Buyers/Sellers Exchange waiting room

[spidershavetoomanyknees]

Currently waiting for exchange, stuck in a never-ending loop of "there's been a couple more enquiries higher up the chain" and "we're nearly there now". Wondering if there's anyone else who would like to join me here in the waiting room of doom to vent into the void.

Next train for Exchange (line terminates at Completion) is currently delayed and they'd like to apologise for the delay.

Since December and no mortgage offer - that would concern me!
Ours took about 6 weeks.
Id become the person who rings the EA daily.

Ugh why is it all so hard!

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you @Allfurcoatandnoknickers I think it's time to start setting deadlines and talking to your agent about going back on the market, as horrible as it is.

I'm so sick of viewings right now. It feels like I'm living in someone else's house and can't relax.

I'm on another thread (I started) where I mentioned that my agent hasn't confirmed the offer we had last week and I had a few people jumping on me saying they shouldn't have to, then I've just spoken to 2 conveyancers and they said you should get a formal letter saying that you've accepted the offer within 7 days. But reading about some of the experiences here, it seems it's all par for the course!! Doesn't mean any of us have to sit back and accept it though, but yeah the system for buying and selling in England and Wales seems to set everyone up to fail. Is it any better with the Scottish system or any other countries have good models?

BTW I have chosen a conveyancing solicitor that offers no sale no fee they said even if it falls through day before exchange they don't charge. It's a big solicitors firm so maybe they can afford to offer that but seemed quite generous - what do you think?

Yes we'll see what the next week brings as we've been told that the offer is imminent. The 3 houses in the chain are all with the same agents so that makes life a little easier and they are more likely to negotiate I think than just pull out - let's hope so!

Currently waiting for exchange too! Hope you all exchange soon!

Accepted an offer on 22nd March (chain of 3 including us - we are moving in with family for a month whilst we wait to complete on a house up north so we are essentially top of the chain). Due to be exchanging on 5th May. Survey taking place tomorrow but our buyers are porting their mortgage so hopefully just a formality and their buyers mortgage offer is through. Searches and done and contracts drafted so keeping my fingers and toes crossed it all goes smoothly! We are hoping to complete at end of May but am finding this part the worst in terms of stress and waiting. Trying to pack up a decade's worth of stuff and organise movers etc without having exchanged yet. Just want exchange over and done with so we can get organised and this constant moving feast is painful! Good luck everyone! Am sure it will all be worth it!

I’m back on the thread! After a long drawn out sale which completed in March, we’ve just had an offer accepted on a property! The vendors are moving out into a rental and we are also renting and cash buyers so I’m hoping for a speedy exchange. It’s a share of freehold flat so that might hold things up? I’ve instructed solicitors, paid for searches and booked a full survey though that won’t happen for a couple of weeks. @Reeniebeanie78 - that sounds a really slick process if you are already close to exchange.
One question to those of you who are selling. How do you feel about buyers coming back for another viewing? We offered after one viewing as it’s absolutely perfect for us and we’ve already seen about 10 other properties. We’d just really like to have another look round to work out furniture placement and also to see if we can get rid of wardrobes before we move in as it’s got built in storage. I’d wait until after the survey so in a couple of weeks time. I don’t want to spook the vendors into thinking we are having doubts or looking for reasons to reduce the offer.
My buyers did this last years and whilst I totally understood, I have to admit I was a bit worried!

Congratulations! I think 2nd viewings are expected and I wouldn't mind a 3rd viewing if there was a reason, so don't worry and go for it!

We have still not exchanged. Our solicitor advised us she would be in touch Thursday to ensure deposit funds could be transferred and completion would happen Friday or Monday.

We are hopeful we will still exchange tomorrow, but do funds need to be transferred the day before? We're FTB and haven't got a clue. Our solicitor advised we were set to complete on 28th so now VERY confused.

Just had confirmation that our buyer has finally got their mortgage offer after we accepted the offer before Christmas. Our vendor has got to find rental accommodation as they are buying a doer-upper, so won't like being rushed so lord knows when we'll exchange. Our solicitors has unhelpfully said that until everyone is ready they can't discuss dates - it's driving me insane!!

We had this too. Top of chain wanted rented and couldnt discuss dates until they found somewhere. Warning, they didnt find anywhere and ended up buying! The rental market is insane.

@MrsBlondie they’ve got a house to
move to but it needs overhauling 🤦‍♀️ so I think they’re looking at rented to tide them over…
fully expecting this to be the next delay

Lost our buyer which was careless as we only had him for 2 weeks …! Saw something he liked better. Agent now wants us to drop £10k off advertised price.

Ahh. I sold my flat to a cash buyer. Both motivated for a quick sale. Potential date of 11th May. I am selling chain free on holiday that week for 2 weeks. We are 8 weeks into the process and close to finishing.

Now it’s all getting delayed. Turns out the lease in my flat that I have lived in for 11 years was done incorrectly. I have a crossover lease as only 2 flats. No policy to safeguard both houses for insurance added into the lease. We do our own insurance but apparently needed special insurance in case one of of us decided not to insure our building and there was a fire.

Also I own the freehold to the other flat and they own mine. This was not transferred properly when the other flat was sold last year so the old owner owns my freehold. Apparently it needs to go to land registry to change.

buyers have also come back to ask if I will to for gas certificates and electric safety as they are renting and various indemnity policies. I said no But not confirming what furniture they are taking.

it’s frustrating as no solicitor has spotted this error and I have been living on blind faith that my upstairs neighbour has building insurance. My solicitor was shocked I didn’t know this. The previous owner who did the lease was a solicitor themselves. I am now worried my buyers will pull out as it seems a hassle.

any advice?

Following. We just had an offer accepted (after a week of negotiation) on a place, with an offer accepted on ours last week. Ideally need to move by Jan for school dates.

Small chain- FTB-us-vendors-vendors' vendors.

@Winemygoodenemy oh dear that sounds complicated! However it will be fixable, the key thing is to communicate with your buyers whilst it’s being sorted. When I sold last year my buyers had issues with the lease on the flat they were selling but their solicitor didn’t keep us informed of progress and the lack of information and periods of silence with no explanation for the delay were more worrying than the delay itself.
I hope it gets sorted quickly, it’s good that you have cash buyers as mortgage companies can be very cautious with lease issues so at least you don’t have that hurdle.

Our third buyer just pulled out and we only put the house on the market in January! Selling is wild 😂 got another viewing today. Who knows. I'm not in a rush as such so will see what happens!

So so close to exchanging now after 5 months of waiting!! Looks like will be completing next week now so they'd best get on with it!

Now discovered that my neighbour who has the crossover lease with me solicitor has not done anything despite my solicitor explaining actions on what he needs to do. Worryingly they don’t understand and my solicitor has found out they still. It registered the flat in land registry

frustrated phone calls to them as my neighbour doesn’t speak English very well. His solicitors are not the best at communicating. Got a pissy email from his solicitor stating that they can’t discuss matters despite me asking them to answer the email my solicitor sent them 3 weeks ago

I move out to DPs next Thursday as I had that set in my mind. Hopefully all sorted by time I come back from holiday.

Us too, we move next Friday, 12th. Its been a LONG 7 months!!

Q for those done this - is anyone left reading though!
When did you change address on car insurance, etc etc?
We wont have any wifi for 3 days post move so do you change address before?

@MrsBlondie fingers crossed for you!! I've still not had confirmation from the solicitors yet!!

@MrsBlondie i want to know this too. I am leaving my place empty as moving in with my partner and going on holiday for 2 weeks. It tried to rush it through so this wouldn’t happen.

I don’t know to cancel before I go or wait till back

@MrsBlondie I changed my car insurance, bank contact details etc ahead of moving. As far as I remember you can stipulate from what date you want it to start. It was a bit different for me as we moved into a rental and still owned the house for another 2 months.
Fingers crossed I’ll be changing them again soon in a couple of months as we are in the process of buying 🤞.

Hoping to exchange contracts tomorrow with completion on the 11th - all happening very fast and suddenly feels very rushed! Anyone else supposed to be exchanging tomorrow?? Hoping that finances will be sorted out as everything always seems to go pear-shaped when bank holidays are on the horizon!

Fingers crossed @Allfurcoatandnoknickers

Weve already exchanged, completion on the 12th.

Thanks @Karmatime I guess Im just worried about amending address and then for some (awful) reason it all goes wrong and we dont move! I suspect not as its all on track and we have exchanged.