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...

Fingers crossed for you fialor I really don't see how the vendor can expect you to suck up over £30k in urgent remedial work without adjusting your offer though so s/he really shouldn't reject it out of hand for fear of you walking away.

Exciting news perhaps, fingers crossed for exchange tomorrow.

How frustrating pulling [tea] and I hope you hear from your lender this afternoon.

We finally have some news! Not an offer unfortunately but something which has raised my spirits a little at least. Our lovely vendor has contacted the EA to offer to drop the purchase price by 5%. This has allowed us to drop ours in turn. Most positive about this is that it puts the house in a different RM price bracket so will hopefully put it in front of people who wouldn't even have seen it listed before. This is it though we can go no lower. Fingers crossed.

not [tea] - d'oh!

And in breaking news, EA has a viewing for us this tea time. Argh. I'm in the office today and the house is a state! Time to speak to my manager about leaving early!

Fx @yoga, same to you @pulling.

So despite no further news or exchange we are still apparently aiming for 25th completion ( I am not convinced as our buyers lender has been crap so far!)

Thanks Giz. Fingers crossed for you too. So if there is a 5 day draw down for mortgage funds does this mean your chain must all agree on the 25th by tomorrow?

DP has sent me this link BBC HousePrices If I put my postcode in it shows steep rises from 2013 until 2016 (way above SE and national averages) and now a sharp decline. This matches what I'm experiencing.

Gizlots, that gives you only days from exchange to completion!
I hope you are all packed, or at least have boxes at the ready?

YogaGrone, I would be panicking about the state of the house if I had such a last minute viewing request. But it is good news. Hope all goes well, fx. My buyer has requested a "measure up" visit over the next few days. I need to to tidy as the house has not been the same tip top shape since we sold.

Perhaps, is there any other way of confirming that it will happen tomorrow?

Pulling, I hope they respond soon, and positively.

My vendor, through their EA, has requested speaking with the builder and has asked for a breakdown quote for the work needed. Builder should have that for tomorrow, and then its a waiting game I think.

@fialor we are living around boxes at the moment. Kids being palmed off to parents next week so can really pack the last bits, removals provisionally booked. Play house being dismantled this weekend and more boxes will be packed (doing bits every evening)

@yoga my understanding is they are going to request the draw down of mortgages prior to exchange so the period between exchange and completion is less ( I hope).

In terms of agreed dates our buyers are happy whatever and our vendors just want to go. It’s just our buyers lender who seems to have no urgency about them. But apparently our buyers solicitor is treating it as a priority case...i’m Hoping that actually means something in practise

I am still here! Every time I think we are there we're not! 3rd lot of responses to enquiries gone back to buyers! Me and my vendor ready so just waiting on buyers to agree to exchange. Although vendor and my buyers have different preferences on completion dates...

I am now at pretty much a year since putting house on market, 2 sets of buyers, this is the second house I am in the process of buying as last one fell though. I am SO over this business!!

That's brilliant @YogaDrone ! Your vendor is officially the nicest person ever!  Really hope you get a load of new people seeing your place now, and hopefully they'll all see what a bargain it is!!

25th is surely going to be a push @Gizlotsmum ?! Keep on bugging everyone and we'll all send good vibes!!

So after the builders came yesterday, our buyers have reduced their offer on our place by £2k Could be worse tbh, the work is actually going to cost them £2400. The issue is that we've also got the whole thing about the chain wanting to complete on the 30th Oct, and my FTBs not feeling able to because it leaves them £1400 out of pocket on rent. Vendors EA suggested making Oct completion a condition of accepting the reduced offer, but overall then they're still £1800 out of pocket, so can't imagine that'll go down well. VEA has gone back to Mrs Vendor today to see what they're able to contribute to rent, so I can go back to our buyers with a 'package' suggestion...

No response. Chasing tomorrow. Indemnity will be going in place as soon as lender gives go ahead. Enquiries best be answered by then because I need to complete 27th.

No news here. Another day done with zero action, progress or urgency. Depressed and fed up with feeling like we are the only people trying to push this forward.

Grrrr pulling and Lazy! What is it with us being the only people out that want to actually move house!?

Thing is I'm not the only one waiting. My buyer sent the deposit to his solicitor Monday and my vendors purchase is ready. I'm emotionally drained right now.

Pulling - snap. Our buyer is ready. We are ready. Our vendors are ready - it's their vendors and the couple at the top of the chain who are selling to them, who are causing the issue.

I am finding it increasingly difficult to cope with the rollercoaster nature of this - fine one minute, disaster the next. That and the complete lack of care, interest or even just basic "give a shit" from any of the solicitors in the chain. I genuinely understand that people are busy. But FFS since when is playing phone tig acceptable? I am utterly infuriated by the I've called and left a message for X therefore it's now X's turn to call back and in the meantime the file goes to the bottom of the pile because I've "actioned it" game.

I would completely agree with you lazy despite us putting forward 2 completion dates our buyers solicitor has literally given them a big fuck off and is trundling at his own snail-like pace. Refuses to do anything by post or email, and then says people can't get an appointment for days. We were trying to head for 30th but that's another no. Husband is a cop so really struggles for leave, trying to get kids into new school and they just don't give a fuck. I'm so pissed off with it all if I didn't want our cottage so much I would tell them all to forget it out of spite. Conveyances make this stressful, no one else, and so much of it is a power trip obstructive load of bollocks. Why on earth isn't the system overhauled?

Lazy, pulling, Nessa well maybe for you Nessa if you are BF!

It does seem that in an age of electronic communication the wheels of conveyancing grind exceeding slowly and painfully. I hope you all get progress tomorrow.

Nessa, yes our vendor is the most lovely person ever. When this process is finally over I'm going to find a way to send them a gift. I honestly can't believe how much they have done to help make this purchase happen. At the same time as the 5% reduction offer they also wanted to let us know that they are replacing the bedroom carpets and are we okay with cream?! Bless all of their cotton socks

Good luck Giz - excellent idea to ship the children to the grandparents, hopefully that'll help you cope with such a short exchange to completion time.

SerialGoogler WTF?? A year, oh wow, you must be so pleased to see the end is in sight. Fingers crossed you can all agree dates.

We have only been on 3 months and one failed buyer and I'm so stressed! I hope it works out for you and you enjoy a happy and relaxed Christmas in your new home

for you too Bunny

Our conveyancers are doing everything online. We upload stuff to our secure portal and they do similar. The only things we actually have to send snail mail are the signed contracts and proofs of stuff like land registry and guarantees. Due to our broken chain we're not in the really nitty gritty of enquiries but I'm hoping that the immediacy of the secure portal will alleviate some of the delays you are all experiencing when we finally have a complete chain again.

If I had to do this again I'd have gone for an online cheap as chips firm. If you end up having to do all the chasing and motivating yourself then you may as well save a few quid!!

Yoga your vendor sounds lovely. Our vendors also sound nice and our buyer is lovely. I'm sure the people at the top of the chain are also nice but I wish they had a keener sense of get a fucking move on

Thanks yoga our conveyancer works by email/online tracker and special delivery post for important stuff too. He's fixed fee too so fucking about isn't worth it for him. Our buyers solicitor is from the 1930s and signs each missive with a Phoenix talon. They're selling 2 places to buy ours and astonishingly it's the one that sold early August that isn't ready. Lots of sitting on stuff.

We have had to chase lots, but that seems standard now. I'm gobsmacked at the lack of professionalism and incompetence - it's law ffs!

We've been using Premier Property Lawyers, and despite them seeming to have a bad rep I've been loving it! Everything on an online portal for sale and purchase, I've been able to scan in loads of documents, only a few to print and post. Texts and emails when there are new updates/uploads/enquiries etc, and no having to make appointments! Plus a named conveyancer, but if she's not available, there's a whole call centre of them to ask questions of, and everyone I've spoken to has been able to access the up to date information and give me answers.
It's honestly been the only really straightforward part!! Mind you, their charging structure is a joke, all sorts of little hidden fees that they hope you won't notice and don't include in their base price but I've managed to drop a couple of them!

New carpets too Yoga They deffo deserve a nice bottle of something at the very least. Alas, none for me, BFing after 9 months of no booze really adds insult to injury

I'm using PPL and like you worried about it when I saw the reviews AFTER I had signed up but I love the online portal & my conveyancer and I love being able to contact by text, phone & email. Mind you, we have been speaking for a year now!

I'm gobsmacked at the lack of professionalism and incompetence

^^ This! A gazillion times this!! I said to a friend this week that after all this, there's nothing wrong that 3 months of intensive therapy and a course of tranquillisers won't cure...

We sold then our buyers buyer dropped out. Our vendor put the house back on the market! Then we accepted another offer so the house is ours again. Survey was yesterday we have a ftb. He believes we will move in two weeks!! Haha I bloody wish. This has been so stressful, the lengths I've gone to to get searches back only for it to all fall apart! Fingers crossed this time it works!

Another day ... I'm not going to hold my breath for exchange when I want to today.