Would anyone like an 'in a chain' support group? (2)

[AnnaELC]

Seems we reached 1000 messages so I've started a new one!

Oh that's a shame Smallone

Sorry to hear that smallone - how annoying

Our vendors have arranged a homebuyers survey on our house for next week. I'm ridiculously nervous! Can you all tell me your good survey stories?!

Sorry to hear that smallone - it is so frustrating not being able to do anything.
Wine - our buyers had full structural survey, damp survey and electrical. We were really worried but the damp and electrics people just said that they were happy with everything.

Popartist how old is your house? Ours is nearly 100 years old and there are patches of damp around it which are making me nervous! I'm really hoping it doesn't put our buyers off.

Thanks. So cross about the energy I have wasted, for nothing!

We are on our second buyer, so had two surveys, one mortgage valuation and one home buyers. The home buyers guy set up shop at our dining table and filled in a squillion questions. Then wandered around the house for a bit. Used a damp meter in all the suspect places inspected what he could see, but didn't pull any furniture out etc. Took about an hour. Mortgage evaluation asked the same questions, measured up, tested the electric sockets with a handheld doodad and was off.

And re damp, if it's condensation I can recommend an electric dehumidifier. Now we've learned about condensation it wouldnt bother us. We're buying a 250 yr old place with the dampest basement ever! So it doesn't put everyone off.

Thanks smallone. It's all condensation from having solid walls. Over the years we've improved the situation greatly by replacing the windows with windows containing vents, upgrading extractor fans in bathroom and kitchen, dry lining some particularly cold walls and leaving windows open during the day. Our log burner has definitely helped too and I run a dehumidifier. However there are still some damp patches about although hoping they're not too serious given the work we've put in to improve things.

Glad to hear it wouldn't put you off!

Wine - ours is 100 years old. The damp survey found high readings in a couple of rooms but said it was nothing to worry about - in fact the first thing he said was that you are going to find damp in houses that old. I'm sure you will be OK.

Thank you Popartist. Very reassuring!

Well apparently we may exchange tomorrow!? I will believe this when I see it! We've got to settle on a completion date first. I'm aiming for 9th January, so at least we can enjoy xmas and new year, but fear my homeless buyer will go for the 4th. Hey ho, at least we will be in!

Fingers crossed for you Small. I hope you exchange tomorrow.
We finally had progress today. The buyer at the bottom of the chain has received their mortgage offer. Maybe we'll exchange next week. With 7 of us now to agree a date, I'll agree to any date to get this moving.

Fingers crossed that you exchange tomorrow small!

Unlikely - 7 in your chain - yikes! That's good news that the buyer at the bottom has their mortgage offer. I hope you can all agree on a date.

Hope it goes well, Smallone.
Unlikely we have a similar situation to you - we thought everyone was ready to exchange 2 weeks ago then we found out that the people at the bottom of the chain - our buyers buyer - hadn't got their funding sorted out - we all thought they were using money from their family but instead they put in for a mortgage at this late stage. The survey is tomorrow. I'm just on tenterhooks waiting for them to get their mortgage so that we can get cracking on exchange and complete the beginning of the new year.

It's driving me mad, I want to bash heads together and make people get on with it quickly. I can't sleep. I try to fill time cleaning out cupboards and decluttering

Nell - I'm losing sleep over the whole thing too! I just want it wrapped up so we can get on with our lives. Unfortunately the situation is causing me anxiety which I'm currently projecting on to work which is not good!! And having Christmas in the middle is not helping!

I hope your buyers buyer get the mortgage - sending positive vibes!

Thanks all.

unlikely that sounds positive!

Wine I've had tonsillitis on and off for a month, anti-biotics work for a while, then it flares up again. I am sure its the stress. Looking forward to moving, just to feel better!

Nell, good on you for putting a rocket up the EA! Great move

Good luck for today smallone

With you all on losing sleep. Fingers crossed our mortgage seems to be moving along okay though. Incredibly frustrating though to ring up the bank and say "we want to port our existing mortgage, no change just port it" and then at the end of 3 phone calls totalling about 2 hours be told "Well, my recommendation based on everything you've said is to keep your mortgage the same and just port it". I fortunately managed to bite back my incoherent splutters and just say "oh thank you"

Does anyone else have small DC? Mine are 3 and 1, for the 3yo I'll be dragging her out of nursery, ballet and her CM as we're moving a fair way away. Tips on how to handle this would be v welcome. So far we've told her we're moving but not the above implications, as I don't want the uncertainty hanging over her. I'm thinking that we'll explain about nursery etc once we have a firmish date in place?

I told our 5 and 8 yr old DSs a while ago - it was a big mistake!

8 yr old has started bed wetting stomach pains etc (he's quite dramatic) - and I guess it will go on until we actually move - but who knows when that will be?! It could go on for ages..

So I think leave it for now unless you know she's going to be super excited.. I've tried to talk up the new room, big garden etc etc but it means nothing against moving away from his friends and school..

Its just so stressful! We were told ages ago by our EA that the bottom of our chain had their mortgage in place and were ready to complete. Advised our vendor, were hopefully of at least exchanging before xmas as EA said this was possible. EA not telling the truth. Our solicitor still hasn't received enquiries let alone contract from our buyer's solicitor, because his buyer (bottom of chain) is waiting for council sign off on an extension in order for her mortgage offer to be released. We have been assured all is ok and this is a mere formality. BUT- my wife handed in her notice thinking we'd be good to move early Jan at least (originally hoped to be in for Christmas), has now had to rescind her notice and has to work another 6 weeks. GRRRR! At least we can enjoy Christmas I suppose, although we are surrounded by boxes. All would have been avoidable if we'd been told exactly what the real situation is. AND I had to push and push to get the truth.

decent night's sleep= a thing of the distant past! Plus we've both got Christmas colds flowing nicely now!

And i've been giving text updates to our vendor based on 'it all coming along nicely' view from our EA- now have to let him know that we are not exchanging before Christmas at all.

Can I join in? We exchanged last week with a completion date of today but the idiot vendors didn't get their mortgage stuff ready in time so their solicitor hasn't got the funds yet. We could potentially manage to complete before wednesday, which is when our solicitor finishes for christmas.

They've just played 'driving home for christmas' on the radio, which is what I was going to play in the car today when we got the keys, and I didn't cry. Go me!

NotAPuffin well done for holding your s**t together in such trying circumstances, and sending a prayer up to the angels that it goes through before Wednesday. Have you had to reschedule a removal booking?

The only slot the movers had free was monday, so if we do complete on monday I might be able to keep that. Though they've texted to say they can only deliver the stuff (it's already in their warehouse, we sold our house in september!) at 8:30 as they're booked solid. So I don't see that working out, which means that if we do get into the house before christmas, we won't have any furniture till january.

Never bloody well again, I tell you.

I knew moving house was stressful but not this stressful!!!
We've provisionally booked packers and a removals firm for 6th Jan and have had to let it go to someone else - we've got ring round to see what dates we can get them.

Just been to our solicitor to check the feasibility of us all completing early January in view of xmas and new year hols. He says as long as our buyers buyer gets their mortgage offer next week it can be done. So, fingers crossed.

All of these stories of woe - does it ever run smoothly?

We need building control on our stove, the solicitor requested a certificate 2 months ago. Turns out it needs some work done to pass so I asked the stove installer to come back and do the work. 6 weeks later and it's still not done!!! It's like a comedy of errors at this stage. He's promised early next week which means it won't be inspected before Xmas and will drag into January. No wonder I have anxiety!

Notapuffin - Christmas with no furniture, what a thought!

Nell - fingers crossed you get a date for early January.