MHWC FTB Template

[MotherOfRatios]

Hi,
thanks to people on here I discovered moving home with Charlie and I've used his offer template several times but I always remove the stuff about the search pack because I'm buying a leasehold flat and I would rather see the LPE1 form before proceeding further.
The last flat I offered on the agent recognised the template and queried why I don't have the search pack stuff in and I said this and she said by not including it then it's pointless using it.

But my thing is, why would I buy a search pack for a property that might have multiple issues on it? When a search pack is £250+ Also doesn't my conveyancer do the search process anyway so it just feels that more additional money?

But open to thoughts I thought I was being sensible because my situation is different because I'm buying a flat.

I've been wondering this too. I keep meaning to ask Charlie, but he takes about a fortnight to reply to PMs, and frankly, I can't be arsed.

From what I've seen of his 'spiel', promising to purchase a search pack immediately shows the vendor that you're deadly serious about the purchase; it also speeds up the process by about a month because conveyancers are slow, and whilst they will eventually do this, who knows how long it will take? They have to go through money laundering hoops and suchlike before they start spending your money.

In reality, I reckon this 'bargaining chip' is only really useful in a very vibrant market where a vendor is likely to receive multiple offers; in a sluggish market, I feel as though it would seem like you are just too keen if you offer this, frankly. Perhaps it's useful if you're trying a really cheeky low offer? Idk.

Also, remember Charlie gets paid money every time someone uses his brokers, conveyancers, and orders a search pack. So there's a financial incentive for him, too.

I don't exactly know what's in a search pack, but I imagine it covers possible problems with the local area: mining, flooding, massive housing developments due to take place up the road, etc - so it won't necessarily be specific to one individual home.

I did have something from a sale that fell through that covered all of the above. So I think that might be what it is.

Edit: I've also always wondered if the conveyancer would insist on their own search pack or accept what Charlie's firm provides

And if this information expires and you might just need to buy it again anyway if the purchase takes 3, 6+ months because stuff like planning applications become dated very quickly

Answers on a postcode pls

Agree it would be great if he could clarify it in relation to leasehold flats because search packs are SO expensive. I mostly dealing with Landlord at my budget in London so I guess something that would speed up the process is appealing to them but it's at the expense of me because if I pay that but then the LPE1 form shows something that is deadly wrong. I've wasted quite a bit of money.

it would just be more great if he could actually consider leasehold flats and the issues they have in his advice that he offers.

Just responding to your edit, yeah I have actually wondered if my conveyancer would even accept it if you use the ones he recommends then they would but the one that he recommends quoted me £2.7k and that just seems a lot.

I am not massively familiar with MHWC and the search pack element, but in terms of not wanting to proceed until you have seen the LPE1 pack- in a lot of cases, the freeholder will seriously drag their heels providing this. I recently sold a flat in London and it took our freeholder 3 months.

Annoying for the buyers I'm sure, but the reason the process tends to plough on while you wait is otherwise it would slow everything right down.

I don't think he's quoting you 2.7k for the pack. I think that's for the entire purchase process. Did you get an itemised quote?

Last time I was looking, costs were circa £1600 for everything; that was on a 400-475k purchase. I know they charge more the more expensive your purchase property is. We're in the NW. Lowest quote was around £1200, highest £1900.

Just had a look at his property pack link, it looks exactly like what I got two years ago from my conveyancer. When I looked up the firm who produce it, they were charging around £110-150 for buyers to purchase it direct.]

I very much doubt a conveyancer will charge you anything more than what they paid for it, because their bills generally have to be itemised.

Shrug.

Idk what, if anything, I'm missing.

That template just seems weird to me. If I was selling and I got sent through an offer with that level of demands and pointless conditions in, I'd just think this buyer was going to be trouble and try to avoid having to deal with them.

Certainly if all that section about making the seller liable for 50% of your costs if the sale falls through - that would be a major red flag.

And all the bit about having the right to still view other properties while you wait for a response - of course you can do that - why do you need to have a document with it in faux legal language?

Why not just phone up or email and tell the estate agent what the offer is?

Yeah, I'm happy to get my mortgage offer and everything in place. It's just I really want the LPE1 form to know first if I can prevent racking up a lot of legal fees I'd rather do that but of course I understand it's not always possible the place that I'm viewing tomorrow is a maisonette so it's a bit different to a flat so I'm slightly more okay with offering to do a search pack as I don't think it's the same as a flat

His recommended conveyancers quoted £2.7k for their services which is high.

Yeah, I delete that bit I never use that bit as I just think it's off putting and I never do over the phone because that's why they try to get you to bid and I'm not willing to bid for a property.

Christ.

Well, I've been watching Charlie for over a year now, and whilst I've learned a lot from him (I'm also a FTB), I'm sorry to say I'd recommend you step away from the Charlie Kool Aid and spend more time on Mumsnet asking questions where you will get a variety of more measured responses than Charlie's full thrust approach.

That template letter a PP quoted is absolutely awful and will bring you nothing but lemon faces from both agents and sellers and probably refusals to accept your offer because they will just think you're going to be trouble.

People are already extremely wary of FTBs because they are flaky, uncertain, and can be misled down some very problematic paths by surveyors and lawyers who are just trying to cover their own arses.

Don't make it worse for yourself by following Charlie's every step rulebook.

Edit: curious to know the approx value of the property they quoted 2.7k on?

I definitely don't follow every piece of advice to a T definitely because it wasn't so long ago he was promoting shared ownership and now he's backtracked on that.

But I have found since emailing offers they definitely don't do that whole seeing a naive first time buyer how much money can we squeeze out with them and getting you to raise your offer? So emailing in my opinion is better.

the property was £230k

He was? Tut.

I found they don't pull that crap as long as you sound confident and sound like you know what you are doing.

I also now don't tell them I am a FTB; when they ask, I tell them I am renting with one month's notice. I won't lie, but if they don't specifically ask, I don't tell.

Finding a conveyancer:

Go to RICS
Put in your area
Pick a few that are RICs accredited

Call them, see how responsive and polite they are. Ask to be emailed a quote. Ask them what their timeline is like at the moment; are they rammed, how long should the process take (they may refuse to give you a time, but you can get an impression if they seem overloaded). Pick one.

Alternatively

Trustpilot
Legal
Home
Conveyancing

Find the mostly highly rated ones that don't have 'asks for feedback' ticked against their name

Repeat the process. Check they are RICs accredited.

I'm sorry, I've never heard of such high fees for not a massive house before. I'm gobsmacked.

I think I might be getting RICs confused. I think that's for surveys.

Anyway, they have governing bodies. Find them via that.

Sorry, brain doesn't work well on four hour's sleep.

I would expect the fees to be 50% of what you've posted and I'm quite disgusted, actually.

(he can be a bit of a cult - it's interesting to see when warts start to surface)

I have a conveyancer now but earlier I didn't.

The property I'm viewing tomorrow which day have I had a video already? It's on the market for £260-280k it's a 3 bed in zone 5 and it needs quite a bit of work doing to it.
The last property in that block for £240k but they've had a lot of interest in the property and it has only just gone on the market. I think it's probably sensible to go in at asking price.