At what point do we start talking completion/exchange dates?

[NapQueen]

We are selling to FTBers and buying from someone who isnt buying. Sols currently doing their paperwork. Survey on ours done, we have survey booked on one we are buying. Ive no ifea how much longer it takes or how much i should be nudging my sol.

When do we start talking dates?

We started talking about working towards an exchange date about 8 weeks in, our chain is exactly the same but we are at the top. However, that date has been and gone. We are hoping to exchange this week, which will be 13 weeks in, and have now decided on a completion date.

Do I just approach solicitor and say "how about x date?" And do they confirm with the rest?

When all enquiries have been satisfactorily answered, both on your sale and purchase, all searches are back and any enquiries based on the results are satisfactorily answered, then dates can be discussed. Until then it is pretty pointless because a date can only be a guess.

I told our solicitor the target completion dates. The exchange date is less important as long as there's enough time between the two to draw down funds and pack.

@napqueen I'm a solicitor- you can get an idea of when they want to complete from the outset but you can only firm up dates when all legal enquiries and searches have been completed on all sides. If there's a survey outstanding it can't be done yet (there may be questions raised off the back of the survey which will drag things out)

@MrsMummyBx can I jump in and ask a cheeky question? Have you experienced working with Legal Aid Agency about getting hold of the legal aid redemption statement details? If so, how long did it take for them to return your enquiry and is there anything I can do to speed things up?? (The charge is relating to the property we are purchasing)...

And all mortgage offers in! Don't forget that part

@hopefullymoving sorry for the delay. I haven't had a lot of experience with this I'm afraid so there might well be someone with more up to date info but if the charge relates to someone else on a property that's not yet yours then I'm not sure there is a great deal you will be able to do if you're just trying to chivvy the sale along. The LAA will no doubt see it as confidential info at this stage (from your perspective) but no harm in giving them a call. I'm sure if the current owners of the place you're buying call up they can find out the redemption value over the phone and that a statement shouldn't take too long to be sent out. Would get your solicitor to do some hard chasing of the other side's solicitor to pressurise the sellers into getting their act together. Don't worry too much- it will all come together at the end! Good luck!