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Original poster

Anyone only look at houses with NO forward chain?

18 replies

Nocares · 18/01/2021 19:12

Got an offer on my house from someone with no chain that wants the house quick.

Me and DP also want to move this year ASAP if preferable.

I suffer bad anxiety/bipolar and I don't think I can take the stress of being in a chain and living in the unknown.

If I put an offer in on a house that then has the vendors moving into an onwards chain then its more than likely to be endless months of waiting and uncertainty, risking losing money on surveys etc and risking my buyer pulling out.

Going into rented isn't an option for us.

Has anyone only looked at 'no onward chain' houses and had success?

I know that I will be narrowing down my options massively but I don't think I can mentally cope with the uncertainty and risks with a long drawn out process in the meanwhile when anything can change any minute up until exchange.

Can anyone give me any advice?

OP posts:

ComtesseDeSpair · 18/01/2021 19:32

Well, you’ve answered your own question - it’s easy enough to only view houses where there’s no onward chain, but it will limit your options. It also isn’t set in stone: it’s not unusual for a) estate agents to tell you what you want to hear to get their sale or b) those sellers with no above chain who were definitely moving into rented to change their minds.

If a chain is absolutely a complete no for you, have you considered buying a new-build?

Ilikewinter · 18/01/2021 19:41

Be eary, ours was advertised as no forward chain, owners had already moved out. They decided half way through to purchase a house to rent out and insisted it became part of the chain. Estate agent told me it happens all the time.

PowerslidePanda · 18/01/2021 19:47

I get where you're coming from - when we were first time buyers, we were still waiting for a complete chain 6 months after our offer was accepted! We ended up walking away.

But as you say - it limits your options a lot. Have you had a look to see what's out there? For us, finding houses that ticked the right boxes was enough of a struggle on its own - if we'd further limited our house to those that were chain free, it would have been a very difficult task. Remember that you also risk your buyer pulling out if it takes you ages to find somewhere...

And the "not set in stone" thing goes both ways too. We had no intention of breaking our chain, but the lack of suitable options meant that we decided to do it, rather than losing our buyer - so she's getting a chain-free house that wasn't advertised as such. And although the house that we're buying isn't chain free, within a week of our offer being accepted, our vendors had found somewhere with no onward chain - so that one extra link hasn't really made much difference so far.

Unfortunately the waiting, uncertainty and risk is just part of house buying. You could have plenty of it even with a chain free house, or you could buy something with a chain that ends up being relatively straight-forward and hassle free - a lot of it is just luck.

Ohalrightthen · 18/01/2021 19:49

If i were you, I'd go to the GP and get sone medication for your MH and then go and buy a house you actually want.

People who buy houses because they were convenient, or available, or because they panicked pretty much universally regret it.

WorriedMutha · 18/01/2021 19:50

We told the estate agent we would move to rented and so advertise our house as no chain. They didn't do it and I had to query. I think their view is that most vendors don't mean it and end up looking for a purchase. We did sell and are temporarily in rented but I think we are the exception. You therefore need to be a bit wary. Unless it's a probate sale, you could come unstuck.

TeenTitan007 · 18/01/2021 20:05

We've bought twice and both times looked only at properties that were chain free. We were also chain free both times. I'd rather not be in a chain if I can help it. But we were lucky both times to find the right house too.

Original poster

Nocares · 18/01/2021 20:47

I am on medication for my MH.

I suppose I feel like buying and selling is so damn uncertain yet its such a massive thing!! Life changing as its where your 'home' will be. So taking the risk of putting you heart and entire finances into a strangers hands in hope they don't change their minds is gut wrenching. So I guess I want to 'lessen' the risk.

I'd put an offer in on a house where the vendors said they were going to go into rented if they people they're buying from are delaying in order to get our sale, then changed their minds and wanted a chain of 5 more people! I had my heart set on it but as the top of the chain hadn't yet found somewhere it was clear the completion would take forever and my buyer definitely wouldn't wait that long!! My heart was set on it but my nerves were so on edge we just pulled out. I couldn't do 6 months plus of waiting and having to remarket my house.

I know things could still go wrong with no chain bug a lot of them seem like empty properties which is what we moved into and was straight forward!

This seems like a nightmare. But like others said, there is the risk of panic buying which never turns out well.

We've got everything in place including solicitors, just need the property!!

I wish our system was different. I can't believe the way we do it in England.

OP posts:

AllBellyandBoobs · 18/01/2021 20:51

We did that 6 years ago. Our buyers wanted to be in within 8 weeks, they were leaving rented accommodation. We knew which area we wanted to be in so viewed the 3 houses that were already empty (I was 7 months pregnant and had a cat, I couldn't bring myself to rent). The house we bought wasn't as aesthetically pleasing as I would have chosen but it has been (and still is) a fantastic family home. We are very happy here.

lastqueenofscotland · 18/01/2021 22:44

A lot of no onward chain stuff is probate which can be very slow.

mountains76 · 18/01/2021 23:41

Really, the best option for you is to go into rented. Most people claim they can't go into rented, when in fact they can, even with pets.

temproasted · 18/01/2021 23:49

@mountains76

Really, the best option for you is to go into rented. Most people claim they can't go into rented, when in fact they can, even with pets.

This is exactly what we have done - just last week in fact. We couldn't find what we wanted to buy so we're now renting for 6 months minimum. It's a faff but just 2 of us and a dog so not too bad for us.

Didicat · 18/01/2021 23:50

We moved to rented with cats. Still looking for a property 4.5 months later.... the pressure off has made me even more ridiculously fussy..... just a heads up

GenderApostate19 · 19/01/2021 13:32

Probate houses are only slow if no Grant of probate yet or a problem with missing deeds etc.
We got probate granted within a month so used the time to clean and clear the house, it went up for sale a few days after probate was granted.
If a house was already empty then it’s likely that they have probate.
Unfortunately probate houses are usually very dated and need work.

temproasted · 19/01/2021 17:32

@Didicat

We moved to rented with cats. Still looking for a property 4.5 months later.... the pressure off has made me even more ridiculously fussy..... just a heads up

I suspect that will be the case for us and to be honest that suits me as I'm quite content in this rented place for now (it's completely different to what we've had before as it's a new-build and everything feels much easier!). My Dh is adamant that we'll be out of here in 6 months as he gets bored and wants to buy another improvement project but I'm happy to take some time! We're both very fussy so I'm hoping that means we'll be here longer than 6 months

catfeets · 19/01/2021 17:51

We didn't exclusively look for empty properties but the two front runners were both empty.
Knowing that our vendor had no reason to pull out and already had another house they lived in reduces some of the stress but we're having a nightmare with our sale.
I honestly don't know how much more I can take and 7mths later we're still stuck here waiting with no end in sight.
I think your best bet to reduce stress would be to move into rental, as others have said here. Only having one side of the process to worry about is stressful enough.

Rainbowshine · 19/01/2021 17:58

No chain does not guarantee speed or stress free. The conveyance process can be slow, complex and throw up a lot of obstacles. If you’re looking for as quick as possible moving your options are renting or new builds really. Even new builds can be an issue - a friend had issues buying hers as the address wasn’t recognised yet so getting searches, mortgage and utilities, internet service and all of that sorted took an eternity.

MerryDecembermas · 19/01/2021 18:11

Probate is handy as usually the family just want to sell quick and get the money.

Don't over think it though. If it's stressing you this much already you probably need to take some deep breaths. No such thing as the perfect house. Try writing out a list of all the things you want and then prioritise ruthlessly top to bottom. Work out what is non negotiable e.g. Then by default you will have worked out what you are prepared to go without, to get those top 2 to 3 priorities.

Robin233 · 19/01/2021 19:21

In my experience we had a chain of 4 took 16 weeks.
Previously had a chain of 9 took 9 weeks so doesn't always guarantee things.
You need to make sure everybody is a serious buyer/seller.
Good luck.

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