Two weeks until mortgage offer expires, can we complete in this time?

[PAtothegruesometwosome]

I could really do with some advice and guidance on our situation if possible.

We are first time buyers who had an offer accepted in April, our mortgage offer runs out in two weeks time and we seem to be hitting our heads against the wall with solicitors/ estate agents to get any progress and agreement on completion.

Our sellers are buying an out of probate chain free bungalow that according to the estate agents is good to go apart from an energy certificate. We have been pushing our solicitors constantly for weeks and weeks now to ensure we complete before our mortgage offer runs out. However, the sellers solicitor is apparently the scarlet pimpernel and notoriously hard to get hold of. I feel he has us all to ransom and it takes a good week to ever get any sort of reply from him.

Anyway, our solicitors have got everything in place bar awaiting last queries that have been outstanding for a month, but can apparently report to us on. Everyone seems so non committal to getting this purchase done that I just don't know what to do to knock their heads together and get a completion date agreed. Our solicitor has vaguely said it is doable but with a very tight exchange - complete timescale which is fine, but just so sketchy about it all. I feel beyond stressed, in an already stressful job, that I am trying to plan time off around but no one wants to commit.

A couple of questions. Can anyone confidently tell me that we have got enough time to complete by our two week deadline? Secondly, how on earth/what can I say to my solicitor and the estate agents to get some progress and action? I've told them already it's all off it it doesn't happen but could really do with some advise and key stuff to say as my solicitor openly sighs whenever I ring him for a progress update (which is currently once a week).

Thanks.

There was a thread on here recently where this happened to someone else. Iirc the lender did eventually honour the original date.

It was this thread www.mumsnet.com/talk/property/4648097-mortgage-companycan-they-do-this

Thanks! Really helpful.

Absolutely!

Well, here we are six days before the expiry date and we've only just got an update despite chasing everyone daily. To say my nerves are frazzled would be an understatement...

I finally got an email from the estate agent who told me the vendor is signing the contracts on his sale to us and his new purchase this afternoon and has booked removals for the 8th.

Our solicitors hadn't heard anything in nearly two months until today. I've left them a message to update them and hope they report and send the contract tomorrow.

Good luck op. I hope it all goes to plan. It's a stressful process that's for sure!

I was a conveyancing solicitor for years, and am a little shocked to hear that your solicitors have not yet reported to you or sent you the contract for signature, when you need to complete in 6 days time.
Your solicitors need to be holding a signed contract from you and all the necessary funds as well as a signed and witnessed mortgage deed , and they need to have requested the mortgage funds from the lender. It used to be the case that a few lenders could turn this around in less than a week but most of them wouldn't/couldn't and given current issues I wouldn't want to be banking on them doing it in less than 5 working days. If the mortgage monies haven't been requested yet by the solicitor, I think you should call the lender and ask how much notice they need from receipt of the certificate of title. Keep leaning on the solicitor, it sounds like they don't want to do anything until/unless they are sure the vendors are ready, but it may be that it is this that causes the final few days fatal delay.
Speak to your solicitors, ask then when they submitted/will submit the certificate of title to the lender, how long the lender will take to turn it all around, whether the final searches have been put in hand yet, and whether there is anything else for you to sign. You need a face-to-face appointment so that none of this needs to go by snailmail as original signatures are required for the Mortgage deed. You need a statement of account so that you can make sure the solicitor has enough money to complete the transaction on the day. It is still possible to complete on the 8th but everyone needs to be willing to pull their finger out, and is by no means a foregone conclusion even if the vendor has booked booked their van!

Reporting is in, funds have been drawn down due to hit solicitor on Monday (email and text to confirm!) and completion set for Tuesday.

Now to go bankrupt myself sending all the money to the solicitors 🤪

Good luck OP. I feel a but daft after reading your post, our mortgage offer expires in 6 weeks and I'm already trying to chase and nagging everyone. Maybe I need to cool it. I really hope you get sorted.

Why is house buying so stressful. We had our offer excepted in May but due to the other sides incompetence the ball didn't start rolling until mid Sept. There are stalls from their side at every turn and I'm terrified we won't complete by our deadline. We were so lucky with the deal we got a fixed for 10 years. Looking online now suggests if we don't get that deal it would be £500 extra per month!

Crossing fingers for you!

We completed the day before our mortgage offer expired. Very stressful experience. Hope it all goes through OK

It's also worth noting that some fixed rate mortgages are based on the date of application acceptance, and some start from the date of completion. Worth checking your mortgage offer. Your offer could be for 6-months less than you expect, depending on the lender due to the delay.

Just wanted to pop back and say thank you to everyone for the advice and hope that I could be done.

We exchanged yesterday and completed today (mortgage offer expiry date!) and are just about to pick up the key.

Quite possibly the most stressful experience ever but all sorted!

Congratulations!