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Original poster

Does it normally take this lonnnnng??!

23 replies

MrsScamander · 09/04/2019 15:35

We're first time buyers and had our offer accepted on a flat early January. Instructed solicitors not long after that and we're still waiting.

Neither of us are in a chain but I've just called our solicitors for an update and they've said they have 16 outstanding queries from the sellers solicitors that they're waiting on.

Not to mention our own solicitors don't respond to emails and got shirty on me when I called to ask what was happening.

I know it can take a little while but we don't have any idea when we may complete or any idea of a moving date. We've told our landlord we're moving and would like to give him an approximate date, plus we're so squished in I just need more space!

That was a therapeutic rant Gin

Should we just leave it to the solicitors or should we be doing more?

OP posts:
LegoPiecesEverywhere · 09/04/2019 15:40

I think that is too long. Is there an estate agent involved? If so I would contact them and say you are getting impatient as the sellers solicitors are not responding to queries sent by your solicitors. The estate agent should pass that on to the solicitor. Your own solicitor should not get shirty with you if you have only called once to check on progress. Very unprofessional of them.

IncrediblySadToo · 09/04/2019 15:40

WTAF?

How much do you actually want that flat?

It would have to be my dream property to put up with that shit. It’s APRIL now. Madness.

Farontothemaddingcrowd · 09/04/2019 15:45

Agreed, it sounds like it's dragging on. I had an offer accepted on my house on Feb 10th and reserved a new build. We completed Friday. I rang the solicitor daily at some points (sometimes more) and not once did they sound annoyed with me for ringing. My estate agent was good for chasing up the other side's solicitors as well. You need to get on their case and don't worry about asking.

adulthumanwolf · 09/04/2019 15:46

Our offer was accepted early July, we finally exchanged on 10th December. Fun times.

Mildura · 09/04/2019 15:47

It would have to be my dream property to put up with that shit. It’s APRIL now. Madness
Early January is around 12 weeks ago (depending on exactly when the offer was agreed.) Hardly an unusual length of time for a leasehold transaction to take.
I would expect things to be nearing an end by now though.

Fortheloveofscience · 09/04/2019 15:50

Yeah I’d be getting a bit twitchy in your shoes. If the seller’s solicitors haven’t replied it suggests that the seller hasn’t been chasing them. Do you know their circumstances/why they’re selling? My biggest concern would be that they’ve decided to make an onwards purchase and you’re now stuck in a chain you’re not aware of...

Original poster
MrsScamander · 09/04/2019 15:51

We love the flat, got it at a bargain price and there's nothing with the same space for the same price Sad

I assumed it wouldn't take that long with neither of us being in chains, I was worried I was expecting too much but glad to hear I'm not!

That was the first time I've called and I was really apologetic so now I'm annoyed at myself. We haven't had any contact with the estate agents since we sent proof of our deposit after the offer was accepted so I don't think they're involved anymore.

I don't know who my point of contact really is, I've emailed 3 different people not including the solicitor who is apparently dealing with our case, should I start ringing more regularly and pressing them to chase the other solicitors?

Sorry I'm completely clueless Blush

OP posts:
Original poster
MrsScamander · 09/04/2019 15:55

@fortheloveofscience I believe the flat belonged to an enderly lacy who passed away and her mother is now selling, the property was on the market since September, I'm assuming a sale in these circumstances would take a bit longer but our solicitors haven't once been in touch with an update, the only time they have contacted us was to ask us to contact the surveyor about something in the report (that was already explained in the report)

OP posts:
DelphiniumBlue · 09/04/2019 15:57

It is too long.
Ask your solicitors, by email, to forward a copy of the outstanding queries to you.
Then contact the agents, send them a copy of the queries, and ask them to speak to the seller.
Or contact the seller direct, tell them there are queries outstanding and as you'd like to exchange by x date and complete by y date, could they deal with them, and contact you to work out a timetable.
And let the agents know if theres no movement by Friday, you'll start looking at other properties.
You have to be pushy, and it would help if the agent can find out why there is a delay.
I'd be phoning every day at this point.
Have you got a mortgage offer yet? If it has an expiry date on it, make sure everyone knows that.

Mildura · 09/04/2019 15:58

We haven't had any contact with the estate agents since we sent proof of our deposit after the offer was accepted so I don't think they're involved anymore

Call the estate agents. Very likely they're not going paid until the it goes through so have a vested interest in getting things to move along.

passed away
has probate been granted? This may be the cause of slow progress.

singymummy · 09/04/2019 15:59

everyone i know has taken around 6 months, with and without chains. i wonder if location has anything to do with speed of exchanging etc. Hmm

Bigsighall · 09/04/2019 16:02

It can easily take that long even with no chain. Be proactive and chase people. Sometimes it seems to be the only way!

JaneEyre07 · 09/04/2019 16:03

When we bought our house, it was empty. The owners had moved away, rented it and given tenants their notice - and we had nothing to sell, so it was a straight forward purchase.

Still took nearly 5 months, and in the last month, I was phoning the solicitor and estate agent daily.

We were desperate to move, and it was horrific.

You need to be more pro-active. Asking for daily updates may be a little extreme but I'd be pushing them at least twice a week for answers.

Probate will have been granted as you can't market the property without this.

Mildura · 09/04/2019 16:05

Probate will have been granted as you can't market the property without this.

Yes you can.

Contracts cannot be exchanged, but there is nothing to stop you marketing a property before probate has been granted.

CookPassBabtridge · 09/04/2019 16:21

It's always been two months for us, 3 sounds too long. There should be a few updates every week coming from solicitors/estate agent.

Original poster
MrsScamander · 09/04/2019 17:04

Thank you for the advice everyone, I've confirmed with our mortgage provider the offer expires on the 29th April and called the estate agents who have said they will chase the vendors solicitors about the outstanding queries.

Hopefully there will be some movement and our solicitors can get an extension on our offer.

I'm already mentally decorating and scoping the new things I want to buy as it's the first place we'll be able to decorate!

OP posts:
Bluntness100 · 09/04/2019 17:10

Op, I called my solicitor nearly daily to get updates. Sadly in buying houses the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Make a pain of yourself

Has this properly been through probate? It's not too long yet, three or four months is average,but you should absolutely know when you're completing. Have you exchanged?

I'd be threatening at this stage, that if you've not got a completion date in thr next few days yiu will pull out,

Someone somewhere is fucking about.

Original poster
MrsScamander · 09/04/2019 17:29

Hi @Bluntless101 I think I'm going to have to take your approach, I feel a bit foolish for leaving it so long, I just assumed they would let us know if there were problems.

We haven't exchanged yet, since January when we paid the search costs they've contacted us twice, once to ask about the surveyors report and another time to let us know it was taking longer than they thought because it was a "new lease purchase" and there would be an extra £80 charge for that. That was a month ago.

Finally rang them today to ask what was going on. I hate confrontation and get really anxious on the phone but I'm going to have to grow a spine and start being pushy, I know!

OP posts:
Bluntness100 · 09/04/2019 17:32

I'm afraid you are. It's horrible having to do it, but you do have to do it I'm afraid. Just keep phoning for updates. Don't let your solicitors fob you off and ignore it if they get arsey. You are paying for their service and they should be chasing rhe other sides solicitors. Also keep on at the agent.

You don't need to lose the sale. But threatening it can work wonders.

mrsdaz · 09/04/2019 17:36

We had an offer accepted on 5th January. I chased my solicitor each week and always got a pleasant prompt reply. We completed 3 weeks ago now. Do they have email for you to chase that way? It’s hard to do but they will just sit on it and do nothing if they are waiting for the other solicitors.

Good luck! X

AnemoneAnenome · 09/04/2019 17:37

Yes! Keep ringing them, be the squeaky wheel even if you're just pushing your solicitor to chase their solicitor.

You don't need to be even the tiniest it confrontational about it. Keeping it uber-polite is totally fine. But do keep calling for updates.

Spickle · 09/04/2019 19:57

I don't necessarily think that 3 months for a leasehold purchase is too long. Sometimes sellers are very vague with their responses to enquiries and management companies can be a nightmare to get information from. It could be that your solicitor has raised enquiries and received inadequate responses and therefore the enquiries are not yet satisfactorily dealt with.

Do you know whether probate has been granted? A property can be marketed but cannot exchange/complete without the probate in place.

Leasehold transactions are average take 10-12 weeks, your transaction is still well within that.

By all means chase the EA and your solicitor for updates, but ringing daily stops them from getting on with the job and will actually slow down the process, unless you are their only client of course.

WBWIFE · 09/04/2019 21:36

My first house, was chain free and an empty property.

Process took 15 weeks

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