What happens next?

[JaneExotic]

We’ve in a very small chain. Cash buyer buying house 1, house 1 buying ours, we’re buying a house where owners are moving into residential care.

All mortgages/cash agreed/seen; no surveys being done; fixtures & fittings done.

Estate agents have just written to say it’s now all in the hands of the solicitor.
What are we waiting for now?

Conveying so searches, solicitors enquiries then exchange of contracts leading to completion. Our LA searches are taking 4 weeks at the moment. So it depends where you live.

Conveyancing even

So I could be a few weeks away from exchange ?

@JaneExotic

So I could be a few weeks away from exchange ?

Have you looked at how long searches are taking in your area? Some are delayed at the moment. Have you paid for your searches?

Not sure I'd call 4 a very small chain! Average surely? There may not be any surveys (really?!) but there will be valuations - have they all happened? You've got three lots of local authority searches to come back, three lots of queries about lease/neighbours/extension/garden/flooding etc etc etc and three lots of fixtures and fittings to all be done. Then three further lots of queries because house 1 doesn't actually have an electric certification and needs an indemnity, house 2 doesn't think the offered washing machine is worth £100 and will they take £50 instead etc etc etc. Then you can exchange. Could be a couple of weeks. Could be 4 months. Or more if cash buyer changes their mind or someone else gets made redundant. Or one of oldies sadly dies.

It took my brother who was FTB buying off someone with no chain 3 months, no problems or issues. I wouldn’t get your hopes built up for anytime soon it takes awhile and esp with a chain

Why are there no surveys?

Recently sold my late father's house. Cash sale, no surveys wanted, all furniture included. It only took 4 weeks start to finish. In contrast to my house sale and purchase which took six months plus!!

No surveys because all houses are relatively new.
No quibbling over prices or fixtures and fittings.

I was a cash buyer (pre covid). Clean survey, no mortgage, buyer really motivated to sell. It still took four long months! Still don't know why.
If everyone has their paperwork in order then enquiries should be minimal. Hopefully searches back soon and once things have been dealt with (you never know what the searches will turn up) you should be good to go. Exchange and completion much closer than they used to be these days.
I'm looking at an empty property Wednesday. I'm due to exchange and complete on my own house and week now, no mortgage, and my surveyor can visit with a couple days notice. I'll.get limited searches so I'm still in with a chance of making the June 30 deadline if I like it enough.

It’s frustrating isn’t it!