New to buying and selling - what else is there to do here?

[Tryptower]

We are selling a probate property. Buyers are keen to proceed quickly (so all good).

We have filled out all the property information forms and the contract and title has been sent across to their solicitors.

Their mortgage offer is ready, all searches are back bar one which is is imminent.

Once that is back does that mean we can exchange? Is there anything else that is needed? Our solicitor is hard to get hold of and I have a feeling their solicitor is a bit slow.

Are we nearly at the exchange part? If so, what do they do then? I assume each solicitor looks at the contracts and then we agree a date for completion?

Are they getting a survey? If do that will need to happen before Exchange.

What does mortage offer ready mean? It could simply mean that they have a mortage offer in principle which means diddly squat. Has the mortage surveyor been? Has the buyer’s own surveyor been?

Once those 2 things have happened there will be (lots of) questions from the mortage company and from the buyer’s solicitor (or there should be if they are any good).

Has their solicitor come back with questions yet? I think usually the property information forms are the start of a bit of back and forth about various details, which usually takes far longer than you want.

Currently in a similar situation but as the buyer! I would say it will probably depend a bit on what condition the property is in and how responsive you are to the enquiries that come through, ours is more of a do-er upper and has got a bit bogged down with the enquiries post-survey.

No survey by all accounts and no questions as of yet from the property information forms. The mortgage is ready apparently. I’m not sure what else needs to happen

Without a mortage survey the mortage isn’t ready.

There’s normally a fair few questions back and forth. Expect to get stuck on some ridiculous things like have you got original certificates for 20 year old windows. Sometimes you have to go back to the solicitor to tell them this is not a reasonable request! Fingers crossed your buyers and their solicitor don’t have many questions!

Mortgage - take assurances that it’s “ready” with a pinch of salt. It is very likely that the mortgage provider will need a valuation survey, but sometimes these are done on paper/drive past.

Have you had the grant of probate?

Is your sale a flat, a leasehold house, or on an estate with maintenance charges

And are your buyers selling a property to fund this purchase?

As others have said, there is lots of going back and forwards with more questions, from the buyer & their solicitor, the mortgage company.

Normal sale can take about 2.5-3 months.
Leasehold/management/maintenance enquiries can add to this
Your buyers being in a chain can add to this

And probate time from application is variable but can be long - DF’s took 5 months recently

Not necessarily. My mortgage is fully agreed and they only did a desktop valuation.

They might but they’re mainly used on low risk properties + low LTV.

Probate in hand, desktop valuation carried out.

Then it’s just a list of questions from the other solicitor.