Will we ever exchange contracts?

[Ellahbel]

Hi all, please give me some positive stories and or advice, as I am feeling so stressed and anxious about this now. We sold (sstc) our house in April. To ft Byers. We are moving into a family home to start with so no chain really.
All seemed well then 7 weeks in, i asked our estate agent to chase and it seemed our buyers hadn’t instructed their solicitor to begin work, apparently they didn’t know they needed to 😤. So we effectively started the process again. They then had their mortgage offer, mortgage surveyor came round etc, and searches started. Searches finally back end of July, all seemed good, and all of a sudden then wanted a full home buyer survey! On the day they knew we were out of the country on holiday, we did agree, but obviously couldn’t happen til we returned. We have children moving to a new primary school September (due to move) so expressed our concerns, but they promised it wouldn’t delay anything, and we’d complete before the new school term. The survey came back fine. New school term started, and as the move seemed like it would be so soon, I decided to continue with the new school and drive the kids (which makes me feel stupid now as it it’s 2 hours a day travelling but I didn’t want to disrupt them). Two weeks ago I chased our estate agents, who got in touch with buyers solicitors. They told them they couldn’t exchange as our buyers hadn’t returned some crucial paperwork. Estate agents called buyers who said ooops sorry I’ve not felt well so didn’t want to go to the post office, but will post them in the next few days. Finally last Thursday their solicitors confirmed they had all the paperwork to start looking at exchange and completion dates. And yet despite me chasing our solicitors and estate agents daily, they’ve heard nothing. No dates have been suggested to us at all yet. I have had a bad feeling throughout the whole process, but have time after time been convinced by our estate agents to stick with our buyers as they’re genuine and really want to move into our house asap. What on earth is going on? I’m so stressed with it all now.
sorry for the long rant!

You can suggest dates, why don't you tell your solicitor you want to exchange by x date and complete on x date and to pass that on.

So far, so standard. Moving house is the most painful process known to man. It relies entirely on everybody else doing what they said they'd do in a timely manner. It's massively annoying if you're the efficient one and everybody else is really slow.

It will happen, and it usually comes completely out of the blue, but that could be today, or it could be in 3 weeks, keep going!

We are selling our house and have had endless irritating delays, caused by errors on both sides, an estate agent who doesn't chase but then tells everyone off when he finally realises something has gone wrong, and solicitors who aren't very speedy.

We're now in an eternal period in which we are desperate to exchange, our solicitor has said she's contacted them for a quick date but not heard back, and our estate agent won't return our calls. As we don't live in the house (have moved area and are renting) every month that goes buy is costing us money and it's infuriating that so little actual activity has taken so long - we're not even trying to close a chain!

Let's hope we both see action soon.

Thank you! I actually hadn’t thought of that. It’s all seemed so ball in their court, that I just feel like I’m on for the ride! I’ll give them a call and ask them to suggest a date, they may not agree, but at least it will begin a conversation (hopefully)

TokyoSus - Thank you! Oh it’s just the most stressful time! I’m just so tired with it all.

Doubleraspberry - sounds like we’re in a very similar position! So frustrating, I hope you hear soon. I’m going to suggest a date, and see if that at least begins a conversation about date - I just want this nightmare over.

Sometimes ( have had to do this a few times ) u have to play hard ball. It may get to the point where u threaten to put the house back on the market. At this point I would be chasing chasing chasing.

Paranoidandroidmarvin I am chasing chasing chasing! so many times earlier I have told the ea to put it back on and they’ve talked me out of it, I wish I’d followed my instincts all those weeks ago now. I’ve put a date forward for completion to our solicitor now, hoping that at least gets them talking to us again. I remember when we first bought our first home we couldn’t wait to get our hands on they keys!

I'm in a similar position at the moment albeit with a late parent's home being sold as part of their estate. Delay after delay on the part of the first time buyer, and it just seems never ending at this point. It's almost like they're not motivated what so ever to keep the process moving forwards, and makes me nervous that they're waiting for a prophesised market crash to try to reduce their offer substantially. They originally stated they wanted to complete by beginning of August, and yet here we still are...

Lots of costs being incurred too - uninhabited property insurance, about to have to start paying council tax again but at 200%, gas and electric standing charges, mortgage interest. It's driving me utterly bonkers, so you have my deepest sympathies.

Could they be using the impending stamp duty cut as a reason to delay? I'd call their bluff and say you were going to list the house at a higher price unless the completed asap.

Every time I've moved it's taken well over 9 months - just hang in there

Good point from PP - you probably want to actually delay til you hear the details on Friday. It could save you tens of thousands in stamp duty

Wait to see if stamp duty is being lifted. I would give them an ultimatum, either they set an exchange of contract date within 2 weeks and completion a week later or you put house back on to the market.

Oh I didn’t even realise there may be a cut to stamp duty, we’re not buying again right now, but I guess our buyers will benefit a little from it. Maybe that’s what all the delays have been for 🤔

LostInSpaceRaiders - I’m sorry you’re going through this too, it’s so so frustrating especially when it’s all out of your hands.

Latest from our EA is buyers solicitors have told them that they’ve been waiting all along for ours to suggest a date, despite the fact they’ve ignore our solicitors since the start of September and haven’t even told them they’re ready to exchange! So maddening!

I just sold mine to a first time buyer as well. They were so excited. I sent them lots of photos of first post etc. it baffles when people just don’t bother on the moving process.

We're in a similar situation. DH is minded to give both solicitors and the estate agent a deadline and if it's not completed they can forget the whole thing and we'll stay put. Our purchase and sale are both via the same estate agent so they would lose two sales. At the end of my tether with it now.

I’ve told DH, who is chief chaser, that he needs to email our estate agent to say we’re thinking of pulling out to get a call back, as we’re five messages in and counting!

Puppers - I don’t blame you at all. If we weren’t (seemingly) so close I’d do the same! I’m just hopi g they shock us now and exchange happens asap.

Doubleraspberry - I’ve done this all ready and the estate agent talked me out of it 3 weeks ago 😂although are buyers seem that useless and disinterested it would t surprise me if they changed their mind - I’d just rather know sooner than later xxx

I should say, we're not actually thinking of pulling out! But it would get the estate agent calling us pretty quickly.

Yes I agree it would! Definitely worth a try! Fingers crossed. They called me pretty quickly after I emailed that to them last time.

So, they agreed to exchange this week (hasn’t happened) and complete next Friday. Now apparently their solicitors have told ours they can’t exchange today as the buyers won’t transfer their deposit until Monday at the earliest 😡
it’s making my blood boil, why agree to exchange this week, then on the Friday refuse to send the deposit until Monday without any reasoning behind it at all. The only thing I can see is they simply want to drag us through it for even longer 😨.

Urgh, what twats! I have a separate thread going but will join you in your frustration. Offered in mid June on a probate property; I am renting so no chain. I downloaded the title plan and noticed an important outbuilding was missing, turns out it never got transferred last time the house sold. Pointed this out to all involved and got on with getting mortgage offer and survey sorted.

But now we are stuck in limbo because the title plan issue still isn't resolved. We can't order searches or raise enquiries. My solicitors have chased theirs to no effect. I rang the agent yesterday and he said he wasn't aware of any problems but would find out. Heard nothing since. Getting concerned that I am overpaying in a stagnant market but there's nothing else on. I think it's time to suggest that I might pull out if nothing has happened by the end of next week.

Who on Earth are your estate agents that they didn’t chase your sale for 7 weeks??
That is absolutely ridiculous and if you have a rubbish estate agent you need to be a lot more proactive yourself to get across the finish line.

I feel your pain. We accepted an offer from buyer about 16 weeks ago. We've been trying to agree an exchange date for weeks. As of yesterday, 3 in the chain are ready to talk dates which leaves buyer at start of chain - only communication we have from their solicitors is they're not ready yet! Four months in and not ready! We've been assured they're not pulling out. We've asked (via Solicitors) what exactly the hold up is. Still waiting for a response. We've given a time deadline to at least agree a date but this has passed. DH wants to give them an ultimatum now, "we must get a date by Wednesday next week or the house will be put back on the market". I really do not want to do this as we've come so far and the thought of starting the whole process again fills me with dread. Apparently, solicitors can only speak to your buyer's solicitor - why can't they all have a group call and agree a date? How can we find out what the hold up is? Feeling to annoyed with it all now.

It's such a horrible process, with uncertainty, unreliable people, seemingly pointless solicitor's queries, and money at risk.
There is so little you can do.
I honestly found that the more you try and chase, the less happens and the more mad it leaves you.
First time buyers are a mixed blessing as they are so clueless- though that can work to your advantage, but not if they're indecisive as well!

Yep we are in the same position. 13 weeks in and we are ready plus our sellers. Behind us u our buyer and her house. Silence from that part of the chain. I've suggested 10/8 for completion. Our solicitor still doing our completion statement so we can transfer the money over. We are hoping we can wait until Tues to transfer over so we get an extra months interest so that could be the delay for people waiting until money to transfer funds.

It's hard not knowing what's going on. Our buyer using an online solicitor but in fairness ste signed her contracts before us and I was concerned our solicitor was moving slowly. It's the fact no one in the lower part of the chain is talking to anyone that's making me so blooming anxious!

I've got a husband in a packing everything mission which we've now done 80% of the packing so I feel sick if this doesn't work out

Agents are chasing again today