The all new buyers/sellers waiting room (continued x4) thread!

[TheEnglishSystemSucks]

As @fromtheshires is in their new abode, and we've almost filled up the last thread - hope people don't mind me starting a new one.

My situation: waiting on survey reports before enquires/searches can start - so expect i'll be here for all 40 pages.

Hope exchanges and completions come quickly for all and no-one has the christmas 'will we won't we'.

Old thread here: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/property/5105250-the-all-new-buyerssellers-waiting-room-continued-x3-thread?page=40

I feel like we are in the same place @Cheeseandcrackers40
Our solicitor asked for a completion date last week from us. I've got nothing to give him though. EA still being unhelpful. I have no idea how long the chain is.

Found out today that our vendors are still awaiting mortgage approval.
Although last week searchers were back and enquiries are in progress.

Surely mortgage approval should have been first?!
We had ours in place within a week of the offer.

My searches are back. Been told that one has passed but need to read carefully. Nothing else flagged. There's pages and ages to read. Eek.

@BirthdayRainbow I feel very overwhelmed with all the pages of searches and everything else we have have to go through 😑

We are still waiting for the buyer to say if they want us to sort the unregistered land - which could take months, or if they want to sort it when they register the house after purchase. Our lawyer was expecting them to say no but return. It's a shame. We have the invoice and receipt for the purchase of the land in 1969 when the house was bought.

And the EA says he's going o chase them about their mortgage application which we were told ages ago had been sorted. I think the buyers are ghosting us.

How are you dealing with it? I don't have anyone who can read it for me.

The solicitor will flag if the searches have shown anything untoward

At the moment I'm not! 🙈
We don't have anyone to help either. I've just naturally fallen into the admin on this whole thing, so I need to try and get my head round it all with time to Google stuff I don't understand.
Easier said than done with a night owl toddler.

My biggest confusion is the radon gas report.
Do we need more tests?
Is it normal?

I'd never even known this was a thing that would come up outside of chemistry lessons!

She said one passed but I need to read it carefully. That does not help!

There's no we here. Just me. Stress central.

@BirthdayRainbow @SeLHopeful2024
You're worrying me. Is it usual to read searches answers?

I'm a FTB so I have no idea.
My solicitor has just kept sending them over saying its for us to look at and to ask there's anything we have questions about.

We also got the title deeds and other stuff and he's told us to go through it all cross checking the various reports etc.
It just seems so much info and I'm blindly reading not really understanding it all.

Strange I've bought 3 houses in my lifetime and everytime the solicitor (different ones) have sent us the searches etc but has checked them themselves and bought our attention to any bits that we need to consider.

I mean I hope they'd be doing that. Surely that's what you're paying for? Otherwise all they're doing is admin?

I will read mine, probably not understand most of it but she has said I need to read a certain part carefully. I'd rather she'd just said why or what the issue is tbh.

@Littletreefrog I wonder if it's more a case of he's asking me to double check so if anything is missed he's given me the chance to look and question him.

He has produced a summary report, and I don't think there's anything particularly concerning. More just I'm not confident I'd pick something up if it was.

Can I join? We are just starting the journey. We've seen a new build development with a house style that has the exact layout we want: four double rooms and an office space upstairs, open plan kitchen, living, diner with separate lounge and also utility room, parking for three cars.

We have had two valuations and will be looking to go on the market ASAP. We are going through the developer's assisted move scheme where they appoint agent (we had a choice of who they sent for valuations) and manage the chain with a view that we can only reserve our preferred plot when we have a serious offer.

Timing seems to be more critical when looking at a new build. There will be an expectation that we exchange ASAP with 'our' new home aiming for completion of 28th Feb, but has a hard stop of end of May, the last date where the house has to be ready.

I guess the agents and the management Co that will be supporting the assisted move will be encouraging us to price attractively and push as many viewers through as possible to try and secure an early offer. We will then potentially have buyers pressuring us to be out before our house is ready. Best case scenario we will sell our house to FTB so the chain is as short as possible.

Has anyone had experience of using an assisted move service?

Also, what do you wish you'd done prior to listing your house in terms of small jobs, staging, prepping for photos? We have done a snagging list this week of little fixes like paint touch ups, replacing some poorly fitted skirting, along with cutting our hedge and tidying the garden (difficult to make it look better as it's been raining for a million years).

Do nothing.

@kirinm with the way you feel about that house - like it will be a bit of a relief if they turn your revised offer down - are you absolutely sure you want to proceed even if it gets accepted?

I know this sounds kind of obvious but I also know the feelings of guilt if you’re considering pulling out of a house purchase. But you really don’t have to go ahead with it if you feel in your heart that you would rather walk away.

I think we will pull out. It would be better if he pulls out before we do so we don't have any regrets but it's an awful lot to take on. The neighbour is what is causing me the most concern now. I'm a lawyer and used to litigation but there's nothing fun about a neighbour dispute!

I agree and there seem quite a few red flags with that property tbh.

Yes, I'd go with your gut on this one and find another house.

Bearing in mind you have a young child (IIRC), do you really want to live in a building site for a very long time anyway (as well as having a potential neighbour dispute to boot)?

It doesn't sound like the right house for you right now (if ever!). Hopefully your reduction is rejected and you can walk away.

Ugh another day of staring at my phone hoping to get an email 🙄

Thanks @Maybenexttime08 and @WimbyAce for the advice. As it turns out, yesterday my mortgage provider called about the house valuation to say they have concerns about movement so won't proceed with my mortgage unless I get a full structural survey. I'm not keen on a drawn out process of surveys and negotiation so I've formally withdrawn my offer. Viewing booked on the 50k cheaper house on Friday 🤞

I'm going through the buying and selling process by myself too so I do get that it's stressful.

If I were you I'd ask your solicitor to call you and explain the section she wants you to read carefully. You are paying them and it's their job to understand the bits you don't!