The all new buyers/sellers waiting room (continued x3) thread!

[fromtheshires]

As @movingtoplan has finally flown the nest, I have taken the torch and started a new thread as there are less than 80 replies remaining on the current thread before its full!

We've had lots of completions, exchanges, offers accepted, maddening conveyancing teams, strange requests, and worries to last a lifetime. Welcome welcome.

Catch up here: Previous Thread

Good luck to you, whatever stage you're at in the process.

My update is our onward purchase was completed months ago but due to buyers pulling out we had to start again with a buyer and they are just in the final stages of conveyancing and we are talking dates! I really hope I am not on the next thread.

Slow progress here too. Although they requested an electrical survey which we had done and our house failed! Gutted! Nothing serious and mainly just not to current code. But another thing to worry about. We're going to wait for the estimate for fixing it and just offer to knock it off the sale price rather than us do the work.

Received an invoice from my solicitor today for the 'moving pack of the aborted house purchase'. This was a house that we had an offer accepted on for 2 weeks before the vendors took it off the market. No searches had been done as I checked at the time. Invoice is £295. I'm going to dispute it. Anyone had any experience of this?

@Purplepepsi we had the same, luckily wasn't too expensive to fix and we did all the items required to pass between exchange and completion. They asked us to do the recommendations too (an extra £2.5k) which we declined.

Update from us - sale completed yesterday. It was absolute chaos and we couldn't get out until around 4pm but luckily our buyer hadn't turned up.

Congratulations @TerrierOrTerror how was the first night in the new place?

Sadly we are not there yet, our purchase is due to complete in a few weeks 🤞

Is it normal to start thinking you've done the wrong thing the closer you get to completion? I think I'm experiencing wedding jitters but for the house 😭 wish my DP was with me when I went back yesterday.

@Marshmallowbrain I think it depends why you feel like that. Is it nerves? Or is there something in particular you're worrying about?

It just felt smaller than I remembered, now I'm looking at the sofa and thinking it won't fit. I think because we're completely relocating too I'm trying to justify the house against the big change. We have to relocate as we can't afford a 3 bed where we are. This is our first house and we've been looking for years but with one thing and another it's not happened. I've started feeling super emotional about it all which I haven't up until now, doesn't help being on my period 😂

Hi, we live semi rurally near Manchester, in a sought after location. Low and nicely presented houses are selling in days. Renovation projects and higher end on for months and months. Some of the higher end properties really have the grand designs unique look too, but in a beautiful way! I think it's the interest rates and higher cost of living generally. It's certainly knocked at least fifty grand off what imagined would be our budget when I started saving about five years ago.

Congratulations to @TerrierOrTerror 😁 (the 4pm time gives me the chills though!)

Good morning all. I'm back on the thread after having an offer accepted. We have previously waited for the property to go through probate for months before offering, and now our offer has been accepted we have just been told it has to go through probate again ( elderly couple have sadly died, she died in the house and then he went to live with relatives but has now died). Annoying as we were told originally that the first probate was transferring house to the daughter. So that's another ten to twelve weeks from now.

Luckily FTB buying ours and is luckily happy to wait.

(hope I don't sound too callous about the death of homeowners, sorry)

Sigh, newbie here. FTB - we pit an offer in on a house 9 weeks ago. No chain, sellers moving in with family.

Searches have come back with queries on them but no response from solicitors on their side, survey also picked up some issues that need clarification (certificates and a potential issue with the boiler that will need an engineer to look at). We haven’t had sight of any fixtures / fittings form. Just nothing seems to be moving their side.

Our solicitor is getting frustrated waiting, the EA is not helping either. Is it ever a good idea to knock the sellers door and ask them to hurry things along?

Getting a bit sick of waiting now, there’s another property that has come up locally that we also like and are getting tempted to tell them we’re walking away unless they pull their fingers out.

We honestly thought we’d be in by July - not looking likely at this moment!!

That's very little progress for 9 weeks! Have you discussed with sellers when they actually want to move out? Are they having second thoughts?

I think the downside to being chain free is that people can sometimes think there's no rush and end up dithering about rather than getting things sorted.

In your situation I'd probably put the pressure on via the EA if you're not getting updates through the solicitors. My EAs are quite proactive about chasing their commission and if they think you might pull out that might give them some motivation. Good luck!

I would go for the other house. We’re having so much trouble with our vendors. In hindsight, the writing was on the wall early on. Wish we’d paid attention before we’d already spent thousands on brokers, conveyance, etc. they’re still failing to disclose really important info (building regs for the whole house - it’s a recent conversion and so much is missing), water supply, electricity supply, septic tank etc. It’s a nightmare.

@Marshmallowbrain two minutes after walking into our house I felt I'd made a mistake. The hall was narrower than I remembered and I hated the black kitchen sink that I hadn't noticed was black. Obviously it was tough as I'd bought it but it see ok in the end and I had a new kitchen put in.

@Greatallblack I wouldn't knock on the door but I'd put veiled pressure on the estate agent or solicitor.

We've provisionally accepted the offer but they have to get on the market immediately and sell within two weeks. If no interest then we are re marketing. I am never doing this again 😩

A few friends and family saying I should get a buy to let, but I'm in my 60s so a mortgage will be tricky as it is let alone trying to pursue buy to let. They seem to think you can get a normal mortgage, then a few weeks later just move a tenant in? Unless you get caught I suppose? But does that ever happen? It's like an ear worm with me now, should I have done it?

Tiny progress here and I’m awake every night wondering if we will actually be able to exchange and complete in the next two weeks! What’s the deadline for being able to contact mortgage provider for funds? I was thinking five days so given the tip of the chain haven’t confirmed on writing (only vocally) that the 19th is ok, nobody can do much! My EA is positive and does chase but think they tell me what I want to hear.
More packing today as I can’t leave it last minute as I’ll be working that week.
so near yet so far!

Kitchen mostly packed today in preparation for the move. Jesus, Mary and Joseph and the wee donkey! There was so much to do and so much shit to sort.

We removed all the handles and washed all the doors and cupboard interiors, Cleaned the fridge and freezer, packed all but 4 each of cutlery, plates, bowls etc and we now only have a few things to pack and clean the oven on move week.

At least the new owners wont need to clean the kitchen when they move in as all but 3 cupboards and the under sink cupboard are now empty and sparking.

I also emptied and cleaned one of the family bathrooms down so that wont need to be touched ever again. Ive put a post-it on the door so woe betide DH if he decides to use it considering theres the ensuite, other family bathroom and downstairs toilet to use 😂.

Im knackered now though but only 4 weekends to go!

@Greatallblack perhaps the vendors are searching for the required paperwork or tracking down the company etc that did the work on the boiler. These things do take time and if working 9 -5 can make it very difficult to do during the week.

9 weeks isn't all that long and searches/survey/enquires often take up to 6 weeks.

Pulling out of a purchase is a big choice and you'll likely be liable to solicitors fees etc.

Chase up a date for exchange then at least everyone has something to work towards.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph and the wee donkey!
Not heard that in (donkeys) years! Teeny bit jealous that you can clean and leave a room. We are four in a tiny house so it's going to be clean as we go I think if we ever get to that stage

Packing what I can and trying to manifest that we will complete on the 19th. I know you can’t leave rubbish on the property but where do you stand with garden waste (we’ve paid for a garden bin service so leaving the bin but they service is week after)? How about recycling? Should I give to the neighbours?

As long as you've not stuffed all the bins with shit which can't be collected (we've had that before on moving into places), then just leave the bins for the next collection date. I'd do that with all the bins, including normal waste. Not like they've long to wait for the next collection.

@TerrierOrTerror thanks. That makes me feel a bit better. I think we are planning on getting a quote and offering them that money off on the basis that there will be decisions to make and they may prefer to make them.