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

@Trippedupagain sounds like a good FTB to have

Definitely good to have shared expectations about timescale as soon as possible . We set a date weeks ago (we are at the bottom of a chain of 3) and everyone still insisting we'll meet it...
But there's one enquiry outstanding from a freeholder at the top of the chain...
Edge of the seat stuff, if we don't exchange by Thurs we'll need to al agree a new date , removals etc.
And our vendors go on holiday in a couple of weeks 🤦‍♀️

@TiddleTaddleTat I know what you mean about edge of your seat, definitely. Last time we did this, the buyers went on holiday for 3 weeks and the vendors for 2 weeks, just when we were expecting to actually move. They hadn't liked to mention their holidays any earlier to us...

@LeopardPrintKnickers It has also been almost four weeks since we accepted an offer for our flat, and the buyer still hasn't booked valuation or survey, so I am getting a bit impatient there. We have done everything we can, our solicitor has sent the management pack and details of the lease to the buyer's solicitor, and we have filled and returns all the forms that were sent to us. I have just emailed the EA to ask for an update, he must really hate receiving emails from me! This whole process is so stressful and the uncertainty of it all is just horrendous.

Feeling your pain everyone, dragging on or what and this lovely weather doesn't help as you start wondering what it would be like to be in the new house... I'm a keen gardener and have been so good this year with no buying plants and growing veg but it'll be Sod's law as I suspect by the time we move I could have done all of those things! Urgh our washing machine has packed up to and I was really hoping it would last until we move...

Updates wise no news no draft contracts but our vendor has had a survey done on their property and are negotiating on price. Not really what I wanted to hear as I can't help but feel the same thing may happen again with the chain collapsing... please no...

I've struggled to focus on work for weeks because everything is so up in the air. If anyone has any tips let me know please!

No tips I'm afraid @Minnie881 although after some time on the rollercoaster you get a bit jaded and numb with it all...
Work helps to distract me and I spend a lot of my free time at the moment planning the renovation . At the back of my mind is the knowledge that until exchange everything could fall through. As a result I have tried very hard not to spend any money except for a few quid on paint, tile, floor etc samples.
No news today

Good news from us! It turns out that the valuation has been done and the papers received by our buyer were in fact their offer. For anyone else who has HSBC in their chain it turns out they do organise 'drive buy' valuations. So the house was valued without anyone realising. Buyer now asking about completion dates so our EA is talking to our vendors EA. Dare I say things seem to be progressing?

@LeopardPrintKnickers - fingers crossed for your mortgage offer soon. Which lender are you going with?

@TiddleTaddleTat - I'm with you on planning ahead as as a distraction. Pinterest is good but can be very absorbing!

@Minnie881 - I also have done gardening plans. New house has done great raised beds and my first job is to make a herb garden. I need mint for my Pimms in the late summer.

@dimmu - four weeks with nothing booked in us starting to take the Micky. Gave they shown any commitment?

@Trippedupagain - your FTBs sound a little excitable. Do they actually understand the process to get to exchange? I'm not sure ours do (as evidenced by the fact they didn't realise they'd received a mortgage offer). EA has been gently guiding...

@sandybayley we are with Santander and we got an offer without surveyor going out which was a little confusing. We had to pull out of the house and decided on a new build. They actually went out and did the valuation in person this time when I thought they probably wouldn’t.

Evening all - please can you advise me on what I can do to improve viewings - I know it's bare but we've not a lot of money to do anything major.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-81329135.html

@sandybayley great news - moving forward
@dimmu I'd chase up the buyers and get them to pull their fingers out - very frustrating

@Minnie881 I know what you mean! At work today could not concentrate, feel tearful and frustrated, keep checking phone / email for estate agent updates - nothing

@TulipsfromAmsterdam - it's weird isn't it? Oh well at least it means I don't need to tidy up again for another visitor - hurray! I wonder if it's linked to LTV?

@Ellieboolou27 - it's very bare isn't it? I don't think there is much you can do though because if you'd gave to add quite a bit to make a difference. Maybe a little plant on the balcony (but you'd need to water). Some rugs? Sorry I'm a bit rubbish at that kind of thing.....

Ellie are you not getting viewings?

The tile grout looks a bit dark and grubby in places in the photos , is it clean? I find that anti mould spray or a bleach spray and bit of light rubbing with an abrasive scourer brings up grout or get the agent to take new pics.

It looks a bit dated but if the price reflects that the I'm not sure what you can do without a big outlay.

@SapatSea will get dh to redo the grout this weekend- yes it does look dated, should I paint it all white and put a little retro table and chairs in? I've since moved the sofa and added cushions and glass table with orchid prices in that area are around 260-270 for one beds, although there is the same flat for 250 like mine.

I'm tempted to put all new flooring in but had a quote of £500 and not sure if it'd be worth it.
Thanks for advice

@ellieboolou27 it may be better to take out sofa and rug so it looks vacant as it would be expensive to ‘dress’ the whole place. Some property experts think buyers don’t have vision and recommend hiring/borrowing furniture to make house look lived in and cosy but it’s so much effort and someone will come along who can picture themselves in it without the expense.

Had 4 viewings in 2 weeks and one offer of 215k which I rejected

@SapatSea your right, I think the sofa is naff anyway so will get dh to remove.

Ellieboolou27 it is a little too bare I think. Can you borrow some extra furniture like a coffee table, some colourful cushions, rugs etc for a bit of home staging? Put the kettle, toaster out? Unfortunately people like to imagine themselves as 'moved in' and that's harder if it is too sparse and cold. It's very competitively priced for North London I think but people might be put off by ex LA especially if any major works are planned. Perhaps a slight price drop?

@MrsPatmore no major works planned for next 5 years, it's had new balconies, roof and lighting done a few years back. Yes Ex LA is harder to sell, I've been looking at eBay for small table & chairs, was thinking of dropping 5k when 4 weeks pass, we had an offer of £280k last November and buyers pulled out days before exchange!
Toaster / kettle in the to do list - red, white, black?

@Ellieboolou27 I think it looks nice and is a good price for the area. Don't give up hope yet, we found a buyer for our 3 bed ex-LA in zone 2, and ours needs more work than yours and has a major works bill coming up as well. It took 8 weeks though so it's still early days for you. I would wait another couple of weeks and then drop the price, but possibly by 10k rather than just £5k. You don't want to end up being one one of those sellers that reduce their price little by little several times, think it makes them look bad.
It's a tough time to sell, but it is good you already had one offer. We ended up selling 8% under original asking price, really thought we were gonna get more.

Ellie, I don't think there's anything wrong with your flat and I certainly wouldn't go spending a load of money on it. Having said that, some things in both kitchen and bathroom to just detract the eye from the blankness would help, just so they are a bit more interesting or pleasing to look at. I'd also second pp idea of scrubbing / bleaching / painting so the bathroom looks absolutely spotless. People want to feel they can move in and use the place, even if they need to update once there. I also think you can't underestimate how influenced people are by pretty towels or a bit of greenery to soften a room. I'm sure it will sell though!

@dimmu @Trippedupagain
Thank you for your help, I will be popping to Dunelm after work for a few bits to personalise it and add a splash of colour.

This thread is keeping me sane through this process thank you

Counting to ten. Our long-suffering mortgage broker had to send Natwest our full company accounts for the FOURTH time today as they'd misplaced them. Again.

I am slowly losing my mind and the will to live. Still no outcome, and still very little sleep. My eye bags are getting bigger by the day. So far, we've had to supply company accounts, projections for the year ahead from us and the accountant, pay slips, dividend certificates, SA302s for three years, bank statements and God knows what else. They've valued the house (which they did three days after we applied) and it's been lurking with the underwriters ever since.

Give. Me. Strength.

@LeopardPrintKnickers - that's rubbish. I seem to remember hearing somewhere (maybe here?) that it can be worth insisting you see someone in branch to resolve things when trying to sort a mortgage with a bank.

The alternative is to go public with your concerns on Twitter. I work for a big business and that always makes things happen. Or contact the Daily Mail

hello can i join we are renting at the moment and will be cash buyers, looked at a house on Saturday made a full price offer and got accepted , and surveyor booked today for this week , the house we want to buy is empty so no chain, needs some updating but mainly cosmetic so what i want to ask is do we wait for the survey report which should be next week to engage a solicitor

@LeopardPrintKnickers that's madness, my aunt had awful problems with NatWest (sorry) kept losing documents, giving bad advice and not keeping her informed to the point she got ill with the stress - Infuriating!