In a Chain Support Thread Nov2017

[YogaDrone]

Congrats to those who have exchanged and are moving soon.

Fingers crossed to those hoping to exchange soon.

Come vent your property chain based frustrations and joys here.

Previous thread is HERE

Raised just before completion in our chain too! So frustrating. I cried in Marks and Spencer when I first heard via email.

Ha don't worry Yoga I don't even think I mentioned that it was right at exchange, my brain is so full of it all I forget that everyone else doesn't know exactly what's going on

Artus I feel your pain. You'd at least think they might have mentioned it possibly being a problem before then eh?

And yes currently everyone in the chain seems ok with the wait.

Actually we have to complete and vacate by our contract exit time, which is midday!!

I'm going to disappear for a bit again because I need to clean like a lunatic, pack like my life depends on it and then spend Monday praying exchange goes through because the thought of this being for nothing and having to unpack everything, is too much to bear.

Best of luck to everyone. I'll bob back in soon

Wishing you the very best of luck Lazy.

Really hope everything goes well for you and by this time on Monday you are sitting with a well earned takeaway of something delicious!

Absolutely Lazy, willing it all just works and you are back soon with good news!

All the best Lazy - hope it goes well

Well, it looks like VSC may have pulled a rabbit out of the hat at the 12th hour because they today found a mortgage lender willing to give them a mortgage, and apparently the valuation survey on our current property is being done on Wednesday, and the estate agent tells me that their solicitor has now been told to proceed the purchase. I'm pleased obviously, but it's with a certain amount of caution as I still don't trust them.

Hope you are getting on okay Lazy.

I am in bits. We still haven't exchanged because yet again the solicitor has played the 'found a new vital bit of paper outstanding and not told anyone' game. Consequently we are now in the last chance saloon where we have to exchange and complete simultaneously tomorrow. I have no guarantee it's going to work. I have had to pay the removal firm upfront to get them to come tomorrow - because we haven't exchanged there's no assurance so they want money upfront.

I have spent most of today crying, being sick and crying again. I can't do this anymore. I just can't.

So I am now faced with the spectacle of having to load all our stuff on the removals van tomorrow with zero guarantee that this is going to go through - and therefore a very real chance that they may have to unload it all again. What the fuck is wrong with the process in this country? I have more rights as a consumer if I buy a packet of socks, than I do spending - literally - thousands right now on trying to buy a fucking house.

That's good news KitKat, at least you can progress. I'm assuming VSC must be borrowing a large percentage of the purchase price so fingers crossed the valuation survey will allow them to proceed. Also, they have shown some commitment to the process now which is good.

So sorry to hear that you haven't exchanged today Lazy I hope it works out for you tomorrow

Oh crikey lazy that sounds horrific. You are absolutely right and I think there is such a good argument for binding from offer stage like in Scotland.

Saying a little prayer for you xx

The system is totally fucked up Lazy. Everything seems to be loaded against the success of the chain. I know some people have a nice smooth run but it's clear from all the posters on these threads that complex, soul destroying, hideously stressful horrible chains are far from uncommon.

Is your solicitor confident that this missing piece of information will appear by tomorrow morning?

Oh Lazy I'm so sorry. I'm going to cross everything that it all works out tomorrow for you. What a shit system we have in this country.

I don't know to be honest. And it is completely and utterly soul destroying to be reliant on it because this is not the first time they have 'discovered' something that they haven't got and need. So to be completely at their mercy is horrendous. Every time I call they are busy or in meetings and when I do get to speak to them the attitude is very much that it will turn up when it's ready and that's the end of it. I feel that there is nobody fighting for us. As fast as I am solving problems they are finding new ones.

I am also frightened at the rate that money is being drained from me. This is all costing an absolute fortune now. My stomach hurts because it won't stop churning and my hands won't stop shaking. I don't know what to do. I don't. I've asked nicely, begged, cried, pleaded, shouted, threatened - nothing works.

I just have an awful feeling that we are going to grind to a halt tomorrow and the whole thing will fall apart and this will have been for nothing. It's just so, so unfair.

Oh FFS. I actually can't believe that Lazy. I'm so sorry that the solicitors and the system have let you down so badly.

Aww @Lazy this is horrendous, sending all the good vibes I can to get everything moving tomorrow....I know how you feel I am on my fourth sale in 10 months...no one appears that bothered to hurry anything through no matter what we do say react...its horrendous its not you, its the system...keep strong 👌

I've been sending my positive universe vibes all morning too Lazy. I hope it's worked out for you

Our conveyancer has been really good. I have felt that she is working for us and our best interests through the process. Our delays have been due to the fact that we're buying a G2 listed house and so there has been a lot of paperwork around consents for listed building and planning permissions and refusals and all sort of changes to the house over the past decades. We've got about 5cm of paperwork just around planning!

For me the two very fundamental issues with our English process are

1. Lack of visibility and communication over what is going on within the chain, and
2. Lack of commitment to process until exchange. People can just gazunder and change their minds right up to exchange which causes unnecessary stress and financial outlay.

A system where you have commitment at offer acceptance and KPI's (with financial punishments) to actively push the system forwards should be implemented. The government consultation from the autumn is closed now but let's hope some of our ideas get implemented. Consultation on Improving Home Buying and Selling

We've done it. Got our place completed exactly 8 minutes before our buyer's mortgage expired. We finally got the query with our lender sorted at 3.30pm and our funds have landed. Too late to complete today but we've exchanged and we are in a hotel tonight, ready to complete tomorrow morning. To say that today has been stressful does not even come close. It's also been extremely expensive (and we are having to pay double the removal fee to get them to come back tomorrow)...

It’s been a nightmare 8 months of stress, misery and all round shite to get here, but we are now in view of the finishing line. At this point I should probably try and make a joke about having a few drinks to numb the pain of it all, but TBH the whole experience has been so horrific that I can’t even try and be funny about it. It probably sounds horribly precious but I feel so shell-shocked by the months of unrelenting stress and misery; this has honestly been one of THE worst experiences I have been through. I’m hoping that this wears off soon though, and that DH and I can finally start sleeping properly again once we are in - instead of wandering around like zombies worrying about the money we were spending and whether we’d ever actually move...

However with that in mind, I would like to say and huge and very heartfelt ‘thank you’ to everyone on these threads who has supported me, provided wise counsel and been a virtual shoulder for me to cry on. From the start of worrying about our lack of viewings on the listings and viewings thread when we first went on RM, through to the nightmare of having to pull out of #1 house, then #2 house falling through, and finally fretting about whether we’d ever get to the finishing line for #3 house. Not to mention the complete shit-fest that has been our conveyancing and exchange process!

Wishing you all lots of love and luck and hoping that you all complete soon

Hooray! Congratulations Lazy I am so pleased that you are so very almost over the line! I don’t know how you have survived really, I know you feel crap now - but others would have given up, and you didn’t: you’ve done it. You’ve also provided great support and advice to so many of us here. I hope you can get some sleep tonight, and I wish you all the very best for many years happiness in your new home

Oh Lazy I've been checking back in every couple of hours today - SO GLAD it all worked out!

Also wishing you a good nights sleep. You are so close.

Great news Lazy!

So pleased for you Lazy. Relief probably doesn't even describe it?!

I almost feel guilty for sharing my position and angsting about it.... contracts have been signed and are the to be exchanged on 12th and then complete on 19th. I don't want to count any chickens just yet but am hopeful.