Very stressed about exchanging - any advice?

[applebeecat]

We are in a chain of 4 parties. Everyone bar the top transaction is ready to exchange and has been for days. We've provisionally set a completion date for in a week's time. People have paid deposits for removals, and are packing etc.

But that transaction is taking longer than expected, and it's not clear why. I'm chasing the vendor and their agent daily, but the vendor says not to worry and the agent says it's out of their hands.

What more can I do? I know we can exchange and complete the same day but I really don't want to do this (we have young children). I am so stressed out, can anyone offer any advice?

Bump!

There isn't anything you can do, so I'd stick to packing your house up to get ready when the chain is ready to go. Is it the vendor of the house that you are buying that is having an issue?

There are a couple of enquiries outstanding on their purchase - it's not clear what these are. The vendor says they are not serious but then why is it taking so long?

If there are enquiries outstanding then the chain isn't ready to exchange surely? Have they been given a date to get a grip and get on with it by?

This sounds like our chain, we're at the the top, breaking the chain to go to DMs house for a few weeks until our purchase is ready for our buyers who are being pushed by their buyers to complete asap.

The thing is we've been ready for 3 weeks but have had 35 enquiries on our property, half came back with more enquiries after we'd answered them. We've been turning around all queries and paperwork within 24hrs to rush through for our buyer. More queries, 2 indemnity policies and a statutory declaration later I think the buyers solicitors are finally satisfied ffs. I'm sure our chain are hacked off with us. We still have no date though.

It sounds like if they don't do it tomorrow we won't be able to complete on the agreed date, as lenders need 5 working days' notice? Or is that not strict? My solicitor wasn't clear on this point, and I've heard of people exchanging and completing on the same day.

Is there something clever where the vendor exchanges with us tomorrow, and exchanges on their purchase later in the week, and we all complete on the same day? They don't have a mortgage so don't have the problem we do re 5 days notice.

We exchanged the day before completion. Chain of 3. Wasn't a problem.
If the solicitor is saying it's ok, I'd trust them and get on with packing.
I know it's stressful, and you want that certainty but the vast majority of sale complete as planned.

I exchanged on my Sale two weeks before my Purchase, but still completed on the same day.

You have to be pretty confident that the Vendors will not pull out though or have a back up plan in case they do.