The all new buyers/sellers waiting room (continued) thread

[sweetpickle2]

New thread!

My onward purchase has finally been registered with land registry but my solicitor is driving me mad!!! She emailed nearly two weeks ago about my buyers needing a further mining report which they wanted me to pay for; I asked her to go back to them and ask to split the cost. I have heard nothing since! I've now emailed her twice this week and tried to call and absolutely nothing 🙁

We've got our enquiries and it turns out our vendors are doing the conveyancing themselves. I feel uneasy about that! And their previous buyer pulled out of the sale due to an issue with the survey. We've got our survey booked for next week so we shall see, but frankly as long as the house isn't about to sink into a giant pit I'm sure it's fine. It's not going to be a full reno job like the probate house we were looking at before, so I'm hoping it's nothing horrible. It's got a new roof at least...

Are you mortgaging this purchase? Lenders will only let you use whoever is on their panel for conveyancing (they need to ensure the house is worth the money they are putting down), so unless they are licensed and on a vendors panel this purchase will be going nowhere if they are doing their own conveyancing!

Another week without anything from my solicitors this week with regard to an update on progress from their stand offish email last week saying they will contact is when they have any updates.

Our buyer must be thinking we don't want to sell as they have been waiting to exchange for 2 weeks now and there was only one day getting the chain completed as it's a small chain.

More box packing this weekend to take my mind off how shit the process is!

The vendor is a solicitor, so I assume it's all fine, my conveyancer is looking into it.

Packers came today, so the bulk of the move preparation is done. Also had confirmation that the buyer's funds are with their solicitor ready to exchange. I'm all too acutely aware that it still isn't in the bag, and the last minute queries (some already asked and answered months ago) are making me nervous. Still I will try to relax in the knowledge that I am much further ahead than I was a week ago. I'm moving next week either way, so at least I don't have the worry of having to cancel the movers as others have had to do. I'm also lucky to have a really good solicitor and EA on the case.

Hope everyone has as stress-free a weekend as possible, whatever stage you are at. Wishing you all patience and fortitude! 💪😊

Great to hear of some movement with some of us.
My EA replied to me today to say top of chain have offered on something today apparently but no news and that I shouldn’t be worrying about my buyers (I’m panicking as they’ve waited 7 weeks since offering and chain is not complete). EA was a bit curt tbh. I know I’m a pain and do only try to email either my EA or my vendor’s once a week but I also feel I don’t get any information unless I do so! They’re great but as a local agent I think he’s taken on a lot but can’t always be proactive with communication because of that.
Does anyone else feel they’re the nagger in their chain?!

🤞 your chain will be complete very soon.

I'm only in a short chain. I'm in the middle of a chain of 3 and often feel like I'm the only one doing anything! Luckily, my EA is fab. My solicitor on the other hand, only communicates if she really needs to which is super frustrating!

@IronNeonClasp this sounds so stressful for you. In your shoes and if you cannot afford to stop the price I think I would be clear and firm with the buyer via the EA “I do not wish to deter the buyer from conducting a damp survey as I understand the need for reassurance. However - I am at risk of losing my onward purchase due to delay and I am also not in a position to drop the price, so am not sure there is much point in conducting one if the intention is to obtain a price reduction. Would it be possible instead for the buyer to view with a builder who understands period properties for reassurance? We have lived happily in the house with no damp issues for X years and as an historic property it is natural for there to be a small amount of damp as they are designed to breathe naturally rather than keep out all moisture. Unfortunately I need to be clear that if I lose my onward purchase I will need to pull out of the sale of X”.

I would then attach some reference to historic properties and damp (look on SPAB website).

^ THIS!!!
Very sound advice !!! and whatever happens @IronNeonClasp at least you’ll know where you stand.
Sometimes it’s the being stuck with no control that makes a stressful situation so much worse.
at least you can get some certainty (I hope) good luck 🤞🏻

Decluttering is ramping up here, I've got some house clearance man in a van chaps coming round for a quote to remove a large chunk of furniture we don't need (downsizing). I was going to use the council bulky waste removal service but I don't want the hassle (back pain!) of moving it myself, leaving it outside on the designated day, as well as the wait. It'll be more expensive but more convenient too.

We took the dc to view the house the other day, and we're all very excited. Can't wait to get cracking now, roll on exchange day.

Speaking of which, what are the pros and cons of exchanging a month before completion?

Hi all,
been lurking for a while whilst things plod along with my sale/purchase. I’m losing the will to live with my conveyancers, unless I call their switchboard and threaten to make a complaint they just ignore all attempts at communication. I have no idea what is going on, haven’t seen any documents about my purchase (offer accepted early feb). Have only just received enquiries re the sale (offer accepted early Jan).
Hoping to be in before my 40th in mid May. I want to start a new chapter in my own house. I’m selling and relocating with my kids, due to divorce. Am still somewhat looking forward to it (only just) 😂

How many weeks in is everyone? I am just over 3 weeks in to the process. Waiting on mortgage offer hoping all is OK as we are porting + borrowing more so no other choice if we are rejected. Our solicitors are great but we have paused the searches going off until we get our survey sorted which should be completed next week. Haven't heard a peep from our buyer or estate agent for 2 weeks now. I am a very impatient person so not sure how I'm going to get through this!

Have been lurking for a while but actually feel the need to type this out somewhere! We've been in the middle of a chain of 3, working towards exchanging and completing in the next couple of weeks. Our buyer asked to come and "measure up" for furniture on Saturday and today pulled out, saying he wanted to offer over £100k less for the property. We have lost our onward purchase and feels like we're back to the very beginning. "Our" house that we were buying is already back on Rightmove and there's nothing else we want to buy even if we could find another buyer. Just feel utterly broken by this whole process.

That’s abhorrent! What were their reasons?!

@Bootoagoose123 how awful this far in. Fingers crossed something else will come up or you sell quickly.
@Nosierosi Im also divorcing and moving solo with my children do it’s all hugely exciting and empowering but scary as there’s no one else to support/ask questions of.

Buyers snd myself have had our mortgage choices but the chain is still incomplete 🙄🤦🏼‍♀️😩 so I’m not ordering my survey yet. It’s rough waiting as me and my buyers (bottom of chain) started the. Jain on Feb. Was hoping to move in July but that’s not going to happen now.

@Bootoagoose123 thats incredulous. Im guessing someone who either really didn't want the property or someone deluded thinking the would get a steal.

@Amarettispaghetti - were two months in. Our sale is all sorted and waiting for the purchase to catch up as they used the EA conveyancers and they turned out to be really good and on the ball. We went with our local high street solicitors and they have been nothing but shit tbh. Within two weeks of the chain completing (FTB-us-Onward purchase) we had our survey and mortgage all sorted so we are literally just waiting on them to do whatever they need to do which is apparently work slower than a sloth would and with super passive aggressive emails.

We are officially under offer now so now need to find. Got a couple of viewings booked in for Saturday but not a great deal about. I feel we have a decent budget so just a case of waiting for that perfect property!

I'm glad it's not just us who thinks it's a bizarre move - not least because he will have spent as much on survey and legal costs etc as us. We think he must just have got cold feet on viewing it again - what's so frustrating is that we had 15 viewings on the day he viewed it and if we hadnt gone with him (he offered full asking that day!) we could easily be proceeding with another buyer. Hey ho I guess it's onwards and upwards!

I lost my buyer today and no doubt house I’m trying to buy. Really upset.

Any tips from anyone in the same position please? Not sure how to find the energy to start again

@IronNeonClasp thats super shit. How long were you in the conveyancing process for and what made them pull out?

If my buyer pulls out I think I'll have a full nervous breakdown tbf as we have been trying to sell since July last year and I'm sick of living here. Hopefully you will get a sale again soon

Sympathies @IronNeonClasp 🌷
same happened to us back in July last year.
we took a break from selling for 4 weeks and also changed estate agent.
its bloody hard but having the break was good and the house we are now in is much better than the one we ‘lost’.
all the best x

So sorry @Bootoagoose123 and @IronNeonClasp, that's really rubbish. We're 13 weeks in, middle of a chain of 3 and our buyer comes across as disinterested and unwilling to move things on. Ourselves and our seller are ready to go.

I just tell myself now that if it does fall through, our seller might give us another chance, and if not, it's just fate, not meant to be, and we'll find something better.

Hope things work out for you both.