It’s ye olde buyers/sellers waiting room continued thread…

[ibelieveinmirrorballs]

The nail-biting wait continues….

We have transferred the deposit over today (gulp) , the signed contract papers have reached our solicitor and the whole chain is ready to exchange but our solicitor is are dragging their feet and being super unresponsive. Our estate agent has been brilliant in chasing them and I have been calling everyday too. Its sooo frustrating! The Imed for exchange date is the 22nd with 23rd as a backup, if
our solicitors would pull the stick out, it could even happen this week.

The estate.agent said that if they don't reply today, she is going to drive over to their office in person tomorrow.

Aimed completion is.1st Feb.

I am curious what people have found has been the biggest blocker/slowest thing to sort in the whole buying/selling process once offers have been accepted?

@Turniptracker a lot of delays are caused by buyers or vendors changing their minds or their circumstances change after offers have been accepted. Even months down the line, or after survey and near to exchange. This makes one person in the chain have to start the process all over again - put house back on market, wait for viewings, hope for another offer before the whole chain collapses - so that holds everything up.
Sometimes with all the waiting, a mortgage offer ends or funds don’t go through. So that delays everything.
Also there can be big delays when Sol finds something dodgy about the property like no right of way, boundary fence issue, building permission not met on an extension or conservatory etc or searches or land registry takes ages.
really so many things can cause delay it’s a long and torturous wait until you can exchange and then complete.

@Turniptracker I think the enquiries stage. It's all a bit out of your hands and it feels like nothing is being done. We've been waiting for a solicitor to catch up with conveyancing at the bottom of the chain and they sent 49 enquiries...

Hi,
I attempted to join a couple of months ago in the naive belief that with a short chain, it wouldn't take too long...

All searches are done now, my mortgage is in place, but have been applying for new homebased jobs as am unable to transfer my role at the moment since I realised I might have an issue. An extra layer of added stress!

Anyway, all seems to be nearing the point where we exchange, I am just waiting for a few queries to be answered by the management company and hopefully a date of exchange and possible completion can be booked in. Except my buyers have asked me to get planning permission for something they want to install post move. I have declined and basically said they are free to apply themselves after exchange.

I'm not sure I believe it will happen, or they may attempt to gazzunder at the last minute. I am moving myself and 2 daughters 200 miles away to be near my parents and downsize slightly, so trying to line up 2 x school places and the sale and a job has been a challenge to say the least.

Anyway, tentatively waiting now and have started packing a few boxes. Blind optimism!!!

Hopefully it will all happen for everyone asap...

The house survey man is here testing everything today. I didn't realise the buyers were going to get a level 3 survey. It is never ending and mildly irritating as he is having to open every single window, door and cupboard and has taken about a billion photos. Doesn't help I'm tired and ill looking after a toddler I guess that I'm not feeling overly accommodating

Tentatively joining this thread as we have accepted an offer on our house today (on the market since September) and have also made an offer on a house we love. The vendors haven’t accepted yet as they want to take the weekend to think about it.

This is the only house we have liked since putting ours on the market in September so feeling the nerves!

Actually they can apply now they just have to tick to say they have homeowners permission. Council will probably write to you. It can take weeks to get back so don't blame them for wanting to get cracking if they have plans. Maybe tell them you'll give permission after exchange?

Hi @Jellybean85 yes, I have said they were welcome to do it after exchange, but now they want to do it beforehand themselves. God knows how long that will hold up proceedings... I have start dates at new schools for my daughters which will go to the next person on the waiting list of not taken on the date arranged already. My buyers don't seem to be in any hurry which is frustrating when I have had to line so many things up to coincide at the same time!

How annoying!! Can you tell them they're welcome to crack on but you won't be waiting/holding things up. At least it shows they're invested. They're rude though!

We’ve put our house up on the market yesterday, no viewings or anything yet! Keeping an eye out but nothing we particularly like yet on the market.

We got our survey back today and all good, no big issues which is a relief. We're just waiting on the searches and for enquiries back on our purchase. I don't really know what else there is to do before exchange?

Our for sale sign went up yesterday, eeeek! Super nervous and hopeful of some viewings next weekend 🙏🏻

Consent to exchange given to the solicitors, rest of the chain Is apparently ready, keeping fingers.crossed rhe exchange happens on Tuesday as planned. I have insurance ready to go. The new completion date is 5th Feb.

@AutumnNymph fingers crossed for you!

We’ve accepted an offer from FTB on our house, accepted under asking price, but we felt estate agents had been over optimistic to start with, so we’re happy and have had an offer accepted after losing out to cash buyers on a couple of other houses. The vendor is moving in with partner so fingers crossed it will all work out OK.

We had 2 viewings this weekend, one more keen than the other and asked outright how much we would take! That was awkward and unexpected! If we are to receive an offer is it likely to be Monday?! If not I guess we're back to hoping for some more viewings!

We’re plodding along. Just received questions from purchasers solicitors, they have now done survey and mortgage application. Our estate agents updated us on the status of the chain below us, doesn’t fill me with confidence, six properties below, some haven’t even submitted mortgage application yet, let alone survey. Hmmmmm! Realise we are a good few months away from a likely completion date even this chain manages to stay together. We first viewed the house we’re buying in June last year, think we will be approaching a year by the time we move if we’re lucky enough to complete! Such a long and drawn out process, so tempting to give up and just book a holiday!!

... getting very fed up now ... just found out that the vendor's Sol hasn't responded TWO WEEKS after our Sol sent enquiries.
It's the bloody Chancel Liability (CLR) and the stupid Leasehold from the previous owners buying scheme.
FFS. The property was advertised as vacant possession. It's been empty for a year. We are cash-from-sale buyers -- no mortgage. How difficult can this process be?????
So annoyed at their laggard sol. Frustrated at the EA. We would never have proceeded with this property only we were told it'd be a quick, uncomplicated sale.
I'm actually too stressed to even worry. The sale of our house has been over our heads since June, now we have to sell or lose our buyer. But then means going into rented, storing our house contents, cat into cattery, no address for our business or personal post. GAAAAAAAAHHHHH please someone just wave a magic wand for me :(
Buyer has called to say they are looking forward to moving in on the 6th Feb TWO WEEKS TOMORROW. Bloody hell :(
@AutumnNymph I hope all goes well for you and your completion. Please please please waft some exchange luck my way xx

I am so fed up as well! Our solicitor has been absolutely useless . Yesterday he informed us that he has sent the title certificate to.our lenders and if he gets approval he will exchange today. He has had all the info he needs since mid October. He has know we are targeting today's exchange date for over 2 weeks now. He knows rest of the chain.is ready and.chomping to move.

If we don't exchange today, it will be mid Feb before we can exchange due to various reasons in the chain above us.

It shouldn't be this difficult.

@Jaq27 sending loads of positive exchange and completion vibes your way.

I just can't focus on anything today and I have an important day at work.

@AutumnNymph oh no!! It’s just so frustrating isn’t? I feel so powerless sitting here at work with my mind and stomach churning about our uncertain future.
best of luck to you for today x
just learnt that to take the leasehold off our purchase the brother who has POA for the vendor (in a care home) has to sign a doc … which the tortoise 🐢 sol at their end hadn’t even drawn up yet!
once signed, this has to go back to the sol who then sends to the Land Registry. 🐌 🐌 🐌
where it can take weeks to update register.
’it will be expedited’ we’ve been told. 🤡
but from this board I know that can mean nothing 😞
still a little glimmer of hope it will happen by 6th Feb but I wouldn’t bet my house 🏠 on it
… WAIT A MINUTE I AM betting my house on it.
boo hoo 😭

@Jaq27
... getting very fed up now ... just found out that the vendor's Sol hasn't responded TWO WEEKS after our Sol sent enquiries.
I feel your pain. One thing friends who have bought and sold a lot recommend is making direct contact with your sellers and buyers. It won't necessarily short circuit all the legal niceties but at least everyone knows where they are up to and highlights if their Sol or EA are not giving the job their full attention.

Unfortunately being in contact with my buyer hasn't helped me. They demanded the minor change to the deeds and three month later our wait for the Land Registry meanders through another week for no good reason <sigh>

@Laughingravy oh no !!! The waiting is Too painful.
EA and Sol at our end have been marvellous, relaying all updates to our buyer. We have no one to check in with at our purchase as it’s vacant possession.
your story of the Land Registry makes my blood run cold. I wish we’d never got involved with buying this house.
me and DH have already had the big discussion that if we are not in a position to exchange by next week we will pull our offer.
we feel very let down.

@Jaq27 Yes it's agony and there's no one to shout at.
My sellers are both ready to go and they didn't start looking until late autumn - I 'sold' in July. There was a bit of faff over certificates and a Rentcharge and then just at the point where we could have set an exchange date around late October they rejected an affidavit and indemnity and insisted on having the deeds altered - it seems my buyers were told it would just take a few weeks. And presented with seemingly the simplest of changes to a deed the LR have made a huge deal out of it. It's like bloody torture.

Agonising wait here too…