Sellers/Buyers Roll Call No 5...,

[sandybayley]

Starting new thread. Calling all the regulars...
@TiddleTaddleTat
@WBWIFE
@Allhallowseve
@BeauticianNotMagician81
@crispysausagerolls
@dimmu
@Fleabag123
@Farontothemaddingcrowd
@Frogqueen13
@Glitteryfrog
@MrsPatmore
@Smart123

Hi everyone. Haven't rtft yet but just had my property go live on RM. it's a small one bed in SE London so really hoping we get a good buyer and offer, obviously!

Now to find something that we want to move in to...

@Minnie881 air raid shelter?! That's quite a talking point, apart from the falling down bit. Is it worth fixing and using as something quirky?

I've been looking up costs for different levels of damp/flooring issues and, depending on the problem, we're likely to need to renegotiate

Buying a house is not for the faint-hearted!

Those of you with surveys mentioning damp, have a good read up. If you spend a bit of time reading about moisture meters/protimeters, the question of whether rising damp exists etc you'll probably be reassured, unless you have serious serious issues. I'm somewhat unimpressed by the damp industry!

@tentative3 as in it can appear worse than it is? We've looked up how to replace wooden joists, etc., but just concerned with this property about the extent of potential issues and how deep they go. I guess that's the problem with having no experience in this area, we're reliant on Google and the surveyors

We're getting a bit panicky about our purchase. Have not heard back as yet from the vendors about the garage they built - it wasn't declared on the PIF. Seems to just about be ok not to have needed building regs but they should have written it on the form.
This is our last enquiry, we're desperate to complete ASAP.
So worried about being evicted and needing somewhere to stay temporarily.
If this drags much longer we'll need to pull out of the purchase. Don't know if the vendors realise that we are serious on this. We are going to see them on sat to measure up.
If we pulled out they would probably lose their purchase and the person at the top (elderly lady downsizing) would all be screwed.

There is a school of thought that rising damp doesn't exist, or if it does is incredibly rare. Yes, damp can often look worse than it is and if you read up on the use of moisture meters you'll see that you can get damp readings for reasons other than damps - historical salts in the plaster for example. I guess it depends on the age of the house you're looking at, what you saw when you viewed (and what you smelled) etc but I just wouldn't panic at this stage, and I would also consider who you use to investigate it further. Consider whether a company specialising in providing damp solutions might just have a vested interest in finding damp and offering a remedy...

Damp came up in the survey on our house and the buyer had a damp survey by Damp Aid or someone. Funnily enough, they found damp. We forked out for our own specialist survey by an independent historic building specialist, who did carbide testing and showed that the walls were bone dry. The skirts were too (and this would have shown if either the surveyor or damp company had checked them, we bought our own protimeter in the end), which would be odd if water was truly rising through the walls, wouldn't it?

Now, I'm not saying your sellers will necessarily let you do carbide testing since it involves drilling into the walls, but just do some reading around and cast a sceptical look over your survey.

Thanks @tentative3 that's food for thought. At our first viewing the property had been aired, and although the floors were uneven, we didn't suspect damp, probably because I had no idea it could do that to floors. Since the survey we've been shown deposits coming up through the floor and at a second visit last week, now the property is uninhabited, there was a very pervasive damp smell throughout. The vendors have given permission for the damp survey to take place, but we are aware that the company may have an interest in a damp result.

This is one of the worst things about buying, you just don't know who you can trust and the risks are potentially high if you get that wrong.

Incredibly high, yes. The whole process is awful, for both buyers and sellers. Deposits coming up through the floor doesn't sound good and nor does a smell that's become very strong in a short space of time since the house was last aired. Even then though, it's possible it's an easy fix, if for example someone has raised the external ground level and the damp proof course is being breached, or if it's something as simple as a leak. Or it could be much worse. I don't mean to say that no one should take damp seriously at all, there are some awful cases, just that damp meters aren't necessarily giving the story that you might first think, if that makes sense. I hope yours turns out to be nothing, or something simple, fingers crossed.

3 viewings no offers - vendors told agents today they are willing to wait 4 weeks before they put thier house beck on the market and are willing to drop 15k to us, I’m more stressed than ever now to get a sale!

Did everyone get lots of viewing in the first few weeks of going live on RM?

Thanks @tentative3 that's very helpful, I am finding that already since trying to find a timer and damp specialist!

@Ellieboolou27 we didn't get as much initial interest as I thought we would. it was more like a slow and steady flow of viewings averaging around 4 per week over 8 weeks with some more interest at the beginning.

@Ellieboolou27 we got four for the first weekend and two offers. But they were people on the 'books' I think in the main rather than right move so I'm probably not a good example...

@Minnie881
@dimmu
It's so variable isn't it! Until contacts are exchanged it's all so much stressing and waiting 🙄

Hello all

FTB, had my offer accepted on a flat about 3 weeks ago. Mortgage was approved within 4 days, survey booked for next week.

Can't shake the feeling that this will be a bumpy road. Vendors are a company who owned the flat as a rental and I'm assured they want a quick sale. My solicitor hasn't received anything from theirs yet and has hinted that I may need to start chasing up the EA already.

I dont need to move out of my current place until August, but I feel this will be a constant stress over the next couple of months

violet welcome to the club!
My personal experience as a FTB is that unless I pulled out I was always in the strongest position.

Fingers crossed it will go smoothly for you.

@Violetroselily welcome!
Hopefully everything goes smoothly for you, think you are in a good position as a FTB. Have the tenants already moved out from the flat? Our flat was a rental when we bought it and one of my biggest worries was that the tenants might refuse to leave. Luckily it all went well in the end.

Can I join? We've just gone back on the market after two unsuccessful attempts to sell in 2017. We're in a three bed maisonette on a busy road in E London, will be moving to get more space and a garden but no idea where yet. One viewing so far, cancelled ten minutes after it was supposed to start 😭 I am trying to maintain a zen-like calm about this whole process, which I think I can probably keep up for another two or three days before I crack. DH is sanguine and thinks we will sell eventually, I have my doubts...

@Violetroselily - It's good to be a FTB - so much less stressful than trying to sell at the same time. Make the most of it this time round. Do make sure you do everything promptly though. We have an FTB and I've been a bit wound up by them failing to understand the urgency of getting mortgage sorted, survey booked etc. They seem nice people but a bit all over the place.

@FreiasBathtub - you WILL sell eventually if you are competitively priced. There is an interesting article in The Times today which says sales in London may be picking up in the Brexit lull - but only for properties that are priced right.

Welcome @FreiasBathtub and @Violetroseslily

I’m currently sitting on my hands waiting til
this pm to chase solicitors again (guessing Friday mornings are a bad time as lots of completions). 48h ago was told was nearly there and just a few queries outstanding. Still hoping we can exchange next Friday but would also like to start having the completion date conversation with the chain sooner rather than later as May is a crazy month for us. Also to provisionally book cattery and movers and annual leave from
work. The whole nothing being fixed until exchange from that perspective in itself is so frustrating!

@amroc18 - I feel your frustration. Are you working today? Maybe go for a little outing to distract yourself?

I've provided suggested dates for completion to our solicitor and have deliberately avoided Fridays as I'd heard they are busy from the removal people who quoted for us. I've put the Thursdays as preferred days but we're pretty flexible as the DC don't have GCSES or A Levels this year and work commitments aren't too bad.

Thanks @sandybayley. Today is my every other week day off but I’m keeping busy tying to get the clutter down as I don’t want to move it. Although I’ve been on it nearly a year now since just before going on market and still have so much to sort! The joy of toddlers!

I also heard Thursdays are better too although I’d take any day just to get it through now! Are you hoping yours will be in May?

Hello everyone, well, we exchanged yesterday. It's taken me until now to be able to come onto this thread to write that down! I still can't manage to say much but for those who feel this journey will never end, below is my journey:

• April 2018 put property on market following a 4 year court divorce. Priced it below the lowest valuation we had, for a quick sale. Immediately got asking price offer.
• Found a place to purchase, all looking good.
• 2 months on, the buyers' lost their buyers. We agreed to wait a fortnight for them to get a new sale, which they did.
• A month on from that, the buyers' offered a cash immediate exchange ,for £10k below their previous offer, or we could wait for chain and take a £3k hit. We took cash.
• Day of exchange - the buyers' disappeared. We put property back on market *Week later - they come back with a reduced offer, £25k below their original asking price, and in a chain. We tell them to bog off,
• Now up to September, my vendors put their place on the market again it eventually gets a new buyer in October, they complete before Christmas, so I've lost my purchase.
• We get an offer of 4% below asking price in Feb 2019. No chain buyers. We exchanged yesterday. I've been anxious and distrustful al the way through but they have not played any funny games and have been completely honest and straightforward all the way through.

Next is to find a place to buy! I am in horrid rented which I took last summer thinking we'd only be there 2/3 months. Nothing on the market but I really want to be out before the contract renews. But at least I am in a good position now with no chain below me.

During the past 8/9 months I have definitely felt that this would never ever happen for me, we had almost an offer at week at one point but all around 10% below asking which we couldn't take - then we got three decent offers on one day, so it can all change very quickly.

Good luck to everyone waiting to exchange - esp WBWIFE incidentally exchange happened without solicitor calling me so I think yours are talking bull!

Whoop! @tootyfruitypickle - your story gives hope to us all. I'm guessing you feel quiet relief rather than jubilation though. I'm thinking if/when it happens for us there may be a tear or two shed.

@amroc18 - we're hoping to exchange in May and complete in June. Our vendors DS has autism and they want a bit of time to prepare him for the move - which is fair enough.

@tootyfruitypickle - thinking about it your story just demonstrates what a lot of numpties there are out there plus some absolute sharks.

I like to think everyone on this thread are the good guys, let's carry on treating others as we'd like to be treated ourselves