Nearly at the end, conveyancing has dragged on and now having doubts

[musicnights]

Are these feelings normal?

First time buyer, no chain, empty house. My offer was accepted 16 weeks ago. It's taken much longer than expected. Seller was slow to begin with, then her solicitor went AWOL and now my solicitor is dragging her feet. Estate agent has been very good and said how patient I've been.

We are suppose to be exchanging/completing next week but I can't get an update and have no idea what's happening or if there's a delay/problem.

It's been an awful experience to be honest. I know everyone says that but it really has and I feel like it's actually put me off the house in a way. I've had to chase a lot more than expected as I've been kept in the dark and nothing seemed to progressed unless I chased first. The whole thing has made me feel so ill and caused a lot of stress and anxiety.

I'm not excited anymore. I drove up to see the house this evening and just thought "meh". I know it's not the house itself that's the problem. I just hope once I get the keys these feelings will go away.

3-6 months is what it can take, and conveyancing in this country is notoriously slow and painful - chasing everything constantly seems to be the norm (and certainly has been for me, both with our technically-easy first purchase and then even a remortgage). It definitely casts a lot of misery and anxiety over what should be an exciting process - I was so stressed by the time we completed! BUT: it was so nice once we were in. And unfortunately this is just how it seems to be with a lot of purchases - with no chain at all and an empty house, it probably won't get much better than this elsewhere, so stick with it and it'll feel worth it when you're in your own house.

And until then: call the solicitors every day, if you have to. Follow up with an email. This was the advice of an friend who works in conveyancing - a lot of conveyancers work on a fixed fee and just aren't prioritising your case and are more motivated to deal with the squeaky wheel than someone who doesn't notice it's been 2 weeks since the last update. So be a pain in the arse in the hopes they'll get a shift on!

Could you really face starting the whole process again from scratch with a different house? Unless you are having doubts about the house itself, I would keep moving forward and the excitement will return once you can actually move into the house.

If in doubt, don't. Whenever I've ignored that feeling I've regretted it.

Yes it is normal to have big doubts. And then once you've actually bought it you will have them too it's called buyers remorse.
Objectively
Are you in a financial position to buy right now?
Are you happy with living in that area?
Is the house objectively OK?
If there is nothing objectively wrong I would go ahead you will most likely be very glad you did in the long term.
It's normal to have these big feelings because it's a huge commitment.

I definitely had a wobble towards the end but I love it now we're in!

I had big doubts just before exchanging a few years ago. It didn’t feel like it at the time but buying the house was the best decision and once I settled in I could see that.
The whole buying/selling situation is so stressful it can really put heavy doubts in your mind.

16 weeks really isn't long all of my purchases have been at least that long. Even the most recent one when we were cash buyers the top of the chain was a probate sale wheee probate was all done. No one needed a mortgage offer on 1/7 and completed on 5/11.
It is normal to be anxious you are spending a massive amount of money, but you choose the house for a reason. I have never had buyers remorse myself, but I am very head about house purchases the logistics have to be right 'the feel' I can make later.
Our current house ticked all the boxes location, size, potential etc. location is the big thing you can't change most everything else you can change to suit you.

I do think it's normal to have a last minute wobble, especially as a FTB.

Just try to remember the feelings you had when you first viewed the house and what it was that made you want it - look at room plans/pics and start imaging how you will decorate and what furniture you will have etc. Visualise it as your home.

As for the buying process, I think 4 months is pretty normal these days unfortunately - I know several cases this last year where it's taken 6 months plus

I actually think you should ask for another viewing - it’s normal to do this before exchange.

Either you will remember why you want the house or you will realise you need to pull out.