Thread 3: "Anyone not being picky - and STILL can't find anything?"

[RidingMyBike]

Thread 3 ready to go.
Link to thread 2:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/property/4450168-Thread-2-Anyone-not-being-picky-and-STILL-cant-find-anything?pg=1

Hey guys, this thread seems to have become a little quieter, surely that is a good sign. I am still here, my vendor is still looking, will be 2 months next week since offer was accepted, and I am 7 weeks into 6 month mortgage offer. No draft contracts as there is no complete chain, so can't apply for searches. Keeping an eye on RM for other houses, but to be honest then I am back at square 1. I am chain free (completed sale), so not at risk of losing buyer, and not renting either (as with family) and an happy to wait (and made this point strongly when I offered), but I just want to know that these guys won't pull out!

Hi giraffe
No draft contracts here either and I'm 3 months in.

Still waiting for info from vendor. I think they don't realise they need to be proactive. I'm worried about being seen as aggressive because they are very slow and I think every baby step sends them into a panic.

My next request to get on with it will be next week.

Is it really bad form if I write to the mgmt co myself? This is the current source of the hold ups. Allegedly.

I'm still here, still looking. The house next door to the one I recently got outbid on has now come on the market at a reasonable price, with a bit of scope to improve. So I will book a viewing for that although it's not quite as nice as the other one in terms of sunny garden etc.

Aside from that, there's not much of interest. I've got a viewing in a nearby town on Saturday but it's already got multiple offers on it so I'm not sure if it's worth bothering. Hoping a few more might come on this week so I can spend Saturday on viewings as I'm away the following week.

@EmmaH2022 , why is your vendor being slow? Mine have said they are "actively looking", but don't have an onward purchase, and have been advised against sending any paperwork....it means I have my mortgage offer (and the clock is ticking), but we cannot instruct searches. It also means I don't know whether they likely to pull out. When I saw the property they did tell me that they initially started looking last year (and realised the market was moving quickly) but hadn't put theirs up for sale, so were not proceedable. Obvs they now ARE proceedable (they have an offer from me), but yet to find.... I have no reason to doubt them, but I am getting nervous. Trying to be patient, as my Buyer was with me.

giraffe sorry if this is a stupid question but why can't you do the searches? My solicitor wanted to hold off too, but I told her I'd rather get it done.

My vendor inherited an investment property - no chain. My fear is/was that they don't really want to sell. EA says that's not the case, they are keen to sell and to be fair, I can see they got it on the market very fast after probate was granted.

They are dealing with a bereavement and other matters relating to the estate. I do think it's important to respect their feelings and the stress of the situation. they have filled in all their forms, but the mgmt company haven't done theirs.

Hence why I thought, if the vendor and solicitor are chasing, is it time for me to add to the chorus of "get on with it" - or is something wrong?

I've told the EA I need to do a pre exchange viewing and he said he's got the keys, the flat is empty, anytime is fine, vendor is just waiting the same as I am.

But there's no point even doing draft contracts unless the mgmt company confirm charges, planned works etc.

Both my solicitor and the EA are sick of it. It should have been a really straightforward sale. In fact, at 12 weeks, it's now taken longer than when I bought and sold in a short chain - that took 10 weeks, but was about 15 years ago.

There were also some queries on the lease. The freeholder took a while to respond but that was about four weeks ago now? I've lost track.

@EmmaH2022 , not daft at all. I think that is the order of play, instruct searches once "contract pack" is received from seller's solicitors. I have looked at a few conveyancing websites and they all state this. It also means that I am not shelling out money if these guys decide to walk away....I think searches also have an expiry, so if we do searches and then nothing happens for three months, they would expire. I dunno really. I am looking on RM but unless I see an amazing house which is chain free, I would be in the same boat really.

giraffe I understood they were valid for six months.
i've got a policy that covers some of my legal fees if the vendor pulls out - thanks to this thread. I wouldn't have known these policies existed otherwise.

i dread the thought of not moving but at some point I might to have to say "shit or get off the pot so I can claim some money back".

it's a good thing I'm a pessimist or I'd be stunned at being in this place while chain free.

i feel guilty complaining so I've been quiet. Got home from work today to be told by a neighbour that he's facing possible eviction.

Wednesday seems to be the day that our files comes back around to the top of the pile on the solicitor’s desk… so will be refreshing emails all day 😣 Feel like we lost the weeks before and after Easter due to people being on leave, maybe? Hope to hear something today, and if not will chase tomorrow to make sure we haven’t missed anything and the delay is with us! This is the 10th week since the offer was accepted. FTB so unsure of usual timelines.

I’m in a similar situation @areyouhavingagiraffe

Found somewhere that’s perfect in terms of location. Made an offer. Been accepted. Feels EXTREMELY early to even THINK about gettIng the drinks on ice. Feel relieved, but not convinced…

Vendors haven’t found anywhere, but are hopefully searching like crazy now they have a flexible cash buyer banging (metaphorically) on their front door.

All I can say is… I’m pushing very hard, but very nicely for a quick exchange. They want to extend completion, and I’ve said ‘Name your date…’ and am happy to comply.

JUST EXCHANGE ON THE BLIMMIN’ HOUSE… and my nerves can step down!

@Paddingtonthebear - that’s really shit, lazy marketing 😡. My local EAs seem to market to ‘selected buyers’ before putting it onto RM. It’s such a frenzy that if something DOES come onto RM, you know there’s something wrong… or all the other ‘selected buyers’ had exactly the same thought as you!

@dubyalass - you’ve got to be in it to win it🙂! I do find that the more I look, the more I hone my requirements. I’ll have half an acre of flat lawn, but not half an acre of rockeries, ponds, and terraced garden.
I’m also terribly nosey which helps…

@ByeByeMissAmericanPie , I know how you feel. I am calling every fortnight, for updates, but also making it clear I am not being pushy as I don't want to lose it. I completed my Sale last August, and have been staying with folks, so I know I am in a fortunate position, as not paying rental, and all my stuff is in the shed, so not forking out for storage. I do feel a little bit helpless and wonder what will happen if I lose this, trying not to think about it at all and just carrying on.

@ByeByeMissAmericanPie my requirements/compromises change with every house I view! It's exhausting. I'm really not being fussy either, but so far no house has ticked enough boxes, there's always a big compromise with each one.

<Sighs loudly>

Something will turn up, I just wish it would get a move on 😁

@areyouhavingagiraffe
@dubyalass

I hear you sisters!
I pound the streets every couple of weeks, sticking my head around all the agents doors. I feel that if they can put a face to my name it might help.

Despite having had an offer accepted, I need to keep viewing stuff. I can’t risk telling all the EAs, having my name chopped off their ‘really desperate buyers’ list, and having to go through the WHOLE rigmarole again if it all falls through.

I have got slightly more picky, and won’t now go and see stuff that’s not in the right location… but I’ve certainly discovered a few places I never knew existed.

Two further viewings booked, one for a house that was initially marketed at 'offers over' and has just been changed to a 'guide price' of the same amount. Only a couple of months ago this would have gone to best and final offers so either they overcooked it with the original price, or the market is cooling. No complaints from me either way. It's at the top of my budget but ticks a lot of boxes and I could easily get a lodger should I need to. We shall see!

<waves from the trenches>

We are going to offer on a house we saw today. I don’t love it but it’s practical, there wasn’t anything we didn’t really like about it and it ticks a lot of boxes for us. We are a year down the line with house hunting so really need to find something before we get priced out completely.

Chased the solicitor this week as we're now 8 weeks after offer accepted. We are waiting for probate on vendor's onward purchase which solicitor has chased and he thinks we're still on track for completion at end of May.

Vendor's solicitor is the other one we had recommended so I'm feeling confident about the people dealing with all this. The EA has been pretty on the ball with updates too.

Hope this isn't famous last words!!

We've just started looking at properties today so going to hang about in here if that's ok.
Renters, have deposit and AIP so I'm hoping it won't be too difficult. Only issues are lack of properties. Mid size market town and only 7 properties in our price range so it may be a struggle but if we wait any longer we'll be priced out.
Biggest surprise today so how dirty the houses were! Had to take shoes off in one and bedroom carpet was so manky I didn't go in it 😁

Still much coming up here. The couple of houses with issues are still for sale as expected everything else is crazy rental or purchases. Saw a rental but a couple if things I saw as safety issues which the agent told me the landlady wouldn't fix so left the other 9 viewes that day to it. Have done more leaflet drops but not one response either positive or negative so far. Apparently one is coming up for sale (board already up but vendor hasn't signed paperwork and isn't in a rush for viewers. I shan't hold my breath.

Does anyone know average times for a property in probate to go through, is it wildly different to a normal purchase? It's been described to me as roughly the same, while everyone else in the chain are sorting surveys and searches.

@KimCheese it very much depends whether it's a straightforward probate or whether the will is contested or if there isn't a will? There's a thread somewhere in the home/property section about average times and seems to be very variable. There are people on there talking about months. We've been told to expect 4-6 weeks, some of which overlaps anyway with us getting survey done so it should only add 3-4 weeks to the purchase.

We saw 3 properties yesterday and bid £10k over asking price over on one house. I'm not expecting to get this one as there were 14 viewings before my slot. I'm bidding against cash buyers who have inheritance and those relocating from abroad. I've put £10k above asking price on the table and now it's out of my hands.

Can I finally join this thread after reading the others with trepidation? We sold easily last month and instantly entered the “nothing on RightMove” horror show and what does show up goes to best and final. DP had a viewing at 2.45pm on Saturday and as he got there, the agent casually mentioned “best and final offers by 3pm today, so call the office as soon as you’ve whizzed round”. !

We sold a week too late to buy a perfect-on-paper house that went to best and final the day we sold. Have viewed several things where if they were the price they’re advertised as, or we could get them for 5-10% less as is traditional, we’d compromise on because we’d have the money to fix the issues. But none of them wowed us enough to want to enter the bidding war. And one perfect, still-think-about-it, one-that-got-away house where the sole compromise was a slightly smaller garden than ideal. But otherwise it was the dream! But we just couldn’t afford whatever it went for.

So tomorrow we continue the viewings: a 1930s house where they’ve ripped out the lovely 1930s arched porch and stuck an ugly 80s one on the front, crap tiny kitchen, poky bedrooms and astroturf garden. It’s already had asking price offers FFS.

I’m planning to start making a nuisance of myself with our solicitors tomorrow. We are FTB, renting, have a mortgage in principle (I think that’s the term! It’s all agreed and ready to go), survey done, searches done. Apparently the vendor found somewhere to buy shortly after accepting our offer. Our sols have asked questions about the lease (it’s a 6 shillings-type one from the 20’s with no restrictions), back lane maintenance and if the vendors will remove white goods. We haven’t been asked any questions. That’s it. I obvs haven’t done this before but I don’t think there’s much else that needs to be done…? If anyone can advise?

Plan for tomorrow is to transfer deposit to the solicitor so no last minute problems with that. I’ll top up my HTB ISA. Then start pushing. That’s fair, I think.

Soz, meant to say that the offer was accepted in mid-January so well into the phase where dates should be clarified, I believe…?

Can I ask a bit of a dumbass question please? We bought and sold over 10 years ago in Scotland and were a bit clueless as to what we do now we're in England.
Went to a mortgage broker last week who got us a AIP and we viewed a couple of houses on Saturday and we've decided to offer on one.
But how do we do that? We obviously need a solicitor but where do we look? Will the broker point us in the right direction? Will we need to use one the lender recommends? Like I say, clueless!