Is there anything more painful than waiting to exchange?

[PlattyJoobs]

Honestly, I don’t know what’s taking the solicitors so long. I’m ready, the seller is ready. We both want to move ASAP. We’ve even signed the contracts. Why can’t they give us a date?!

Literally, yes, but i get you. In the run up to mine i became irrationally convinced the house i was selling would collapse meaning we couldn't sell up and leave. It's a rough wait!

No there isn't.

Solidarity

Thank you @demotedreally

And yes, literally I know there is much worse @dudsville but honestly… the limbo is excruciating!

All searches and surveys are back. Everyone is happy to proceed. The chain is me and the vendor. That’s it! We have been “close to exchanging” for a week now!

And of course it is now a four day weekend! 😩

We are currently waiting for our enquiries from our buyer - we’ve done all the ones for our venders and with the 4 day bank holiday I know it will be a bit of a wait! Really wanted them today tho so I can get any enquiry questions answered / get paper work etc…
mall the searches done our end too- just want to get a date as feel in such limbo!

Feel your pain.
Resent all weekends now as I know no progress will be made so a 4 day one 😣

It's awful isn't it ! We offered and were accepted mid November . Only three of us in the chain , still haven't exchanged now . I feel like throwing the towel in but our conveyancer thinks we might exchange by mid July . I'm losing the will to live with all now though and it is really getting me down . How long have you been waiting OP?

Oh it is terrible. I think if you read the latest research it shows that time actually slows down whilst waiting for exchange.

Very good luck

I also feel the same! Over 6 months now and still no exchange date in sight - arghhhh!

There isn't even a chain!

When we offered in December, I foolishly thought we'd be in by Easter 😂

Sorry @PlattyJoobs i didn't mean to be a dick, i can suffer from being too literal. You definitely my sympathy!

Last week we were waiting for "the call" from first thing Monday until it finally happened lunchtime Friday. Our buyers got so frustrated by Thursday that they were threatening to pull out. In our chain of four, it seems our vendor (or maybe their solicitor, it's hard to tell) seemed surprised they were supposed to be moving house and kept coming up with new and interesting reasons why "exchange will have to be tomorrow morning now" each day. I honestly thought it was never going to happen by Thursday evening, and was stunned when it actually did the next day.

Fully expecting to see the sellers still in their house surprised that they're supposed to be moving on completion day next week, mind you!

We're only 5 weeks in, waiting for searches to come back. In a chain of 3. We are all hoping for end of June! Maybe a bit optimistic! Ive packed all I can and got rid of loads of stuff! Just want to get out of our rented place now!

Giving birth. But close.

Good luck!

My solicitor has been trying to exchange for a week, cannot get hold of the solicitor on other side or the seller! Allegedly completion date is all set, but if that's the case why aren't they exchanging already???

I'm not sure what my wait might be. I'm not in a hurry as I'm mortgage free and was able to pass over all the paperwork in excellent order. Anyway the buyer's surveyor did his thing yesterday. How long is it after that? I only accepted the offer in mid march but the buyers are ear aching me via the EA to hurry up. My solicitor has everything they need.
I don't know the process but it's certainly nothing I'm doing wrong.
Anybody have any sage advice?
I have just found a property to buy chain free.

@Monty27 if the surveyor has just been it will take a few days to do the report, snd presumably the bank holiday will delay that to next week, and possibly not til the end of that week. Then there may well be enquiries related to the survey - could be as simple as double checking they have the right certificates, could be something unforeseen. They could even suggest further investigation like a drains report (mine did - four weeks after getting the survey report and four days before date to exchange).
If the boxes are ticked and the searches are back and the solicitor is satisfied and sends it all on to the buyer....then they will exchange.
No point the buyers getting all huffy when it's most likely there own solicitor who is doing due diligence.

We've been waiting on a single search to come back in a chain of 3, it's been delayed by 3 weeks now 😩😩 just sat here waiting.....and not it's the bank holiday normally I'd love a long weekend but now I'm like noooooo 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 it's so awful this waiting around. Also our solicitor just ignores us if we ask for an update unless they have something to update us on, so infuriating 🤪

Ha! If it makes you feel any better, we had an offer accepted in September, only one purchase/no chain, as we're* *chainfree and vendors are going into rented (one has already gone) and we've still not exchanged. Hopefully this month.....

No, it's incredibly stressful. I used to think what could be so hard about a bit of paperwork and waiting a couple of months 🙄.. idiot. We've been in our new house for 3 months, had a full rewire, ripped rooms apart, had multiple disasters and discovered allsorts and it's nowhere near as stressful as waiting to move was!

We accepted an offer on ours early November, had an offer accepted on our purchase mid January. Everyone in the chain below us completed a couple of months ago and our buyer is staying with family until we complete on our purchase.

We were days away from exchanging last week and discussing dates and our buyer has now pulled out at the eleventh hour 😡 Apparently got fed up of waiting and has found another property.

As someone who has sold this week to a cash buyer who HAS to be in October and am buying from a seller who HAS to move into their new build October, can anyone help me understand what excuses you are being given for such long delays.

My last conveyance 3 years ago was 6 weeks on my sale, 4 weeks on my purchase, albeit no mortgages involved.

is it the Solicitors, the searches, the mortgage companies?

What is happening re removal compaies? Are people still being forced to Exchange and Complete on the same day?

Reading this thread is really making me wobble at the whole idea of trying to move right now.

Waiting to complete after exchange with sellers moving to a new-build with completion on notice may be worst.

@Lapwingslore we've found that it's the searches that are taking the time, in our area, north west there's apparently a back log of searches x

Just wondering if anyone on this thread has actually exchanged yet ? We still havnt and ours started November . I'm so stressed and sick to the stomach. They say they completed enquiries, and then another equity comes up. We are waiting a letter from the council that we provided the info on in FEBRUARY so it should have been done by buyers solicitor then. So upset with it all

I feel like I could have written some of these comments myself …

We are six months deep but finally everyone is ready to exchange, not that there seems to be any action there now - apparently next week we can exchange. Why can’t they just get on with it? 🫠 And a completion date has been suggested for a months time, which we definitely do not want. We want to move ASAP 🥲🥲🥲 but anyway, back to twiddling my thumbs/trying not to go insane.

we sold beginning Feb to ftb. no chain as house is empty. .i put rocket up solicitors on Monday and now we're completing end of month. 5 months! I think solicitors are just snowed under and forget about some properties until reminded