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

Aww @lazy i am so delighted for you..phew though...8 mins to spare!! its such a horrid existence isnt it! You will get over this, you will relax and allow your self to become more fluid....so delighted for you both 👌🍾🥂

Thanks guys. Very, very tired. And very broke - our removals cost went from £700 to £1500 as a result of today.

Having been living out of a suitcase since our last purchase fell through, I am very much looking forward to getting my clothes back!! I'll update again when I get a chance

Wonderful news Lazy So pleased it came together at the last minute for you. By tomorrow evening you will be in your lovely new home and gradually the horror will fade

That's great Tillymintsmama- fingers crossed it goes smoothly for you!

Oh and Tilly don't feel guilty at all. It should be straightforward. Mine wasn't - and everyone we have dealt with has said the same thing, which is that they have never come across a case like ours where everything that could go wrong, did! It's still a big thing to worry about. I have my FX for you.

Oh Lazy I'm thrilled you've managed it. You're probably too exhausted and drained by this process to feel it now, but hopefully in a few days with no more conveyancing hell you'll feel so much better. Hope you feel really happy in your new home.

So VSC had their mortgage valuation done on our house this morning so finally we seem to be making some progress!

A bit pissed off with our EA though who should have sent the memorandum of sale to the housing association lady a few weeks ago. She e-mailed them / me on Monday to say she still didn't have it, and she won't send out all of the legal stuff from them without it. So I asked the EA on Monday to e-mail it to her but when I checked with them today they still hadn't actually sent it. They have subsequently phoned back and apologised and said they have sent it now. But honestly, why, when I'm paying everyone £££ to do stuff our behalf, do I always have to be chasing them / reminding them to do every bloody little thing?!

Oh FFS KitKat - did they give you a reason why the memorandum of sale has been held up for so long? Good to hear that VSC's valuation survey has been done. That was nice and quick at least.

Actually I'll join you in the "Pissed off with my EA" corner if that's okay. So today we agreed a completion date with our purchaser and vendor. everyone agrees to 18th with exchange happening tomorrow. Then about 30 mins ago our solc emails to say that we are now just waiting for purchaser's purchaser's solc to agree. So where the fuck did this additional level of chain appear from?

I have left angry voice mails with both EA's "chain managers" to say that we accepted this offer (which was the lowest of the three we got) ONLY because we were told they had no chain and were free to complete quickly and we feel we've been lied to. I'm seriously steaming right now

How can we get to this point and not know this? I'll say it again - there needs to be full and open visibility of the full chain once the chain is formed. EVERYONE in the chain should know the situation of everyone else to avoid any mis-understandings.

Anyway, and breathe....

I hope everything went well today Lazy and you are now enjoying unpacking your boxes in your new house

Oh FFS Yoga no wonder you are pissed off. Sounds like your buyers may have blatantly lied to get you to accept their lower offer. What utter gits.

I completely agree as well with you about the need for more transparency. I think once a chain is complete there should be a 'chain memorandum of sale' sent to all parties so everyone knows how many people are involved.

Kitkat based on my experience you end up doing 90% of the work yourself. It's a bitter pill to swallow when you are the paying client, but you get to the stage where you think that it's the price you have to pay for getting shit done. The best advice I can offer is that if you find out early that someone's not doing what they should, then do not assume anything regardless of what they tell you and keep on top of them and where possible double check that what they are saying is true (voice of very bitter experience!).

Yoga you poor thing . Have been there with the finding out there's an extra layer you didn't know about and everyone's lied through their teeth - as you know that's why our last one fell through. Definitely bang heads together - especially if the only reason you went for the low offer was because of their chain free status. Ask for escalation to the EA branch manager and insist that they get this sorted out, because it's wilful misrepresentation - if necessary threaten to go to the ombudsman. FX you manage to get sorted.

So - final update from me. We are in! Finally! After a nerve wracking morning where I really wondered if the universe was conspiring against us because our solicitor was insisting the money had been sent, but the other side were insisting they didn't have it... Very very tired. Also extremely skint as the last 24 hours has cost almost triple what it should have done. We have boxes everywhere and so much work to do because everything needs doing and decorating, but for the moment I am sitting in our new living room and marvelling at how much space we have!!

I wish you all the very best of luck and hopefully everyone will get to the end unscathed

Wonderful to hear that you long and pain filled journey is finally at a happy end Lazy. I wish you every happiness in your new, spacious, home

Thanks to you both. I thought of your second chain actually Lazy!

Our EA "move manager" phoned my partner and has explained. Although I'm still not particularly happy at the explanation and I am very tempted to take it further post-exchange as I still feel we have been lied to.

The story - we knew that one of the couple had been bought out of the flat she purchased with her sister, by her sister. But we thought this had all been concluded and mortgage settled, transfer of full ownership to the sister etc. before they offered on our house. Apparently this isn't the case: the transfer of mortgage and ownership to the sister is happening at the same time as exchange for the rest of the chain. EA has told DP that this should have been in the memorandum of sale.

I checked this, and it clearly says that this property transfer has been completed. To me, in a legal doc about property purchase "complete" means finished and ended, i.e. the sale/purchase has completed. AIBU?

EA says it's just a formality and not an issue and it won't hold exchange up today. But I'm still pissed off about it. I just want to exchange now and then I'll think about taking it further after completion when I have more time. Fingers crossed it happens today...

Hello everyone! Sorry for being so absent recently. Xmas etc has been mad

Lazy I am so happy for you - really sorry it's been so horrible and stressful and expensive but so glad you're in and the only way is up now.

Yoga - YANBU!

We complete tomorrow on the new place! I keep looking at the pics and nearly crying it's so perfect. I feel very weird that it's actually happening. Waiting to be there is our life now. This is bizzare.

We are not fully moving in yet - just picking up keys and taking delivery of everything I had in storage. Then we'll stay the weekend and plan what decorating we're doing etc. I may stay there the following week too to get a few things sorted.

The full on big move is set for feb 1st.

Yoga I feel for you, especially at this stage in the purchase although everything crossed that it won't cause delays. We pulled out of a purchase for the same reason - we had been negotiated up on our offer on the basis that they would go into rented and that the whole thing would go through in only a few weeks. They then added a purchase into the mix and we walked away. Hate it when people want to have their cake and eat it.

Update from me. Not likely to exchange this week. Various hold ups and delays. I am getting dreadful anxiety around finance. Feel anxious I've paid out £400 on a survey and that I'm gonna be liable for a £1400 solicitor bill with fuck all to show for it.

Hi all I haven't been on here for ages as the shit hit the fan in so many ways. House is currently on the market with no buyer and the house we wanted is ours til end of jan. In that time house prices have dropped so much, now I need to say to our seller can we drop the price. God it's awful :( happy to see that things have progressed for some of you. Also angered to see just how shit this process is for pretty mu ch everyone

I've been sneaking on every now and then to see how everyone's getting on and I am beyond thrilled for you Lazy! At last! Be kind to yourself in the next couple of weeks though - you might have a delayed reaction to the horrendous stress you've been under, as I did. One minute I was euphorically buzzing around our new house like a bee on speed, then next it was like I'd be run over by a ten tonne truck and I could barely move for a week. Went to GP, because I thought it was a virus, and she said it was a physical collapse after months of elevated adrenalin spikes! I'm fine now, just needed to rest. So take it easy as you settle in.

Good luck to everyone else waiting. You'll get there in the end!

Yoga the Memorandum of Sale is not a legal document, but do take it up with the EA, it might eventually make EAs be more careful with their wording in future.

At work we get sent the sales memo with things like "exchange in two weeks, completion a week after" . Utter nonsense because EA or even the solicitor cannot predict what may show up during the process, yet sweeping statements like this give unrealistic expectations for the seller and buyer and the solicitor gets the brunt of it.

Sorry I disappeared for a while. The whole thing has been doing my head in! Glad to read some positive progress!

Congratulations Lazy on finally getting completed & moving in. About time too!

Glad to hear VSC finally got their fingers out of their arses & you had a survey done KitKat. Heres hoping it comes back with little trouble!

Sorry to hear you've been lied to about your chain Yoga. Sorry it happened to you too Tentative. Exactly the same thing happened to us a few months back. Felt like telling our vendors to stick it up their arse, but there was nothing else to compare to it & we'd been beaten so low on our own house we couldn't afford anything else! It all seems very commonplace unfortunately!

Congrats on your completion tomorrow Lubey Happy planning!

Try not to fret about the money Tilly. Most solicitors don't charge for non completed purchases thankfully.

We are in a similar situation Knitted. Our vendors have not yet put their house on the market, according to one of the EA involved in our chain this is because they're worried they will get even less than before. We are very motivated to sell & reduced our asking price 25k from the original price, but the only offers we've got have been 20k below the previous offer, which we were never comfortable with to start with as it was 35k under asking. As things stand we have marketed with Purplebricks so can afford to take an offer ever so slightly lower, but not 20k lower. We simply can't proceed with that & our vendors won't be able to reduce further. Such a nightmare isn't it? Where are you based? I'm in the SE! Are you having any interest at all? Given our price, I think we're having a lot more than most, it's just getting an offer we can work with that is elusive!

Sorry if I forgot anyone! Anyone else got any news?

We have a second viewing tomorrow on our house with buyers in rented. Im keeping everything crossed in the hope that A, they want it, & B, we can afford to accept their offer should they make one! Please send good luck vibes for me tomorrow afternoon & keep everything crossed?

Fantastic lubey, you sound so happy I hope completion goes well today It's nice that you have a few weeks to move in gradually and get things how you want them.

Thanks tentative. You were really brave to do that. I said to EA yesterday that if exchange doesn't happen this way we would be reconsidering whether to progress with the purchasers. But they know and I know that it's an empty threat at this stage We've come too far to pull out now.

I'm sorry to hear your update knitted. What went wrong? Last time you posted your parents/PIL(?) were going to buy your place to allow you to move. Are you getting viewings - any lined up for the weekend?

Is your solicitor on the case Tilly? Do you know why exchange is held up and when the issues might be resolved? Fingers crossed you get good news today.

Lovely to hear that you are settled in now Olivia. Yours was a really stressful chain too so I'm not surprised it's hit your health so badly. Good to hear that you are recovering.

Thanks Spickle I feel rather pissed off that I let myself get drawn into that debate actually. I hadn't taken much notice of the sale memo - it was just a piece of paper, nice to have but no more. But then the EA started bringing up that we must have been aware because it was in the sale memo and I'm afraid I rose to the bait . I have a bit of a short fuse sometimes but that's no excuse. Your example of seeing exchange in 2 weeks and complete the following week made me smile though!

Second viewing sounds positive Pixie - is this the people who came last Saturday? Fingers crossed and sending positive vibes your way!

We didn't exchange yesterday. Hoping to do so today. Fingers eternally crossed!

My issues:

My buyers want an indemnity policy for a gas fire I haven't got a building regs cert for and they say the deeds from 1899 (!!!) refer to a 'rent charge' of £29 a year so they want indemnity against that. The solicitor wants to charge me £132 for this meaningless 'not worth the paper it's written on' policy.

My vendors have gone on a fuckign cruise and not left instructions with the solicitor, even tho they knew a completion date was close to being mooted.

I go from mild irritation to murderous rage....

WE HAVE EXCHANGED!

Sorry to shout but I'm just so incredibly relieved. Completion next Friday 19th. Bring on the !

for you too Tilly. Spurious indemnities and vendors on cruises - you have my sympathies.

Once we move, I am NEVER EVER EVER moving again.

Poke my head in occasionally to see what’s going on - huge congrats Lazy I’m thrilled that everything finally came together for you, and hope it’s not long before you can relax sufficiently to enjoy your new home.

And another one - brilliant news Yoga

Congratulations Yoga brilliant news!

Congratulations @yoga thats excellent news

Oh that's brilliant Yoga. Congratulations!