FTB advice - seller not instructed solicitor yet?

[BumbleNova]

I'm not sure if I am panicking over nothing. Basically, I had an offer accepted on a house that I love on 25 January. I straight away instructed a solicitor and arranged to see the mortgage broker.

I have my full mortgage offer now and I have sent all the requested paperwork back to the solicitors.

My solicitors have requested the draft contract from the seller's solicitors, but the response back from the sols so far has been that they are awaiting formal instructions and completed protocol documents.

its been 4 weeks since they accepted my offer - are they time wasters and not really interested in selling?

I know they tried to sell it in April last year and i didnt go through. they are late 50s early 60s and will be moving into rented accomodation to take themselves out the chain. I have booked the full survey next week but I dont want to do that without some kind of reassurance the sellers are just mucking me around?

any advice??

I was going to say if in a chain it is normal (though annoying) that sellers often don't instruct sols til they have sorted their onward purchase. That was the case for mine, but if they are going to rented there is no reason not to crack on and I would also be concerned. They need to instruct ASAP and I would be chasing them to do so.

bad sign. It doesn't cost much to do the initial instruction and if you are going to sell then it needs to be done whatever.

tell the agent that if the solicitor has not been instructed by the end of this week, you will assume they don't want to sell and will pull out.

postpone the survey until the solicitor is instructed to avoid money wasting. Tell the agent that too.

Thanks Paddle - I am beginning to suspect that we will end up in a chain and they are looking for their next property to purchase now we have offered on theirs.

its not the end of the world but I did ask their plans in that respect twice - so if they have lied to my face twice (they did both viewings), its bloody annoying. I also do not want my mortgage offer to expire. Can I give an ultimatum about completion dates?

do I contact the estate agents and ask what is going on? god this is so stressful...

yes, you do contact the agents, and yes you give an ultimatum.

and the only people I know who kept a promise to go into rental was me and him. Others tend to piss about to avoid two moves.

keep looking. These two sound like they assume you can be treated as 'little people' and life is too short.

I wouldn't continue with your survey until they have instructed solicitors and you have received the draft contract. Keep looking in case they pull out. :-(

Just got the draft contract! Phew. I rung the agent and said I'd withdraw my offer unless they instructed solicitors asap and 30 mins later my sols had the draft documents.

and breathe. thanks for the advice! I may have a full head of grey hair by the end. such a ridiculous process.

Glad to hear it's progressed. Good luck and hopefully they keep their word about the chain. Mine did drag forever due to the chain and my mortgage expired which was a total pain but I got another one quickly and got there in the end. It's not a fun process!

ok, so they have proved they will piss you about unless you get tough. Expect lots more pissing about.

I'd be inclined to say that having proved they are time wasters, you want some dates and evidence that they WILL go into rental. Make any offer conditional on stuff happening by certain dates, set a harsh timetable.