Awaiting exchange / completion queries!

[Catface11]

Hi,

was really hoping to get some advice here please! We’re in the process of buying a house - offer accepted on 1st April, we were under offer already to first time buyers. We sold with purple bricks and are using their conveyancing service (I know, I know, we didn’t look at reviews first). The couple we are buying from are chain free and want to move asap.
we have heard NOTHING from our estate agent since we accepted the offer, he’s not been in touch once to ask how things are, if we’re nearing completion, If there were issues with the survey…is that normal? Secondly our solicitor isn’t really keeping us up to date, I’ve heard from him maybe twice, both our buyer and sellers seem to be much more informed about the process and what is outstanding etc. I haven’t been given any idea regarding rough idea of completion dates etc, they seem to have sat on enquiries for weeks before getting back to the buyers solicitors and I really don’t have a clue where we are with the process. Is this normal or should I be expecting a bit more? I’m worried our sellers might pull out if they feel things aren’t progressing.

How often are you contacting your solicitors? They generally won’t update you unless you contact them and ask for an update.

You really need to be much more proactive and pester both the solicitor and estate agent.
Don't wait for them to contact you - phone and insist on speaking to them in person, or at least get a time for a phone call back; if that doesn't happen, phone again on the same day.
And email your queries too, so you have a record.

Then phone again within 2-3 days if no progress has occurred or they haven't got back to you.
Be very direct about your expectations of them and what you want and need from them, as after all, you are paying them for a service - I found this worked best.

It's a right old pain, but a very necessary one unfortunately.