In a chain support thread Sept 2017

[Gizlotsmum]

Hope it's ok to start another one! So we have a week of waiting for surveys etc...

So trying to get removals quotes and struggling to get the 20th :( does completion need to be a weekday does anyone know?

I believe so Gizlot, because of the availability of solicitors and confirmation of receipt of funds!

I'm panicking that my removals man won't be available if the date changes and I have not planned for that...

Gizlot yes it does need to be a weekday due to availability of solicitors and people to move money up the chain.
I'd recommend a website called Anyvan.com we used them to move from our 3 bed house to the house I'm selling now. You basically put in postcodes then the contents you need moving and people/companies will bid for the work. I can't remember if there's an option for packing service if you want that but you should hopefully at least find a team of guys with a truck to do the heavy lifting. We were really pleased with the service we received from the guys doing ours and it was much cheaper than the big removal firms.

Yoomoo tried them and struggling to get packing costs.. a price per box is no help when I have no idea how many boxes they might use

Ah ok, this whole moving malarkey is a nightmare isn't it. Hope you manage to get sorted soon

I think I will try one of them and just guesstimate box numbers. If I go large it will be ok

I think I guessed 25 boxes and that was ok for us (2 adults, no DC) but I know that's probably useless for you! I went round the house and garage and tried to guesstimate what I could get in each box and I was just about right.
Luckily our buyers are purchasing a lot of our current furniture so all I'm taking is a bedframe and mattress, chest of drawers, 2 bedside tables, an iMac and then my personal belongings so I think I'll be ok with a big transit van and my Dad who will do the lifting and shifting! The difficultly for me is that I need to order all new furniture but have no idea on delivery timescales and I don't want to pay out for anything without knowing I've exchanged- arghhh it's so difficult wish there was a way to know it's definitely going ahead but the whole process is so reliant on hope that people won't pull out at the last minute isn't it?

I'm in the same boat as you, YooMoo. I need all my white goods and wardrobes for one of the DC. Oh and carpet for the entire upstairs but like you, I don't want to pay out for things before exchange!

It's so difficult isn't it Dragon I so wish everyone could commit straight away so carpet etc could be ordered. White goods are included with my new build luckily but as I'm hardly taking anything I need to order a sofa which take 6-8 weeks, should be completing in that time frame but I don't want to order now in case it all falls apart 😫 I'm also wanting Karndean throughout which needs to be ordered at considerable cost but again don't want to pay for that until we've exchanged. I know the owner of the flooring shop so he's kindly pencilled me in for installation but I will need to pay out a couple of thousand in blind hope!
When are you hoping to complete Dragon?

I have sofas at least!

We are hoping to complete 19/20 October but desperately seeking confirmation from the top of the chain. Hoping we can exchange this week but don't dare hope just in case we don't.

If I'm sitting here next week and we haven't then I'll be in panic mode!

What about you? I'm guessing mid-November?

Good luck for this week Dragon I hope you get to exchange this week!

Yes I think mid November is probably the timescale we're all aiming for. Even though the chain had broken last week I pushed ahead and got my solicitor to start on my purchase plus he's prepared the contracts for our sale but I guess we are now a week ahead of the FTB. Should be seeing my mortgage advisor this week to get the application done, I will do everything I can to get this through. We split in april and house went up for sale in May so I'm desperate to get out of this house now!

More packing today - am running out of space to put things!

Monday morning which means a new week for our solicitors to make progress with paperwork! Good luck to all those hoping to exchange this week!

Hi everyone, we're in exchange waiting hell and I'm panicking about booking removals. Have you booked yours even if you haven't exchanged? Ours wants the fee upfront and I'm worried that if anything goes wrong we'll lose the money. Unfortunately ours isn't a straight forward sale - our so-called cash buyer doesn't have all their funds ready and is waiting for finance now . It was meant to clear on Friday so we could exchange but should be today instead. Should I just book the removals? We want to move on the 13th and at this rate we'll lose our slot.

Oh lord, I didn't realise there was such an issue with removals bookings.

I don't know what to suggest, Olivia. I hope you do manage to exchange today.

I'm off to pester the EA for an update on the top of the chain now. We're signing our contracts tomorrow morning and I'd like to know where everyone is at by then.

I've actually just spoken to the removal firm to quell my growing panic and it turns out not many people want to move on Friday 13th [grins] so there are plenty of slots available and it's one of their least busy days of the year! Frankly, with what our buyer has put us through (we should've moved end of Aug) I think we should've used up all our bad luck by then.

Yeah, I'd be willing to take the chance rather than wait

Do people really take Friday the 13th that seriously?

So have got two removals companies coming out to do quotes. Chased EA with no update. She has promised to call me but I will call daily anyway...

Apparently so, Ann! I'm grateful they do - means we're more likely to get a slot IF we ever exchange. Our EA has been onto our buyer this morning for an update and they're like 'Oh, okay, we'll get onto it'. Honestly feels like I'm the only person with a sense of urgency! Looking unlikely we'll be exchanging today.

What would I share your pain still no news on our buyers mortgage offer...

I really feel for you Gizlots, the waiting is so stressful. Well, I had a massive meltdown on the phone to our EA, totally lost my shit, now my DP has told them if they can't clarify by tomorrow afternoon what's going on we're pulling out, even if it means losing the house we're buying. And you know what, I feel okay about that, because right now I don't want to sell to this buyer.

Fingers crossed for you WhatWould, that sounds very stressful. I think it’s fair to say enough is enough and draw a line. Messing around since August is ridiculous.

I popped in this afternoon to see my mortgage broker and tell him that I was still looking and was grabbed by the estate agent. She took me straight off to see a house that wasn’t on rightmove yet and I love it. I’ve put in an offer so hopefully will hear back tomorrow morning. The leafleting hasn’t got me anywhere so far so fingers crossed! It’s in the right area and has masses of space.

Oh for a proactive estate agent, Thomas! Hope it all goes smoothly for you.

And yes, enough is enough, but every day we're being told it's being sorted, so it's been hard to ignore the dangling carrot. We feel so close to exchanging to then pull out.

Oh that sounds promising Thomas! I have emailed my EA ( who didn’t get back to me so I assume got no feed back) expressing my concern that they might not get their mortgage... I will call again tomorrow and keep calling

Gizlot Ask your EA to detail what they are putting in place for a Plan B if your buyer can't get a mortgage - rather than let you keep hanging on (which is the horrible situation we're in) they should be lining up alternative buyers.