread please! Have had my house on the market for on and off two years. After excellent (and honest) advice on here, made a few changes, took some new photos and have now accepted an offer! Now absolutely petrified that a) they will change their minds or b) something will go wrong with survey, their mortgage or whatever.
Also, typically after watching lots of houses come and go while we have been on the market, there is now nothing we want to buy!

Trying not to panic.....there's a long way to go!

Good luck with finding a house Slowly.

Eek. I had major cold feet on Friday. Have been round 2 other developments today. One I liked but dh didn't, the other we both loved but it's a much bigger commute for us both (with associated costs, extra childcare, would have to change schools). So have spent the evening trying to figure out what is most important to us. Am not ruling either out as not sure I can stand Persimmon dragging it out any longer.

Thanks Crafty. Just read back through the previous pages, hope you get a resolution soon!

Wow, Slowly, that must feel huge, why do you think it took so long, is the market very slow where you are? hope you find something you like soon and have a smooth transaction.

No word from EA today about whether vendor has agreed to our deadline. Saw the two chain free houses at the weekend, both OK but prefer the one we already have the offer on. Is it really for sale though?? Bah.

i, I just wanted to know if anyone else has been in this position. We accepted an offer on my flat last September and we still haven't completed. It was a complicated sale , setting up a new management company and issuing new leases but I cant understand why we still haven't competed. My solicitor keeps telling me next week but has not agreed a completion date and I have now threatened him with the law society. We have no chain either side and the buyers are cash buyers!!! The buyers solicitors are also not much good at answering emails. I cant change lawyers are we now owe this lot a fortune for drawing up new leases. I speak to the buyers every week and they are still game. I just don't know what to do!!

Sounds awful Antonia . I would be tempted to give your solicitor a deadline for completion e.g. end of June and cut your losses if not done by then. Yes you will still have some costs to pay but it may focus the mind!

Antonia, you and your buyers must have a lot of patience! I think I'd be emailing the solicitor requesting dates and setting deadlines for him.

I think we're about sorted. Have to confirm we want to go ahead and exchange tomorrow so not sure whether we'll actually exchange tomorrow or Wednesday but it's for completion Friday 12th June.

Hello please can I join your thread? Two weeks ago we had no intention of moving but then a really lovely house we had rented many years ago was unexpectedly put up for sale. It is our dream house and having lived there a number of years know it (and the owner) well. It's all abit of a whirlwind and feels like a race to get this house before anyone else does. Our house went on the market a week ago and we have had 8 viewings over 4 days but sadly no takers.
The seller was originally keen to sell the house as he knows us but his estate agent now seems to be being difficult and has put us off visiting 2 weekends in a row. He's told us to not come back again until we have an offer on our house. Is that normal? He's also told us not to get emotionally invested in the house either and has said the house we want to buy is overpriced. It seems weird to me that the EA selling the house has told us that!

goldenlillies perfectly normal for the EA to put you off viewing a property when you haven't got a buyer for your own property. EA's prefer purchasers to be in a position to proceed, which is not you yet. Fingers crossed you will get an offer very soon and then the EA will be very keen to speak to you!

Antonia Has your solicitor told you what he is waiting for? You need to know why it has taken so long and what the hold up is. In leasehold sales, often the management company and/or landlord take ages to respond to enquiries and as you have a new management company, it may be that they don't know the answers to some of the enquiries so they have been referred back to the old management company. Do you have a share in the new management company?

However, do not change solicitors (unless it is a different solicitor within the company you are using), as the transaction will pretty much be back to square one if you do.

Thanks Spickle. That's reassuring to know. I thought the EA was trying to put us off so good to know that is normal practice.

I am quite disappointed after 8 viewings that no-one is interested in buying our house but am maybe being unrealistic. It's only been on the market just over a week. It's so hard to keep the house immaculate though.

How long does it take to sell a house these days? My DH says if it's meant to be it's meant to be but I am struggling to be patient as the house we want to buy might be snapped up.

just heard that council are now saying we won't get the search back until end of next week at the earliest. So pissed off!! What on earth is taking them so long?

We exchanged today completion set for Friday 12th June. Planning to make lists tonight for various things that need doing.

Ace Crafty

We've been given a fixed completion for the 25th June. Spoke to soliciter today to sort out a few quibbles, she wants to know what I have on the developers, according to her it's been the most straight forward and accommodating part exchange she's done

Apparently my negotiate hard but bring sweets method gets results.

I hope she hasn't jinxed it

Estate agent has been pestering both sides and apparently my solicitor has agreed to send over the required document in 24 hours. My estate agent will then play hell if its not done as he says he is a small time agent who is also depending on the money from the sale. Fingers crossed x

Well done on your exchange Crafty!!

Can someone clarify something for me as I've never sold a house before? Contact today from valuer to say they are coming next week and will only be here approx 20 mins. Is this just a valuation for their mortgage, to say it's worth the price they've paid? Do the buyers then instruct someone else to do a survey?

Congrats to all those how have recently exchanged/completed!

So we had an offer accepted on a house we love, have instructed solicitors and seen a broker for a preliminary appointment - will be going back next week to start the mortgage process.

Silly question but when do we need to book the structural survey? After the valuation survey? Will our solicitor prompt us to do this or should we just book one now? I'm so confused.

It's up to you really banana. You can either do it completely independently of the mortgage or some mortgage companies offer a choice of surveys and you can go through them - usually that would be cheaper than doing your own separate one.
The downside of going through the mortgage company is that you have to use their chosen surveyor, and (as we found) it can take a lot longer to get through the process.
We've done both on different purchases, first time we went independent as the mortgage co didn't offer a full survey, cost us around £500 for the valuation and £1300 for full survey but our surveyor was local, and quick.
This purchase we've gone through the mortgage co, cost around £1200 for combined valuation and survey but the mortgage co didn't instruct the survey for weeks, then took 2-3 weeks to get availability and another week to get the report back.

Thanks Empress, broker advised would be quicker and less hassle to go independent and recommended someone he's just used for his purchase. The mortgage we'll probably end up going with offers a free valuation. Just trying to work out timings for things. A friend has just had to pull out of their purchase and keeps telling me it could all go horribly wrong so now I'm fretting.