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?!

Good luck for everyone for the week ahead, hopefully things will get busier now that Easter is over.
As an aside, I don't think that I would ever use an online estate agent, I booked a viewing through one and they have constantly harassed me since for mortgage quotes, their services as an agent etc. I had to block their number this morning.

Hi all, I think I need this thread at the moment as I'm trying to keep the faith that this is going to work out for us!

Selling side - we marketed our house and the day that we signed the paperwork a FTB was brought to view (before marketed) and made an offer just under asking. We declined as it was so early in the process and they came straight back at asking price which we accepted. This was the beginning of March. Since then their mortgage valuation came in 5k under what they offered so they have dropped their price down to their original offer which we have accepted (they wanted to drop more following homebuyer's report but our estate agent basically told them not to take the p1ss, the issues raised were minor ones that didn't affect valuation). They are keen to get going but not time sensitive as far as we are aware as they are in rented/family accommodation (not sure which). Basically they are good to go now pending any problems.

Buying side - we started looking straight away, took us a couple of weeks but we found our perfect house and made an offer slightly under asking which was accepted. This was over 3 weeks ago now. The seller is looking to downsize as they are at retirement age and want a smaller house/garden as they go into their retirement. What is worrying us is that they are looking in a really specific area, and there are only limited houses available of the type of thing they are looking for. Therefore in the back of our minds has always been that they might pull out. If they do we will be in some trouble as there are limited numbers of properties coming on the market which are 'right' for what we're looking for, indeed I've had hardly any Rightmove alerts. If they take weeks to find something, or pull out and we have to start again, there's a risk our buyers will get impatient and pull out also leaving us back at the start but several hundred quid down. We are currently deciding whether to instruct for our survey or not, because that would be another £500 or thereabouts spend. It just feels so stressful!

School is another stress, we're not moving that far but it will mean a stressful journey to DS's current school until we can get him into new school, which is currently full. Also his current school is an infant so we only have until the end of next school year to get him a place or we will have to start to look elsewhere, as he won't get into the linked junior school at this distance. Another reason why we are keen to get moving.

Anyone else feel like this is just a hideous waiting game?!

Yes Olaf it's horribly stressful. Hope it all works out for you.
I'm trying my hardest to refrain from sitting by the phone. I'm hoping the estate agent will phone with feedback from this weekends viewings.

Jeremy sadly schools here are off this week too so I'm not expecting much this week. Wish I had waited till after school holidays to put on market but hadn't realised it would affect viewings as much. We now won't be at top of the list if they search by date.

I'm in the midst of trying to find a house after losing out of the first house we wanted. I'm terrified we won't find anything and our buyers pull out. I don't want to settle for something I only just 'like'

olaf - the school places issue is a nightmare! We can't apply for a place until we have exchanged but then I only really want to move somewhere where the DC can be part of the community. I understand why it has to be like this but it is so stressful. You have my sympathy.

Gahhhh spoke to sol office this morning. Waiting on a response to an enquiry to our sellers' solicitor, and then we can start talking exchange/completion dates. Last Monday when I spoke to them we were waiting on a response from buyers' sols! All the solicitors are just sloooowly enquiring and responding to each other. I just want to move! Or at least to have a date set. Also need to figure out school place for DD, haven't even thought that far to be honest.

Estate agent valued the house as expected. Although they want £2k fees for a sale.

She suggested we add stuff that we've done to house on zoopla. Which I did and now the valuation on zoopla has gone from £151k to £142! How have I managed that?

Well, I put my offer in today. Waiting to hear. The EA said that another offer has been made....so who knows?
Not sure how I feel about it really. Only one day of viewings and then best and final offers. I know it's a seller's market but it seems ridiculous to spend so much money based on a 15 minute viewing!!

We had a slightly higher offer than the first one today, same person, still 50k under asking price (which was low estate agent said). I am quite tempted but this man has apparently offered on a few as his flat has sold and the chain is complete.

I can't get my head around offering on several houses, surely you only want one really?
I am desperate to get rid of our house and probably would have accepted but dh said no and he is probably right, only been on market for a week.

Anyone else got any news? Good news hopefully.

mighty I was thinking that today, a few minutes and you blow a few hundred thousand pounds.

Yes makes me feel quite resentful of the whole process. And really starting to hate the games EAs play!

I'd hold out for a better offer Jeremy. I was desperate to sell and already to accept a low offer but my EA said not to. Three weeks later I accepted a great offer from FTB

Yes, they do play games. I last sold 13 years ago and I thought they might have stopped all that but I have already come across some big fat whopper fibs.

I am just really worried about ending up with nowhere to live as we are in rented and our landlord selling, we need to sell quickly really.

I hope the offer is accepted, mighty. And that you get a better one Jeremy.

Huckleberry: just keep playing with zoopla til you get it to give you the valuation you want. It's largely nonsense anyway.

DH spoke to the mortgage advisor today (a kind of pre-meeting thing). She said the affordability was totally fine (we knew this anyway) and that we could complete in 4 weeks. Apparently the mortgage is unlike to take more than 2 weeks to fully approve. We'll see... Our buyers are good to go really, and our sellers want to work to a 6-12 week schedule (they've bought and sold many times, so I suspect they mean ASAP but are realistic about what that actually means).

We are having issues here, our house has sold to someone who is in rented - which is good - but the house we have had an offer accepted on is still being marketed for viewings on RightMove. It is through an online agency and we can't seem to get a straight answer out of them for why. Should we say that we will withdraw our offer if it isn't put SSTC on all online sites?

Pippa has your valuation survey been carried out and do you have your mortgage offer yet? The house we are buying was only marked SSTC once the survey was carried out and valuation confirmed as the agreed sale price.

Not yet I don't think. We are still waiting for the Memorandum thingy. Do you think that is all it is? Ours has been marked as Under Offer on RightMove, I thought that was usual?

It varies from EA to EA. Ours was only ever marked 'under offer' and the agents took it off RM when we exchanged. The house we are buying was marked SSTC once the valuation survey was in. It's still showing on RM - we complete on Friday. Ask the EAs what they normally do. I wouldn't worry though; they want to be sure everything is progressing with your mortgage and you are fully proceedable.

Hi, hope its ok if i join this thread? We have accepted an offer on ours on saturday unfortunately the house we offered on has been removed from sale as they didnt get the 1 house they wanted! So we are currently praying that when the kids go back to school on monday more houses come on to the market.....

Sold sign went today. Despite wanting to move to the new house as it is a new stage in our lives, I still really love this house. I nearly burst into tears as this house is where I had my children and it has been a happy house! I started worrying we have done the wrong thing (which we haven't). It doesn't feel like we are moving as the packers are doing it. Please assure me this is normal!!

Our EA for the sale of our house has been amazing- a really caring and decent bloke. Sadly we can't say the same of the one we are buying from. He has completely lost interest. It has taken him over a week to acknowledge that we have exchanged! Apparently he is too busy getting ready for the spring market to talk to us or acknowledge e-mails.

jojo that's really bad luck, sounds as if your sellers didn't really want to move. I am sure that something else will come on the market, lots seem to be coming on every day.

Golden it's normal I think, I drag around a piece of wood with the DC heights on now as we moved so often and I couldn't bear to leave the marks on the wall. Hope everything goes smoothly for you.

I want to accept a low offer for ours but dh doesn't . I would be interested in your opinions, it's on for £500k, been offered 455k. We took the lowest estate agent valuation as we wanted to sell quickly, we are in rented in another part of the country and landlord is selling.

Value has gone up very little in the 13 years that we have had it, I just want rid of it. Would anyone else just think sod the money and take the offer?

Well I didn't hear back from EA about my offer - not even an acknowledgement. Then saw the house was showing as Sold STC on EA's website! Rang the EA and yes the seller has accepted another offer! It would have at least been courteous to let me know! so annoying.

Jeremy, I can understand your impatience to just sell and move on, but that's a lot to lose. I would probably wait.

That's so rude mighty, they are doubly stupid as no doubt you will be reluctant to buy through them or put other offers in through them in the future.

Jeremy if you can afford to take the cut and you really want to move then I would do it.
Sadly the different between us selling for 125k and 140k is huge and would probably mean we couldn't afford to move.
EA phoned this morning with feedback from last weekends viewings. all positive and all really liked the house but they haven't requested a second viewing or put in an offer. Couldn't have liked it that much. I know it's early days but I'm feeling frustrated.

We could just about manage sweetpea but it would be really tight, I just can't face renting a anymore, been doing it for eight years.

I share your frustration, I can barely think of anything else and am mainlining junk food.

Have you got any more viewings lined up?