Numpty Question

[DiamondBright]

I've never moved house only been a first time buyer, I'm just starting to get the house ready to put on the market and all sorts of questions are occurring to me.

I was wondering how long I'm likely to have between a sale being finalised and having to be out of the house. How does it work? do you start packing before you exchange contracts so you're good to go? Or is it a mad few days from exchanging contracts to being out?

I'm likely to be moving most of our things into storage temporarily, rather than straight into a new house, so in theory I could start that sooner.

You exchange contracts, which means you’re committed to selling the property, with a completion date set. You arrange your removals for the day of completion (unless you’re moving into rented or your forward purchase isn’t reliant on your sale.) On completion day, monies transfer, and once your buyer’s money clears into your solicitor’s account, the property belongs to them. You have to be out. Sometimes this means you are essentially “homeless” for a couple of hours until your own funds clear the account of your seller’s solicitor, it’s a bit stressful, but almost always works out fine.

You exchange contracts first then complete. You decide between you and your buyers how long you both agree to between exchange and completion. (Can be same day but usually bit of a gap, ie, a week or two maybe) Completion is when keys are given over. In my experience the sellers arrange removal van to move out morning of completion. Buyers can't pick up keys often until around 2pm that day so often you book removal van for around 10 ish in the morning to give them time to pack up and drive to new property. You get keys from the estate agents.

You can start packing whenever you want, though it’s usually wise to wait until contracts exchange so you’re certain of moving. There’s usually a two-three week period between exchange and completion so you have plenty of time to pack - though Covid is causing a bit of chop and change with this so make sure whatever you arrange is comfortable for you.

If you are worried about not having enough time to pack OP and have the funds, you can pay removal companies to pack for you. They are amazingly efficient and do it all in a couple of days.

exchange and complete on same day has been happening due to covid, but is to be avoided if at all possible. That's because removals, post redirect, broadband/phone etc etc all take time to arrange and you can't finalise any of them until exchange. go for two weeks at least.

once the transaction completes you and all your goods must be out, so you can't do back and forth runs in a van as some try. If you are going into storage then yes, you can start that when you like - but it is expensive and needs separate insurance.

YOU have control over dates by negotiation, via your solicitor who you pay and so does what you tell him/her (if possible/legal of course).

job for now is declutter (not easy at the moment unfortunately), fix things, tidy up.

@ComtesseDeSpair

You can start packing whenever you want, though it’s usually wise to wait until contracts exchange so you’re certain of moving. There’s usually a two-three week period between exchange and completion so you have plenty of time to pack - though Covid is causing a bit of chop and change with this so make sure whatever you arrange is comfortable for you.

Could you please explain this to my estate agent? Despite working for me, I'm apparently the most unreasonable seller in the world for insisting on two weeks between exchange and completion and for refusing to start packing until then!

I think we'll probably move in with DP temporarily, so it'll be furniture and things we don't need for a while into storage and clothes, personal stuff etc. to his house, his house will be going on the market after mine so it can't be filled up with our stuff. It sounds like I could have two weeks to move out.