Are my expectations unrealistic?

[27turning70]

Hi everyone ...

First time buyer here. We (boyfriend and I) put in an offer on a house nearly 3 weeks ago which has been accepted. Solicitor was instructed last week and is dealing with searches etc. Mortgage has been agreed and they have instructed their valuer today.

We were told it would probably be between 6-8 weeks before completion, does that sound reasonable? There is no chain as the vendor is moving in with family. I'm worried about asking too many questions and pissing the solicitor off. I'm a worrier in general tbh. Hoping to be in the new house by the end of September at the very latest. Am I pushing my luck?

Solicitor said that local authority searches take around a week or two but drainage and water searches are taking longer, 3 weeks maybe.

12-14 weeks is generally considered average in non-Covid times, so 6-8 weeks would be doing well. But it does really depend on turnaround times for the searches and queries, and presumably you’re having a structural survey? In many parts of the country, surveyors are booked up for months so definitely arrange that as soon as you can.

If you have a motivated solicitor then it wouldn’t be impossible; though obviously their motivation would have to be matched by that of the seller’s solicitors. Like any process involving a variety of people with competing priorities and workloads, it’s getting everyone to move at the same speed which tends to hold things up.

I have to say it does sound a bit optimistic at the moment.

Don't worry about asking your solicitor too many questions; they work for you and you will pay them whether you ask them loads of questions or not!

I would politely push your luck as well, keep yourself at the top of their to do list.
Contact them at least a couple of times a week to confirm that what they said last time is progressing as they said it would.

Best of luck

Thank you both @ComtesseDeSpair @BewitchedBotheredandBewildered

Solicitor was adamant that I would be in there by the end of September even with searches taking as long as they are. I just hope there's no hiccups!

I’ve just done it in 5 weeks. The sellers lived abroad and the house was empty. It had just come on because previous buyers had pulled out, so their solicitor already had the property info forms and certificates etc. I’m a cash buyer. My solicitor was also extremely helpful as this was the third house I was trying to buy. Instead of waiting for all searches to come back she reported on them as they came in. In fact, it was the local one taking the longest, she tried to expedite it from predicted 6 weeks to four. Then she went away for a long weekend! So on the Tuesday she returned she emailed me it still wasn’t there, but then four hours later that it had come in, she’d read it and we could now exchange! We didn’t due to time difference if the sellers but we exchanged and completed in the Friday. Plus the first week my solicitor was still getting her other clients across the stamp duty deadline, so I am grateful she did as much work so quickly..
So, five weeks, paperwork already done, cash buyer, on the ball solicitor.
However, when I was looking for my first property back in the 80s, when things were very busy too, you could see a property on the Saturday and be ready to exchange on the following Friday, with mortgage too. I don’t understand what’s changed.

6-8 weeks is quick.

Optimistic

If both sides have good solicitors then it's perfectly do-able, particularly if your searches are coming back in that time frame. We've just got to exchange in 8 weeks, and that is with a complex purchase (both in terms of property title and divorcing sellers), but we understand the process and have really driven our solicitor to get this done. Stay on top of things with your solicitor (you're paying them, so don't be afraid to ask questions) and keep your estate agent on side to ensure that they keep the seller appraised of timelines etc. good luck!!

It also depends on how quick motivated your seller is and their solicitor. If something comes up how quickly they respond. Our sellers solicitors are so slow take days weeks to answer anything and it’s all beyond our control.
For your sanity do push but don’t get dates stuck in your head, my solicitor won’t properly talk dates yet.

It’s optimistic. Why is the seller moving in with family? This would be setting alarm bells ringing with me that they will suddenly add in a purchase.

Your solicitor can't really start the work until the seller's solicitor sends over the draft contract pack, so contact the EA to push the seller to complete their paperwork asap.

Don't be too surprised if the vendor decides not to move in with family - once they factor in storage and removal costs.

I think it is optimistic to be honest.