Completion next week? Maybe? Tell me what to do?

[Runningupthathill82]

I am a stressed out crazy lady right now, with a toddler, a baby and an over complicated sale/purchase going on.

There's four in the chain, we're second one up. Completion is pencilled in for next Friday if a document that's still outstanding arrives on time.

So. Tell me what to do between now and then?

I've got a packing and removals firm provisionally booked, should we get the confirmation we're going ahead. I've emptied and defrosted the freezer. I'm decluttering with gusto.

I'm also ricocheting between fear it'll all go wrong and fury at the process thus far (shit estate agents, shit solicitor, all sorts).

So. What should I be doing in what is potentially the last week in my house?! Help!

You need a gap between exchange and completion for just this reason - you can't make certain arrangements until exchange .

Meanwhile - get insurance quotes for the new place which needs to be insured from exchange , so when that happens you can just make one call to start the insurance. Get your post office redirect form filled in ready to start it when you have completion date.

After exchange - organise broadband and phone at new house. Tell car insurers when you are moving. Contact council, gp, dentist. All else can wait.

You don't have to have a gap between exchange and completion it is possible to do both on the same day, but you need a firm commitment from everyone involved not just parties, but all the solicitors.
The biggest hurdle I can see for you is it takes 5-7 working days to draw down mortgage funds in most cases if this process has not been started you will not complete on Friday.

All good, but as only exchange is legally binding why make life difficult? Same day means no redirect for five days, no broadband / phone, no removers or cancellation costs and an awful lot of extra stress. Plus that mortgage.

It is possible for exchange and complete to happen on same day on all services to be sorted. On Tuesday I am exchanging and completing and I have already sorted out all my services including broadband. It is not usual, but us entirely possible.
The draw down of mortgages by far and away the biggest hurdle.

You don't say if contracts have been exchanged. Have they? If not why not? (or, at least, what is the unconvincing story you have been told?)

Contracts haven't been exchanged, no. Because we're still waiting for a form from the leaseholder. Apparently.

When we bought our house we exchanged and completed on the same day, but that was far simpler as we were in rented and had a few days overlap to sort things. There also wasn't a chain above us.

This time it's been much harder, mainly due to lack of communication from our "sales progressor" (useless) and our solicitor (getting into from her is like blood from a stone).