Keeping up with the vendors

[GMOOH2023]

Apologies in advance if this is a silly question, but we have been living outside the UK for a long time and have managed to erase the process of property buying in the UK.

We have had an offer accepted on a property in the UK.

We are cash buyers, no chain.

Vendors hadn't started viewing anywhere themselves as they were waiting for an offer (but did have a short-list of properties of interest on RightMove).

Who is responsible for keeping us informed about where they are in the process?

The agent we made the offer through?
Our solicitor?
Their solicitor (presumably via ours)?

When is it reasonable to ask?

Their agent.

Thanks @dreamersdown

Our offer was accepted just over 2 weeks ago, we have instructed solicitors, provided proof of funds, gone through all the steps to verify our ID, have a memorandum of sale and arranged a survey.

Would just like to know if they have actually been viewing any properties while we have been running around like mad getting all the legal stuff done (a bit more complicated as we live abroad and can't just "pop in" with the required paperwork).

Definitely the agent. You need to be pushy with the agent and make clear that you’re looking for the vendor to move quickly. You need to see signs of serious house hunting or you’ll have to look elsewhere.

And I wouldn’t instruct the survey until they have an offer accepted. They generally have a decent turnaround time and at this stage there’s too high a risk that your vendors decide they can’t find what they want.

IME, no one will keep you informed of anything.

This happens to us. It took 18 months in the end because they people we were buying from trying to find a place and then they were in the same position with the people they were buying from.

we had no choice but to wait, limited budget and it was the only place we could afford anyway. Nothing else suitable came up in all that time.

I had some health issues in that time and couldn’t be arsed chasing as I had bigger things on my mind. We went 6 months without hearing a thing from anyone at all!

Useful advice - thank you.

We don't need to move within a specific time frame so there is a certain amount of leeway, but obviously we would like to get things sorted ASAP.

Will give the agent a call later.