The all new buyers/sellers waiting room (x 6!) thread

[Champere]

Welcome across everyone!

We’ve got six nights until we move and the insomnia has set in!

It’s taken us three threads to move and I hope this thread is the one I graduate on….

Best of luck to everyone! May your agents be truthful, your conveyancers responsive, your lenders generous and your chain reasonable!!

They are proposing dates in February and i am panicking we just accepted offer in December ! do you think we can push them for march or is too far ? I haven't even told the current school we are moving yet

Saw the house. It's nice although given its age obviously needs work. That won't be taken into account when they start thinking about offers.

Only issue is that they've still got a live insurance claim for subsidence. They say that it's not subsidence - it was suspected but it's actually some movement caused by drains not being connected (and therefore leaking) - for me movement is movement even if you decide not to call it subsidence.

That's not necessarily an issue for us as we would be looking at a very long term purchase but might hopefully be off putting for others.

I think we will make an offer but resigned to the fact we probably won't get it. I think the cost of it means that I wouldn't be totally devastated if we didn't get it though!

I think whatever you're currently doing is the most stressful!

I'm buying at the moment and feel very, very stressed that something will go wrong for it to fall through. I'm desperate to move. It's the third house I've got as far as conveyancing on. The first had a nightmare survey and the second I got gazumped on. There hasn't even been any chain on any of them.

But when I sold a couple of years ago (been renting since) it was excruciatingly stressful. Again, no chain either side, but the buyers were a total fucking nightmare. They lied about being cash buyers, went on holiday without instructing a solicitor, hired a newly qualified surveyor who told them our extension had needed planning permission (it didn't) and contacted the council to tell them buildings control needed to inspect (they didn't), changed solicitors mid-way, insisted on specialist surveys every other week, asked for (more) money off because it was a period property and would need maintainance going forward that they weren't sure they could afford, demanded to exchange and complete on the same day (on a family home that would take a lot of packing up, when they'd been flaky from start to finish), had their solicitor tell ours on the (first) day of exchange that we'd agreed to a lower price (we hadn't) and then failed their money laundering checks.

Later, I found a thread on here that they'd posted asking if they WBU to gazunder, their rationale being that based on our age we were probably mortgage-free and could afford it!! (We weren't and really couldn't - we were splitting up and every single penny counted.) Everyone told them they were morally reprehensible but they did it anyway. It did go through eventually, 7 months from offer to completion, but I was a wreck by the end, still recovering now tbh. If I hadn't been so desperate to get away from my ex I'd have told them to fuck right off.

<Deep breath>
So it can go either way, in my experience!

Good luck with your purchase @kirinm. I think you might be lucky if you want that house. That outstanding claim will put others off imo and probably rule out anyone who needs a mortgage.

@BarbaricYawp oh god that sounds like a nightmare!!

I've spoken to my broker and that'd definitely lend on it. What I'm not sure of is whether it would be insurable for subsidence ever again.

I'm 11 weeks in (but with a chain, so I'm counting from chain completion otherwise it'd be 16) and no paperwork either! Apparently, the enquiries have not been sent yet despite the searches being back right before Christmas. Is this very bad?

I'm going to vote in favour of selling being more stressful, at least from my experience as someone selling & buying at the same time. Lots of EA overpricing right now, viewings at inconvenient times when you are trying to work, having to have your home ship shape for weeks or months on end, the stress of having your house surveyed and any follow up tests, being towards the top of the chain so not having much sight of what is happening with your buyer's sale, FTB at bottom of chain with no sense of urgency and cheaping out on conveyancing. Honestly, the purchase part of our move has been a breeze in comparison but could still all fall apart if the sale bit doesn't come together.

Yes, I think that's quite bad. Our solicitor's enquiries started before the searches were back as there were enquiries off the back of the property information pack that the vendor filled in and the title deeds / plan. I've just checked my timeline and enquiries were raised by our solicitor at 4 weeks in.

It does sound awful. Admittedly I was a lot more stressed in the early stages and we didnt have anything to buy. Although our buyers solicitor asked millions of questions, the buyer herself wasn't particularly difficult so I think we got lucky. We also sold quite quickly but I remember that being an emotional rollercoaster 4 weeks.

I actually found finding a rental a lot more stressful than anything else and trying to coincide that with exchange / completion,

I've received my contract etc to sign today so I'm hoping I am close to exchange! Feel very overwhelmed as ftb on my own in the midst of a lot of stuff going on in my life that I am struggling with but am hoping once I've actually moved it will feel like a positive thing!

We’ve signed our contract, and been to my parents’ house to help them through the process of giving ID and proof of funds for the contribution to the deposit that they’re gifting us (extremely generously, and for which I’m very very grateful!). Our vendor will be signing her contract tomorrow in person at her solicitor’s office.

We’ve started packing, I’ve been shipping boxes of books and vac-packed bedding out to my parents’ spare room while praying this doesn’t jinx the whole thing! I’ve also accepted going on a course for work with an exam at the end of March. Apparently it’s a tricky one with only a 60% pass rate. So it’s going to be a stressful couple of months!

sorry, slightly odd topic but has anyone bought a sofa from Barker&Stonehouse? I've heard you should only buy a circle with a hardwood same like oak and the sofa that I like from Barker and Stonehouse is Pinewood and plywood. It's so hard to find a sofa that isn't low!

@Blanketenvy and @The3rdWatermelon congratulations on the contracts, do you have time lines now for next steps? Hopefully you will be all sorted before the course the3rdwatermelon.

DH is commencing operation pester the solicitor today. So hopefully we will hear something soon.

Have made an offer on the house but with what equates to an 8% reduction. I'm also speaking to my solicitor later re the subsidence and her experience of how this usually affects the sales process / value. I doubt the vendor or EA will take it into account as they think it's fixed so no problem but at the very least it means increased insurance premiums and a lender wanting a lot of info

Just a rant as I'm getting frustrated with the solicitor. Last week they said when they had received my signed contract, mortgage paperwork etc, they could issue the final report and talk dates but nothing yet. I've rang them today and just got told that they're busy and will call back. I want to complete on 18 February and no idea if that's doable. I've managed to get the kids in the local school but I can't arrange their start date yeta and I want it to be after half term. My buyer has been ready for a couple of months, the vendor is buying a new build but will move in with relatives if it doesn't line up so it's just my solicitor!

@NormallyAwkward how did you manage to get them into school without exchanging contracts ? They want letter from solicitor for me to apply 😭

@movmovingtoreading I had to get their current school to complete a form, which I did a couple of months ago, then complete an application on the council website. I only did it a couple of days ago as it says it can take 10 school days to make a decision but yesterday I got an email confirming they've got places. I've got to make contact with the school to arrange the start date but I can't do that yet. They hold the place for 6 weeks.

That's crazy you need a letter! What if you only have a few days notice?! I'm not moving again until they've grow up and left home. It's far too stressful!

My offer hasn't even been acknowledged yet which is a bit rude!

@NormallyAwkward i guess it depends on the council ? Our closest schools have no places i have already checked so i will go on the waiting list anw ! I have found one that has places for both years and is close enough but i cant apply until we exchanged !
I know its so stressful we hopefully wont have to move again as this will be our "forever" home but who knows 🤷🏻‍♀️

@kirinm the house we are buying was on the market since march we put an offer in December ( Thursday) did not hear back at all until Monday after we ringed the estate agent !

@movingtoreading I guess each council has their own way. I had to apply to Worcestershire County council. I think I've got to supply proof of address at some point but they can ask when they want it. I'd put the school you want as number 1 as you could still get your kids in as I believe it's up to the governors if they're oversubscribed. Fingers crossed for you.

We viewed a lot of properties last week and have had an offer accepted 😯 Baby steps for us as this is the 3rd time we have tried to purchase an onward..........

@kirinm we were the same, we had to chase up the estate agents to see if they had even passed the offer on. It took over two weeks for them to agree a price, with three days minimum to consider each offer.

I don't think I'll chase - it was a low offer but now I've spoken to my solicitor it's possible we wouldn't be able to proceed even if it was accepted.

Apparently most lenders will only lend on houses with subsidence / recent history of subsidence, if a buyer can obtain insurance with an excess of no more than £2500. For some reason, anything in excess of that means a lot of lenders won't lend.

I'm going to make some enquiries with insurance companies but it's possible that we couldn't buy it even if our offer was accepted.

You learn something new everyday!

Sorry, I meant an excess that is no more than £1000!

@kirinm we pulled out of a house purchase 12 years ago because the house had subsidence, treated, but still the premiums would have been too high for us at the time as the house was pushing us to our limits. Which was a shame, it was a great house and the new owners have done wonderful things with it.

But the house we are buying now is even better, so I guess it all happens for a reason.