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

sandybayley thank you and hopefully you will have the same experience with good buyers the second time round. I think because our previous buyers behaved so badly it just left me unable to believe that we wouldn't be shafted at the last minute, so thankfully I''m now just recalibrating my view on the world back to being more positive! Quite excited about the process of buying - but I can't help but be anxious about being priced out because i don't think prices are dropping as fast where I am buying. Hopefully my position will help a little with that.

I have bought and sold quite a few times previously and never had an experience like that before, I think last year there were an awful lot of chancers about - but now the low stock hopefully should see them off again! Not sure it's quite the buyer;s market it was.

Congratulations tootyfruitypickle! What a difficult journey you've had but hopefully you can see the light at the end of the tunnel now. Good luck to all newcomers and keep trudging on...

Congratulations @tootyfrootypickle you must be so relieved!

I caved and chased but still no news GRR.

@sandybayley I think a nice gap between exchange and completion will make it more relaxing too!

Just going to properly introduce myself!
DP and I have got our one bed flat on the market, SE London. It went live yesterday and got a viewing request in the evening! So the chap is coming tomorrow.

We're on with emoov which I'm not feeling too positive about but we signed up a year or so ago so thought we'd give it a try with them first.

We've got to buy a 3 bed preferably but our budget is relatively low for our area so struggling to find anything suitable. We have DS 18mos and I'm pregnant so we have definitely outgrown our one bed flat!

Congrats to everyone whose made good progress. Hoping we get more viewings through for the BHW.

Congratulations @tootyfruitypickle
What a difficult journey you've had, an end to the uncertainty is well deserved
What's so difficult to handle is that we must put our lives on hold while we wait to know if our sales or purchases will actually happen
Housing is so integral to our health and happiness, no wonder the process takes its toll
Hope that everyone can enjoy the long weekend in some way even if knowing we won't hear any news until Tuesday at least
We'll be visiting our vendors tomorrow to measure up

@FlatPackPat - welcome! Must be really hard getting ready for viewings with a toddler and really exhausting being pregnant. I guess there's loads of toys and stuff to hide away?

@TiddleTaddleTat - it's really hard not to put your life on hold but I seriously think it's wise to try and carry on 'as normal' as much as possible. I nearly tipped over the edge just before we got our first buyer and was completely obsessed. Now I have the odd hour or two where I think of other stuff like holidays and my DC. There is and will be life AM (after moving).

Best of luck flatpackpat. We sold in SE London and are officially moving today to the next Borough along (hence early start for me this morning!).

I know what you mean TiddleTaddleTat. Life turns upside down for a wile. We have been staying at MIL since we sold and have managed to get half the house decorated and new flooring laid. Had a late night last night cleaning up - so much dust everywhere but it's so worth it when you have those keys! Back to work on Tuesday so not much time to unpack.

Sandybayley, amroc18 - hang on in there! Although none of us can help directly I found it comforting to know others were going through the same thing on this thread. I think my work colleagues became very bored listening to my house gripes.

Wile = while!

Thanks everyone! Yes so hard keeping it tidy with DS creating a new mess for me every 10 paces he walks @sandybayley  but quite pleased with how it looks. Dropping DS off to his uncles just before the viewing to do the last few bits before the guy comes at 3:30. Feel nervous!!

@MrsPatmore I hope moving day is going well! How exciting. In my area of SE London the next borough along can be the next road over.. think there's 5 boroughs all smushed together here!

Thanks for the welcomes everyone! Urgh this is the worst, as you say, it's the lack of control. I wouldn't mind it taking a year if I KNEW it was going to take that long and would definitely be moved at the end of it.

@sandybayley I'm clinging on to the thought that we just have to find the right price! The market is v strange round here and our house is a bit unusual, all the agents said how difficult it was to value...makes it hard to decide where we go next though as don't want to make any assumptions about our final sale price. Also, DH is VERY stubborn and I think will be reluctant to accept the market's valuation if it's different from his own! Does anybody else have that problem? It adds another layer of tiring!

@flatpackrat respect to you doing viewings pregnant plus toddler! Hope you don't have to do too many before it sells. Mine are 4 and 6 months which seemed sensible (old enough to tidy up and young enough not to make a mess) - and then I remembered about weaning! Poor DS is mostly being fed from spoons to minimize cleaning!!

So encouraging to hear from others who got there in the end, hope it is all smooth sailing for you from here on out.

@TiddleTaddleTat aargh why don't people sense the need of urgency in the process. It takes a long enough time as it is. I really hope you hear soon and it's all systems go for you.

@Ellieboolou27 we had lots of viewings in the first two weeks then in week 5 we had two offers from viewings 8 & 9.

@Violetroselily Hopefully it won't be stressful for you. We were FTBs last time and it was quite straightforward just a little hold up at the end due to buyers at the end of chain waiting to go into a new build. The process took 13 weeks for us.

@FreiasBathtub You will sell eventually. It only takes one person to love your property.

@tootyfruitypickle So sorry you've had such a long and stress filled journey. You are due some luck so I hope you find somewhere amazing to buy.

@FlatPackPat We went with an online agent too, Purple Bricks and so far it's been pretty painless. We've been pleasantly surprised. We weren't too sure if we even wanted to sell which is why we went for the cheaper option.

We finally got hold of our buyers and they are just a completely confused by the whole situation and I feel they are going to hold up the chain. Trying to push them for a sooner completion date as our vendor is threatening to pull out of the sale if not. I can't believe we've got problems already 😫. Our first time buyers only need to give a months notice on rental so I don't know what the hold up is.

Long post warning!

I exchanged on Friday, and will complete on Tuesday! It's taken nearly 5 years!!!

We put our house on the market following divorce, it was a big self build house and we knew there would be limited interest... we were ok to wait until we found someone, it took 3 years before it eventually sold.

I moved into rented and I began my search

I was close to putting an offer on a property when a tiny cottage came on the market. I loved it! I offered full asking price, it was accepted and it was taken off the market. Then things seemed to take ages, we were close to exchange when the vendors pulled out. I was devastated.

In the meantime the owner of my rental had put the property back on the market to sell and it did, I had 3 months to find something..

I found another property, it was lovely, my head said yes, but my heart wasn't sure. I felt I should listen to my head!

My three months notice with the rental were over so I moved back home with my dad.

I was proceeding with the purchase of the house. The survey came back and said it was overpriced by a considerable amount, I tried to negotiate, but the vendors wouldn't budge. I withdrew my offer.

I began my search again, my dad kept saying "perhaps the cottage you loved will come back on the market".

My dad passed away late in August last year.. my heart was broken.

The cottage came back on the market late October.

My original offer was accepted again.

It has taken six months to get here...

With my mortgage offer due to expire next week, on Friday my solicitor said those magic words "We've exchanged!"

On Tuesday we complete and I get the keys.

I wish my dad was here to come and see the cottage he wanted me to have because he knew it had won my heart.

It's been a long, long process, but I got there! If the sale had gone through in January last year, I wouldn't have had the 8 weeks I spent back home with my Dad,

I believe things sometimes happen for a reason..

Good luck everyone!

@BeauticianNotMagician81 that gives me hope!
I was online looking at vacant property styling until 1am last night - its only got a futon and a rug so was thinking of little table and chairs too, but it's more money that we don't have. Flat costing £650 pcm currently

@DH30 so pleased it worked out in the end for you but condolences on the loss of your dad. I’m glad you had those precious weeks together. All the best with moving next week x

@DH30 - thank you so much for sharing your story. I hope completion day goes smoothly for you and you can take a moment to raise a glass to your lovely DF. I think your story just goes to show how much this process (painful as it is) sometimes just turns out how it is meant to be.

I think I've mentioned before that we are in the slightly unusual position of having met our buyers - I showed them round when I found them outside looking at the house. We've swapped a few emails (which is my style, quite friendly) and they've now asked if they come bring a visiting parent round next weekend. I've said 'yes' but DH is a bit grumpy about it.

They're a nice couple, FTBs and TBH a bit fresh. They were confused about the difference between exchange and completion (bless!) so I don't think they are game playing. I think Mrs FTB is genuinely excited and just wants to show her DM her first (still potential!) home.

In other news, I've been looking for bar stools for the island in the new kitchen and am shocked at the price!

@DH30 wow what a truly lovely outcome for you, you must have been so stressed second time around right up until exchange! Hope you are celebrating this weekend

I think I can almost see a faint glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.
We've got the info pack for the place we're buying, final queries for the place we're selling and the contracts to send.
Our friends are witnessing us signing stuff tomorrow and we've got answers for the final questions.

@DH30 so pleased it worked out for you in the end!

@BeauticianNotMagician hope that your vendors stay patient and your buyers speed up

@sandybayley I think that is a sign they are committed if they wanted their mum to see it-fingers crossed it goes through ok.

@Glitteryfrog sounds very close-how exciting!

Hi how is everyone? Hope you all had a nice bank holiday weekend even though the weather was a bit odd. Any updates?

I spent a big chunk of my weekend filling in various forms. Made good progress though and hoping to complete the forms this week. We are three weeks into the process and the buyer still hasn't booked their survey, but the EA said they were finalising their mortgage application last week. Other than that things seem to be progressing well.

Back on it again this morning after the lull of the BH weekend.
Have just emailed our solicitor and the EAs to try and chase the chain to get ready for exchange. Everyone has agreed to a completion date and would like it to be made official.
Difficult as we need to book trades to start ASAP once we get the keys in - hopefully - 2 weeks time.

@dimmu -sounds like it's all going in the right direction.
You were right about the bank holiday being quiet - no viewings for us, went to the flat yesterday and put some new cushions on the sofa and some fake flowers (tasteful ones)

Will be one week today the flat went live - too early to reduce the asking?

Wishing everyone luck for the week ahead! Hoping for some news this week. Keeping an eye only listings but it’s absolute tumbleweed round here at the mo
Courage, mes braves!

@Ellieboolou27 - I'd say it's too early to reduce. See how next weekend goes and maybe consider then? You could do with a 'normal' weekend to see how these go.

@dimmu - those forms take ages. DH and I found a glass or two of wine helped 😉

Good news from our solicitor! His overdue baby arrived at the weekend. Bad news is that he is now on paternity leave until 16 May. I don't think it's an issue though as we have the survey to digest. Feeling positive!

@sandybayley thanks for the advice will sit tight for a while longer

May 16th is 9 days so when said like that feels less time