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...

Im not having any furniture dismantled & reassembled. I would assume this accounts for a lot of extra expenditure. The only thing they would be helping with at ours is unclipping a divan bed, which comes in 2 pieces & folding down sofas. I told everyone I don't have a clue how to do that & they all said not to worry & they'd take care of it. I think we count as enough stuff for a 2 bed flat because we're not taking any white goods with us as its all fitted at the new place, well except the washing machine, but we're still leaving that & going to buy a washer dryer when we get to the new place! Also, both my kids have huge cabin beds, which are going free to collector at some point before we leave. Kids are now 16 & 18, so want proper beds at the new house! I do have a few bits of furniture from my old house in the garage that are coming with us, but overall its less than average id say. One remover said he's using one 3.5 ton truck, so he must think thats big enough! I hope so lol.

AAAAARGH

So our buyers had a builder come by this morning, and Miss Buyer came along too. Unexpectedly. Which is great when the house is just as untidy as you'd expect it to be with a two week old baby.
She was lovely though, very green, panicking about loads of bits on the survey which luckily the builder was able to reassure her about. One red point said the windows didn't open in the bedroom so would have to be replaced as a fire risk, which I was able to demonstrate is bullshit by opening them The one thing that does need doing is lintels replacing above all the windows, which he's quoted £2400 to do, and I'll be amazed if they don't try and get us to contribute something to that...
But the argh is because NO-ONE HAS TOLD THEM that the chain is working toward an end of the month completion!!! Fucking useless EAs. She had thought that we wanted to exchange, but not complete, and they're not in a position to complete until much closer to Xmas because they have two months notice to give on their house. And they can't afford to pay rent and mortgage. Why why why have they not got the message?!? No idea what this means for our onward chain, as Mr Vendors already-extended mtg offer expires on 5th Nov.

Oh Ness get straight on the phone and bollock your solicitor and your EA. As a side note, why do they have to give 2 months' notice? Worth checking, as if they are on a rolling tenancy agreement then they only need to give one month - likewise if they have come to the end of the tenancy then they don't need to do anything apart from not renew it! 2 months just seems odd. Would you all be prepared to chip in for their costs? Find out what a month's rent is and get everyone in the chain to chip in a bit to cover the costs? Annoying but worth it if it means you can go at the end of this month.

Pixie there's no charge for our bed being dismantled from the company we're using. The only firm that did charge wanted £25 for doing it, so not a massive cost. As DH pointed out, they'd have to do something with the bed anyway, otherwise it's not going out of the door and into the lorry...

I emailed my solicitor a cheeky 'Can we exchange and complete on Friday' email ... knowing full well what the answer would be!

Got this response:

'I appreciate your position and that you are keen to complete, please be reassured that we are moving things along as quickly as possible.

We are waiting to hear back from the lender regarding the lack of building regulation indemnity before we can look at dates.

I have reviewed both your sale and purchase file in readiness for exchange of contracts so things can move quickly once we have the outstanding information.'

I am kind of hoping everything sorts itself out. I feel drained now.

So our solicitor is chasing our buyers solicitor to see when they can complete. I am not holding my breath they seem to have no urgency about them. However I have provisionally booked the last available slot from the removals company on the 27th, it can be moved but better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it!

All mine is all booked for 27th too for the same reasons. I am not looking forward to having to change it all if I do though.

We're in a two bed flat (outer London) and have been quoted £350 for removals. This was via reallymoving.com. Haven't actually had anyone come in and have a look to see what needs moving and how much it'll actually cost!

Can I join? We're allegedly very close to exchange - except solicitors keep saying 'just one last thing' when we think everything is done. Not helped by the bottom of the chain is a tenant in a shared ownership which he is buying off our buyers and is completely uncooperative because he's already living there. Me and DH work for police so getting time off together is horrifically hard and new school won't process application until we can proved we've exchanged!

We had hoped for 23rd, then 30th, now that is looking out of reach :-( from where i see it, it's the solicitors make this stressful by working to their own schedule. All searches have been in for a month so what's the hold up?

Our sol has advised us to allow 10 working days between exchange and completion, so we're definitely not going anywhere for at least the next couple of weeks.

Now that we know we can't move at half term I'm not really bothered when it is, as long as it's sooner rather than later of course - I've still got DS's school application to worry about and I don't want our buyer to lose patience.

Seller's EA says she is chasing daily and 'hang on in there we are nearly there'.

I feel like waiting two days to answer everyone else's emails now. Let them chase me for a change [sulks]

Why 10 days between the two Ann? Most lenders can release funds within two days (actually most same day as requested). Solicitors do my head in (atm). Am feeling the stress again all of a sudden. Really want to cry!

Bunnyfuller, welcome to the thread, and keeping my fx that you are able to exchange soon.

Mussins - good quote. I would snap that up quickly. Though I would lock them into an all expenses quote - so they do not suddenly realise that something else was not quoted for!

Gizlots - keeping my fx for you. I am currently living the exchange date dream through!

Pulling - also keeping my fx that the information is received quickly. The wait for a single piece of information can be frustrating.

Nessa, - Ouch about the 2 months unexpected wait. Seems like someone dropped the ball. My vendor is in a similar position to your buyer, in that they thought they were exchanging and completing at the end of this month. Their EA had not told them that the lower chain buyer had pulled out and we were now looking at exchange before xmas! It sounds like our vendor's EA, and your buyer's EA need a bollocking!

Lazy, - Me! I really want to move before xmas, or failing that, before this thread reaches a 1000.

As for us, we are kinda in limbo albeit progressing well now.
Our chain is complete and the new buyer for my buyer has instructed solicitors.

We have also now had a builder look at the work that were highlighted on the survey report, and though the majority turned out to have nothing much to them, four things were picked up and have been quoted for. And the quote is upwards of a 30k! Not sure what to do. we like the house but not 30k out of pocket like.
The vendor is so sweet though and I am leaning towards saying sod it and lets have at it and take on the cost of the repairs?

What do you guys think?

@fialor could you ask your vendor to meet some of the cost? So drop your offer and they accept? It’s a lot of money

£30k for urgent repairs? Fialor you need to see if your vendor will split this with you, as Giz says it's a huge amount of money.

Good luck to all you hoping for exchange and completion dates to be agreed

Nessa on balance I think it's a good thing that your buyer came with the builder because it sounds as though there is very little transparency with your EAs/solicitors if she didn't even know the rest of the chains requirements for completion dates. As Lazy says absorbing the rent charges through the chain would be a good idea, particularly for your vendor.

Dragon have you heard anything today?

Bunny welcome and good luck!

Yoga Yes! We finally exchanged at 3pm today. My seller hasn't exchanged on his onward purchase but I don't care. As long as it's not me facing homelessness (or staying at my mums forever!).

I'll return later to catch up but currently drowning in boxes and working out what we need for the two weeks we are spending with my mum!

Yay Fantastic news @Dragon 🍾

Dragon great news!! You must be so relieved!

Fialor Ouch!! I would absolutely have a look at getting the cost split out. £30K is a LOT of money to find - and presumably that quote is on the basis that they don't find anything else wrong whilst they're at it (when was the last time that happened?!).

Muss our ReallyMoving quote was £400 Sadly when everyone came round in person it was all markedly different.

Ann our mortgage draw down is 5 working days - so I'd be querying why you need 10.

Bunny I hear you about the "one last thing". I have had a conversation today where I made it clear that if I heard one more rendition of the I've got everything I need, oops no I don't song, then I would seriously lose my shit!

Pulling I hate the fob-off "we're doing everything we can". 9 times out of 10 it's not actually true! I can recommend the ring everyday approach. I feel bad for doing it but FFS get my file sorted so I can complete and I promise I'll never call you again!!

No developments here. Getting annoyed again. I'm feeling particularly resentful of the top of the chain, who seem to be quite happy to sit here and let the rest of us stew whilst they get round to things in their own sweet time.

Whoops! Sorry Giz - good thinking about getting the removals slot. I haven't dared book ours yet but I am hoping like hell we can all go for the 30th.

Thanks @lazy. I only did it because it was getting so busy I didn’t want to lose it and I can rearrange at no cost.

Sorry to hear nothing has happened in your chain..

Fantastic Dragon

Fantastic news Dragon!

Lazy, Yoga, Gizlots, thanks.

I have spoken with and shared the quote with our vendor's EA. They have advised this evening that they have spoken with the vendor who is having a think about it.

I am kinda expecting that the vendor will come back and say nope, no cigar!

Thank you everybody, I will soon pull my head out of my arse and catch up on everybody else's news.

Marvellous news Dragon - thank goodness for that!!

Well done Dragon. Good luck with the packing.

Well done Dragon!

I've just spoken to our Estate Agent and he is hopefull that we will exchange tommorrow. Turns out the bottom of the chain still hadn't signed the contracts. I get the feeling they have no urgency about them. If it was me I'd be making sure they were returned ASAP.

Ffs. Vendors solicitor has not answered 5 enquiries. Thankfully all of them can be straight email answered or dealt with by way of indemnity.

Lender has not got back to my solicitor yet either but they have chased and it should be later today.

Why do silly little things cause so much anxiety?