Buyer's support thread #6

[faffalotty]

last one was full to the brim

Hilarious - I have just got an out of office from solicitor saying she is not back until 3rd October.

Colgate it has to be agreed between you. At least 1 weeks is totally normal. Offer that as your compromise maybe?

Exhaling and completing on the same day I do not think it's a good idea because until you exchange nothing is certain - so I wouldn't want to book movers etc in case things get delay or there are las min problems.

My thoughts exactly.

Coatgate - don't panic!

The only person who you should listen to here is your solicitor. If they have not spoken to you requesting formal instructions from you to exchange imminently, then it isn't going to happen. Solicitors cannot exchange and complete without your authority and confirmation that you are happy to go ahead. Once you agree to exchange, a completion date will be set and you will receive a letter to confirm the details. Do not agree to a simultaneous exchange and completion date unless it's what you want. I work in conveyancing and personally I would never choose a simultaneous in preference to exchange with completion at least one week later (preferably two weeks later).

Even though your solicitor is away, if exchange/completion were due this week, someone would be working on your case, so give them a call and find out what's happening.

Please do not listen to Estate Agents - once a sale/purchase is in the hands of the solicitors, the EA is no longer aware or party to any legal issues or outstanding enquiries. The only part they play is phoning the solicitors on both sides to try and get information and keeping the chain together by chivvying everyone along. While this is sometimes necessary, they do not have access to your files and therefore have no idea actually what there is still outstanding to do before exchange can happen.

I disagree slightly that the EA has nothing to do with it now - the sales negotiator at th EA can be v useful in understanding the different drivers behind the buyer and sellers desired completion dates so you can come to an agreement/compromise.

If you just say to your solicitor you want to compete 4 weeks after exchange, and the other side are saying to their solicitor they want to exchange and compete on the same day - how will you ever come to an agreement?

I am in the enviable position of it not mattering one jot when we complete, except that I need to empty the house. I thought this would be one time in my life when I didn't feel as if I was on the back foot. And yet I feel all jumpy and nervous about it.

I don't mind exchanging and completing on the same day, as long as that date can be agreed with at least two weeks notice.

I didn't say the EA has nothing to do with it. I said the EA is not party to the legal work. They do contact the solicitors on both sides to query how far along they are, what they're waiting for, what the next step is etc and they can also contact both vendor and buyer to ascertain preferred dates etc. However, contrary to popular belief it is not the seller or buyer or EA who come to a compromise/agreement. The solicitors will not agree any dates regardless of any compromise/agreement put forward unless the legal work is finalised. So your dates mean nothing until then.

in terms of exchanging and completing, only the solicitors will be able to tell you when they are ready

yes the EA can be useful in negotiating between buyers and sellers, but he does not have access to the legal work and therefore cannot a completion date. Solicitors will try to accommodate preferred dates but it does depend on satisfactory responses to requested answers and

Narvy - are you moving today? Good luck if you are!

3 days to go for me. I've now entered the sleepness night phase. Was packing, sorting, cleaning again after work yesterday till I went to bed. Watched Cold Feet whilst sorting through a mound of random electrical cables - had to pause it so often whilst fetching and carrying stuff that it took me till 10.30pm to get to the end. Had trouble getting to sleep and then as soon as I was awake I was thinking of what I need to do.

I just can't believe how much rubbish has been uncovered and how many trips to the tip and charity shops I've made. I didn't really think we had much stuff!

Faffalotty

I feel your pain, I have started packing as our things will have to go into storage for a while. We have so much crap stuff we might need. Not just me either (honest). I uncovered about 10 holdalls in a cupboard yesterday that hubby had put in there - just in case!

As for the cables - I know, even though we have a box full, that we won't have the right ones when we do finally move!

Good luck with everything - Happy Packing!

Nervy - Good luck for today from me as well.

We are in! Holy crap this is quite possibly the worst thing I've done in years. So stressful, and yet overlooking the process as a whole it was very straight forward.

I had no idea how much stuff we have, so once the movers left I ended up having a panic arrack because I felt so overwhelmed, not only with the amount of unpacking but the realisation of how much it'll take to make this into my home. It doesn't smell or feel like home yet, I feel all out of place!

Also the kitchen is EVEN WORSE. Met with fucked plumbing and literally no plug points for white goods. So odd.

Despite all this my gut says we did the right thing, this house can be perfect for us in time.

Best of luck to everyone still in the throes of it all

Also top tip: if you plan to take a picture under your SOLD sign - do it ASAP, estate agent came and ripped it up a whole ten minutes after we got the keys! Totally stole my 'moment'

Totally stole my 'moment
Ha ha on no!
Glad you're in - good luck with the unpacking.

Nervy good to hear you are in, in one piece.

Sorry to hear you're feeling a bit out of sorts about the house. I'm sure it will start to feel like home soon enough, once you get all your things in place and your smell starts to permeate the house!

Incidentally I found some photos of our current house when we first moved in - I had forgotten how bad it was. Deep red walls and an avocado suite in the bathroom, kitchen was only a few rickety cupboards with a freestanding ancient oven in a corner, overgrown garden...

It looks and feels completely different now.

I think when you move it starts as a house and then becomes a home

Nervy thats great news a sign that there is light at the end of the tunnel (eventually) - I hope the unpacking goes well

Second top tip: you get what you pay for! Chose the cheapest movers and they've scratched up the only decent floor in the house, and damaged the sofa! also just left the old house and so much random stuff was still there! Now realise why we couldn't find the tv remotes last night!

Oh dear

Were you not there when they did the removals? I'm going to be watching my removal men like a hawk!

Oh No!! Nervy
We were having a logistics decision last night, I'm not sure if I want to be at the old house when the removal men come or at the new one, we are moving quite a long way so one of us will be at each house.

Anna Being a control freak, I would want to be at the old house to make sure that they don't leave anything behind. I would then head straight off to the new house, getting there before them so that I could check that they put everything in the correct rooms and don't leave anything in their van.

We had to split up, one at each house, no family around so had to juggle the kids too, plus commute the school run still sodding half days

Seems to me a few bits didn't fit on the van so they thought sod it and left a few behind, I went back to let in the cleaner this morning and found my oven mit just casually hanging on the oven.. Pair of kids shoes in the hallway

Nervy
I think we will do the same and I will be the last person out the door of the old house. We have so much crap I know they would leave something!
I hope you are settling in now and its becoming yours.

Good luck unpacking and settling Nervy! I can't begin to imagine what it's like! We've just sold our first house!
I worry that if when we find a place that it won't be "home".
I miss home

I think it's going to take a really long time to feel like home, although I feel happy!

How are you all getting on?

We are waiting for our buyers to be ready to exchange. They aren't having a survey as house 2 yrs old and has NHBC.

In the meantime in dream land we are hoping (as we have already bought our new house) to

Get new floors laid
Wood burner fitted
Painted through
Garden cleared

DH finally got some quotes last week after some "sorry trouble with van, dad etc"

I Still can't lift anything heavy due to hand fracture sustained during extreme cleaning..... May be forced to book packers

Glad you are in Nervy!

We're back to square one following someone else making a surprise offer on the house we were about to make an offer on ourselves. The agents told us no one else had even viewed it recently, and the other offer came from a couple who viewed it months ago. So that'll teach us not to delay if we see something we want!

There's nothing else really out there to suit us (apart from one house that dh hates, so I couldn't make him move there if his heart wasn't in it), so we're desperately hoping some new stuff starts appearing on the market soon.