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

Oh crap, broker found a great deal with Skipton for us, put in the application but they won't accept it because our solicitor is not on their list because she's a sole practitioner :( Never heard of this issue before.

Already paid £500 to solicitors for searches so reluctant to change from her now - argh!

We had that issue (aaaaages ago, not on this purchase), I think the deal was with nationwide and the broker wasn't on their list so he submitted an application to go on the list but it took so long we applied directly instead (on his advice). Could you go direct?

Oh sorry, reread it properly and completely different so ignore my previous post!
In your case I'd compare the skipton deal against the next best one over however long you expect to have that mortgage (note, not the lifetime of the mortgage but how long before you'd look for another deal). If the skipton one saves you more than the £500 you'd lose, I'd switch solicitors.

Thanks Empress, I think we've sorted it now, I just panicked! Using a Skipton-approved solicitor to do the initial pre-work then switch to our existing one (she does seem very good so far). It will be £250 but cheaper than losing the £500 we've already paid to the solicitors and having to pay again for searches and the Skipton deal has 0 arrangement fee and 0 valuation fee so it still works out better than others in the long run.

Argh more drama! So our buyers have decided that they want to reduce their offer by 7.5k for all the redecoration work they need to do. We already agreed a sale price 2.5k less than asking based in the need for new carpets, how can it cost 7.5k to repainted a 2-bed flat?! They haven't even had the survey yet. They are just trying it on aren't they? EA also sounded annoyed with them and has said she'll work on them over the weekend. Are they just expecting us to just agree because they know we won't want to lose our purchase?

Very annoying! I'd be tempted to call their bluff. I think it's fair enough if something unexpected/expensive comes up on the survey but they could see the decor before they made the offer! How quickly did it sell?

Yeah DH isn't having any of it but I'm scared about losing our purchase. It didn't sell for 3 months then we went on with a different agent and new photos, had a viewing within 2 days and they made the offer so I have no idea how long could take again. Weirdly we noticed our old EA have relisted our flat on Rightmove yesterday, not sure what's going on there.

It's a blooming nightmare this house moving.
Hopefully we find out tomorrow if the bottom of the chain gets his mortgage approved.
Banana it sounds like your buyers are trying it on. Something similar happened with the people who made the first offer on our house. We told them politely to get stuffed & within days we got an even better offer from another couple. However it's their buyers (bottom of chain) who are messing everyone about. We were all supposed to be moving yesterday and because of the absolute stupidity of Mr First Time Buyer the whole chain could collapse. I pray & hope it doesn't.

I've not been on for while, thought I'd catch up on everyone's progress.

We exchanged a week ago and complete/move on Thursday. I thought I'd be nothing but thrilled, but I've turned into a stress head about it all and getting quite overwhelmed. I'm no stranger to a bit of stress in life, but it feels like this is the hardest bit at the end of a long and cumulative stressy process.

I'm working today and tomorrow, off weds, move thurs. Still got quite a lot to pack and to cut down removers costs we agreed to empty the loft and bring up the cellar before moving. We've also agreed to dismantle several large furniture items for the same reasons. It's fine with just adults involved, but I'd under anticipated how hard it is with small DCs, not to mention we've run into silly time at school now with something involving a unique clothing set/money/parental attendance/different circumstances every bloody day this week and next and different things for different DC.

We have a very old dusty house and when moving furniture I can see everything will need thoroughly cleaning (skirting and hoover ring) before I can hand it over. How do you manage to do this with the removers doing their bit as well? Do they do boxes then furniture, or the other way round? Then I want to get in the new place to instruct what goes where, and I can't be in two places and once?

Ridiculous I know, I've moved loads pre-DC but this time I feel stupidly out of control, and a bit overwhelmed.

We have a fixed completion everything is booked. We now have a delay on searches.

Could be fucked. Really need to exchange Wednesday latest. Am crapping myself.

Alabaster, label everything you can with where it should go in the new place, you don't want to have to direct everything. Clean behind them, a room at a time.
They're used to hanging about waiting for you, you may have to drop old keys off with estate agent etc, so they will wait until you get there at new place. Don't worry, the removers do this day in, day out, so if you have any questions about the process, just ask them.

Oh honeydragon, my heart sank reading that, knowing how our own search saga has gone!! Which search are you waiting for?

I've been over to new house this morning and done final measuring up and chosen wood for the flooring. The vendors and I had a good old moan about the process, but there's little we can do but wait.

Only local ones. Soliciters use a very reliable company who know its urgent .... But, what can they do if the council are on a go slow?

That's the same one we are waiting on - 7.5 weeks and counting.
We've just scrapped the original one and put in an expedited request - the trouble being that all the recent search requests are going in as expedited ones as the agents are advising this because the searches are so slow. And every time the expedited ones take priority and ours get pushed further and further back. Ridiculous system.

Agreed. Thing is, everything depends on being in on the 25th, the developer is prepared to undertake on other aspects to ouch the exchange through, but the mortgage funds won't be released if the searches aren't done. Gits.

I've been lurking and just de lurking to say to alabaster take a photocopy of the floor plan of new house. Allocate each room a number and when packing mark each box with number. On furniture, use post its or masking tape (which easily removes). Give layout to movers and let them know what you've done.

We're waiting on our mortgage being approved (currently with underwriters) and stressing already and this is only the start of the process. Hoping to delurk again when mortgage approved.

Just popping in before GoT to say I now have wifi in the new house. Completed on Friday, all went smoothly. A few snagging issues that they seem happy to deal with and very helpful so far (they lifted our washer in and have offered their skip for our rubbish cos the council haven't delivered our bind)

Thank you for the practical ideas, two sleeps left after tonight and still loads to do....

I'm ridiculously sad about it too. I absolutely love this house, it's packed with character and everyone through the door loves it. We are moving to a much newer house, but it will fit our needs as a family better, I know. But I am melancholy for this being where we had our babies, proposal, wedding from, DC first steps, Christmases etc. it's the first house I've loved rather than chose from convenience, and I just feel sad I'm leaving that stuff. I know my rather sensitive DD is wobbly about it too, which is making me feel worse. Stupid I know, it's just a nasty feeling of anxiety about it. I also get a bit homesick, and I'm a bit concerned about the first few nights feeling rather odd. I've moved house so much so I know I shouldn't, but as I say, this was my first 'chosen' house ( after a very nasty divorce pre-DC).

I'm being daft, aren't i?

Not daft at all. I've only loved one house and still miss it, 8 years and two further houses down the line. But you are only leaving the bricks and mortar, you will take your memories with you.
Take lots of photos, I did a video tour of our last house too (mostly for the DCs benefit as two of them were born in the dining room!).
Good luck!

Buyers have pulled out because we won't drop the price per their demands, not a surprise but our vendor is going to put property back on the market so we've lost out. Why are people such twats.

Sorry to hear that Banana. They sounded like a right pair of twunts! And I have no idea why people are like that, maybe a face saving thing.....however pride comes before a fall.
We're still waiting to hear if the bottom of the chain has his new mortgage offer sorted out. Got told again it should be tomorrow.....

Sorry to hear that banana, what a nightmare for you. Hope you manage to get a new buyer quickly.

Oh sorry Banana , I wonder if they'd actually had been offered less for the mortgage and tried to bluff it out instead of being straight?

I have some good news ....I have the searches in my possession and tomorrow we can instruct them to start the exchange :-D

The figure they wanted to pay is what their original offer was so you might be right honey. Congrats on your progress

Just got a Rightmove alert for our planned purchase already :(

Well done Honeydragon, I'm so jealous! Still no bloody searches here.

Hi all, can I join? We've just had our 9th offer FINALLY accepted! It should be fairly simple , we're in rented and the seller has already moved out, but obviously I've just read this whole thread and now I'm expecting it to be a nightmare! There's a teeny tiny little bit of additional pressure in that I'm currently 7 months pregnant, too.

So far we've done our full mortgage application through a broker, instructed our solicitor, and got our valuation booked for Monday. As I understand it, the main ways for it to go wrong now are for the valuation or survey to throw up problems or for the solicitors to be crap at passing stuff back and forth, is that right?

I was most worried about us not being able to get a mortgage, but that bit is done now, as long as the valuation and stuff is okay, right?