Buying and selling support thread?!

[GinIsIn]

Hi, I know there's a sellers' thread, and a buyers' thread, but I am knee deep in trying to do both at the same time and starting to feel like my head might explode and not sure which thread to visit to beg for someone to send Anyone else?!

That sounds very positive boobz. I hope everyone agrees.

We complete on Friday so the packing is starting tomorrow afternoon so that we are definitely good to go when we complete on Friday.

I don't think our buyers are properly moving in on Friday (although they might be). They sold their house months ago and have been staying with family so they have a bit of flexibility and probably won't be sitting outside in a van the second we complete. Nonetheless, I don't want to hold anyone up, and I also want to be able to clean the empty house for them.

I hope our vendors think similarly but I fear otherwise. They are moving across the country though so hopefully that means they'll be setting off sooner (i.e. Tomorrow) rather than later.

Survey was Monday. Estate agent has phoned stating that the buyer says it states the need for a timber and damp report. ARGH. She's asked for a copy of the report to look at the detail and what exactly it says.

Has anyone had a damp and timber report? The house is 120 years old ffs. I'm not letting them lift any flooring or anything.

I'd bet that the wording about damp and timber report is standardised survey wording rather than something that needs doing.

Fingers crossed Boobz

Fingers crossed boobz.

Is anyone up with more than 1 EA? We have been up with ours nearly 12 weeks now (4 more than contracted for). Not sure whether to change EA, go on with a 2nd as well as original, reduce our asking price or leave as we are due to ? EU referendum. Any words of wisdom?

Hi Sweetpea - I instructed 2 agents, but got them both to accept the same % commission rate as it would have been if it were just a sole agency (1.5%) so have 2 teams working for me for me with no increase in commission. The EA that got the offer has been really proactive which has obviously helped - the other one I think are a bit blind-sided at how quickly it's gone, but they are getting people through the door today in a bid to find someone before I accept this offer.

I think the reason it's been done so quickly is the price - we have priced it very competitively - it's a bargain compared to what similar properties are priced at on the same/neighbouring roads... but we don't want to lose the house in Brixton so made the decision to price it to achieve the end goal of buying that house, rather than to make as much money as possible. We want to live in the Brixton house for 10-15 years, and houses on this street rarely come up (usually flats) so we figure losing out on perhaps £20 - 30k on our place will be more than made up for by getting the house we want, on the exact street we want.

Where are you selling?

I finally managed to get all the figures to my accountant to draw up the certificate to give to the mortgage company. Any ideas how long it takes for the mortgage company to accept?

Other than that it's all gone quiet. We've all instructed solicitors and memorandums of sale have been drawn up but nothing has happened. What's the general process? Should I call our agents and check everything is going ahead? I've never sold before and it's been a while since I purchased!

Can take a few days for mortgage company, depending on if they decide they want more info. I think ours was 2 days.

You are probably right about the damp and timber report, but the buyers are so pernickety. Grrrrr

Things are moving here. Still waiting on mortgage but EA asking about completion dates 😳 Expecting end of July early August. Eeek. Bloody hope mortgage is approved

Our house is looking quite empty now. The movers came and packed and loaded loads of stuff today. They're coming back tomorrow to finish off and take it all to the new house.

So I have a fun evening of scrubbing stuff ahead of me. So does DH. The empty rooms look pretty grim in comparison to how they did with furniture in them.

I've been mostly a lurker on this thread but wanted to drop in and say 'hi'.

Hope all goes well for the move tomorrow Step.

Huckleberry, hope you can placate your buyers without too much hassle. I do wonder sometimes if people understand older properties. We used to have a Georgian townhouse and we had hassle with our buyer over damp and timber treatment but the house didn't have dip and the timber was treated!

Mummy hope you get your mortgage offer soon, ours took 4 weeks from application until approval.

Boobz, fingers crossed that your offers have come through.

We exchanged contracts on our sale today but are not completing until early August due to commitments further down the chain, only taken 7 weeks so not bad considering we are a chain of 5! Our purchase however is a nightmare, we opted for a new build, as we are relocating, thinking that it would be easier and quicker. The builder (volume house builder) is being an arse and has threatened to withdraw the contract as we can't complete in July as they wanted, not sure how you can force an entire chain to do what just one person wants, but hey ho. Builder has ignored me for the last week and a half ( no response to mine or solicitors emails) and so I haven't told them yet that we have exchanged, petty but satisfying! I can't believe that they want to lose a sale for the sake of 9 days between their desired completion date and ours. I am going to give them until close of business tomorrow to give me a definitive yes or no or we will withdraw our offer. Ridiculous as we have our mortgage offer, searches back and contracts ready to go but we shall see.

Good luck step, I can't believe you are finally at the point of moving.
I have been on another thread about whether viewing should still be taking place while a property is under offer, just makes my blood boil at what goes on in this stressful business.

Oatcakes: congratulations on getting one half sorted. The developer sounds like, well a typical large developer tbh. They're not going to resell it to someone who'll complete before you anyway so they're just throwing their weight around and being arses. How stressful for you though.

Jeremy: I saw that thread.

I can't believe I'm actually moving either. 10 days ago it looked like the vendors were never going to engage with the process at all. They wouldn't even provide copies of their deeds never mind answer standard queries.

We're 3/4 packed and loaded (so the house feels very weird and much less nice without our furniture and stuff). The movers will be back with their ginormous van (unnecessarily large) tomorrow to finish off and move us. I just hope our vendors are quick. Worryingly he told DH that their movers are coming at 9 to start and they should be ready by early to mid afternoon. I hope they've packed themselves and that the movers aren't starting packing at 9. I suspect this means we will be moving in to a house that hasn't been cleaned in any meaningful way.

Thanks Boobz. We're in the East Midlands.i briefly spoke to our EA and we now have another 3 viewings booked in so going to leave things as they are for a couple more weeks then decide.
Good luck Step!

Any else worried what effect this eu referendum could have on property prices etc?

Thanks Boobz. We're in the East Midlands.i briefly spoke to our EA and we now have another 3 viewings booked in so going to leave things as they are for a couple more weeks then decide.
Good luck Step!

Any else worried what effect this eu referendum could have on property prices etc?

Yes Sweetpea, worried that it's going to take ages to sell now.

DH is super stressed because of the (absolutely awful) referendum result. He keeps saying: what if it doesn't complete today and our buyers pull out? That is incredibly unlikely to happen but DH will still worry away at it all morning til we complete.

Who knows what effect brexit will have. I'm Scottish and the consensus this morning among my Scottish friends also living in England is that we want to go home.

My dad is Scottish - does that mean I can come with you?

It's a sad sad day 😢 Hope this doesn't affect any of us too much

Worried this morning, three and a half weeks into sale and have everything crossed it still goes ahead. Small chain, FTB buying my buyer's house (already two weeks into process when offered in mine) and I'm not buying anything. House sold very quickly and all paperwork with solicitors three weeks ago. Searches have been started and just waiting on mortgages and surveys to exchange next month with completion by end of July. First time I've sold to add to the stress and just hoping it continues to go through.
Good luck to everyone moving today.

I actually cried over the result. I think much of that might be the moving stress but still I feel like this isn't my country at all.

But, do you know what's a good distraction from hyperbolic self pity? Scrubbing an empty house clean and then scrubbing another one.

Nervous seller, we are at similar situation here. 5 in the chain, FTB buying my place. Waiting on a couple of mortgages and looking at completion end of July. Terrified mortgage companies will push their interest rates up or slow down, buyers pull out

Ugh, meant to exchange today. Really cross at the unnecessary month delay as can see it not happening now.

Cried here too.

Mortgage valuation surveys due to take place on my house and the one I'm buying next week. I'm nervous.

I actually think our ridiculously small chain is going to collapse. I currently have a 25% deposit and have put in my application based on my accountants certificate (company director). I somehow don't think I'm going to get a mortgage offer now. I feel sick.

Well we are in the new house. I left the old one all shiny and spotless and the people we bought off... Hoovered a bit. The kitchen is filthy and a bit sticky and there is a strong wiff of dog.

However, the kids are delighted with their new rooms and DS2's friend who lives very close by has already been round to visit.