The all new buyers/sellers waiting room (x 7!) thread

[JoyfulSpring]

Starting a new thread so we can continue the conversation...

Good luck today @Lemonyfire. I agree that it does help to realise that this level of chaos is the norm. My other half thinks that we are some sort of special case and I have to keep stating that what we are going through is entirely normal and hundreds of others on MN are experiencing the same.

It's very reassuring to hear others' experiences and have somewhere to vent where people understand!

I am feeling a bit tense this morning. If our seller doesn't actually pull out, which is a reasonable possibility, we don't have much time to organise a house clearing as we have a pre-booked five-day holiday out of the country in the middle of March. If the buyer wants more surveys doing before we agree a revised price, we are getting very close to the wire for his preferred completion before the stamp duty increase.

The house is about two hours' away from me, so quick visits to sort and supervise things take up most of a working day. And I have a big work deadline to hit, as well. It's been put back by a month once already because of sorting out funerals and probate.

Of course, if the seller drops out, the pressure is off! And my mother's garden will look prettier with spring flowers and blossom out, so there's that... But I would really prefer this sale to go through now. We have had two earlier sellers drop out for varying reasons.

We are in this situation but as buyers. Our solicitors suggested we get this certificate (I wouldn't even think of asking the sellers to be honest! Did your buyers ask you to provide one?), but I don't care about the stupid regulations changing every year, I care that the electrical system works fine.

I'm worried that if we go ahead we might delay things and not get much further. I doubt these sellers will take any money off the purchase even if it turns out we will need to change the fuse box or something.

Is it standard to get electrical & heating certs? Do you all do it? The sellers have an electrical one, but from 4 years ago. If they provide that one and it's fine, will it suffice?

@HavenSprings every-time you do a change in the house that has anything to do with electrics u need to get this certificate
We did an extension in 2019 so have the certificate from then as we pit in a new circuit etc
The buyers lawyer asked for a new one we said its fine if they pay for it they did not want to pay for it
If you are planning any kind of changes that will add circuits u will need to do it anw

Yes that's why our sellers have one from 4 years ago I guess, because I think that's when they changed stuff in the kitchen and needed one. Did your buyer eventually go ahead and get one if they did not want to pay?

I guess if they haven't changed anything else since, and we don't want to change anything else for the time being, why would we get one? Isn't this certification just to prove that the system complies, not that it's safe or something?

Well if it was not complying then we wouldn't have passed the completion certificate from the council at the time . Not sure what changed in 4 years tbh
The buyers did not really want to pay 300 pounds for it is just the lawyer that was "suggesting" it

@Abra1t not sure what point you're at ( exchange I think?) but did it go through today?

Exchange 'failed' again for the third day for us. Everyone top of chain to us gave authority to attempt exchange today and our buyers solicitors were radio silent and no one could get through.
I'm not sure how much longer of this we can take. It's been 10 months since we accepted an offer and had an offer accepted.

Oh no! So sorry to hear this. How very frustrating for you. That's such a long wait.

No, we are some time out from an exchange, but the buyer says he wants (wanted?) to complete in time for the stamp duty increase. The hold-up seems to be our response to his request for a price reduction post-survey. We will probably take a bit off, but not the amount he wants, so my brother drafted a very polite 'reassurance' letter, telling him that the things he was worried about were either not issues (we had the planning permissions, buildings regs and so does his solicitor), or had been flagged in the house particulars and baked into the price.

But it's gone terribly quiet since we sent the email over the weekend. Who knows.

Im not sure whats going on. We were FULL steam ahead on everything and then our solictor has gone a bit funny. Saying mortgage offer wasnt recieved and then gift documentation wasnt either despite read receipts for both and them having also been re-sent over...

Trying not to overthink as its only last week its gone weird and before that has been full steam ahead without more then 72 hours of no contact.

In our sale theres nothing left to do but drop contracts off. In our purchase i think its just waiting for survey results. We need to get this done in 4 weeks so I am really hoping things move ahead now. Neither needs much side between exchange and completion both places already vacant and no chain.

@Lemonyfire That is SO frustrating, what a ball ache. May it happen soon!!
@Abra1t Hate when it suddenly drops off, they gotta get back to you at some point.

Thanks, yes, you think the worst! We've had two previous sellers go silent and then drop out before this, so I'm suspicious.

I wonder what's up with your solicitor!

Still waiting on the final report that was supposed to be with us yesterday. I managed to speak with my solicitor and said he had an appointment yesterday and it would be with me this afternoon but nothing. I can't imagine it coming through now. We want to complete in 2 weeks. My buyer has agreed to the date but I think it's my estate agent telling their solicitors rather than my solicitor. I'm sick of all this!

@Lemonyfire sorry if I've missed your updates previously explaining but is it the case that all solicitors have agreed to exchange on the specific date and then the bottom of the chain is literally non responsive on the day? How is that allowed?! Is that what's happened all 3 times? 10 months sounds awful, I thought ours was bad at 6 months and still counting so you must be tearing your hair out.

@JoyfulSpring yes that is what's happened! Although the second time we found out that one of the contracts wasn't in, so how they allowed us to get to this agreed point is beyond me. Today was just radio silence, our solicitor, our sellers solicitor and top of chain solicitor are getting pretty irritated.
How long can this realistically go on for ?! Our solicitor said we just have to try each day!

Thinking back to when we were first time buyers I was so naive. I don't even remember exchange of contracts! We just kind of went along with it all and it all went swimmingly. I feel I know too much now with so many failed attempts to move and it's so much more stressful!

Do you think there's an issue at the bottom or just incompetent solicitors?

@WimbyAce we think this too! We just let it happening 😂

@JoyfulSpring initially we thought problem at bottom, but turns out the huge hold up after Xmas was their solicitor sitting on loads of enquiries they hadn't reviewed yet. Buyer sent their contract back as soon as issued, but it was signed incorrectly, solicitor sat on that for 3 weeks. It seems the buyers below us have been doing what they need to, albeit with very little urgency but solicitors needing constant chasing and as we are 3rd up from there's very little we can do about slow solicitor at bottom.

Hi everyone! I’m hopefully FTB, just signed final documents for mortgage advisor, offer accepted on a home. On pins waiting for the final mortgage confirmation & rather scared something will happen! At what point do I need a solicitor? There’s no chain so I’m not holding anyone up. I’m in rented & having to wait for another Tennant here before I can move. Not given notice yet as don’t want to be homeless if this goes wrong. Already a bit stressed & am itching to move!

Congratulations- exciting times! So if your offer is accepted you really need to instruct a solicitor. They will then do all they need to do with you, verify source of funds for deposit, ID checks and quote for their services. Then you await your mortgage offer! Definitely don’t be giving your notice in yet, it’s early days.

Am in weird limbo. Signed all documents which have been received by solicitor on Fri..(despite it being allegedly lost in post was very much there!) and now nothing 🤷 Silence. No proposed date for exchange or completion. Just making me incredibly anxious and worried about something going wrong at the last minute. Am trying to chip away at sorting/a bit of packing/offloading things but just feels horrible not knowing. Am in rented and can't give notice until I've exchanged and my landlord lives opposite so am trying to make stealthy trips to tip which is a bit ridiculous. 🤞 For some movement soon...

We have exchanged! THE RELIEF!!
We did end up having to push the completion date back from 14th to 17th at our buyers request but that actually works out better for us- gives us the weekend to finish packing up and cleaning, we can show DS round his new school on the Friday (his breaks up for 1/2 term on the Thursday) and say a proper goodbye to the nursery for DS2 and 3. And luckily we've managed to find a removal company that is actually a little bit cheaper than the one we were going to use. Now starting to freak out a bit that it's really happening and we've got so much to organise!

Congratulations @AngeloMysterioso 🎉

Random question: do you have to print out the contract, sign it and scan it back? Or do they accept electronic signatures nowadays? I've managed to sign everything electronically so far but I wonder if I'll have to go back to paper for the contract.

@HavenSprings the contract, mortgage deed and the transfer from I had to print, wet ink sign and post it back. Everything else I've signed electronically and emailed back.

@AngeloMysterioso congratulations!
We will attempt exchange for the 4th time. Going to be really firm with my agent that our buyer and the one below should be on the phone to their solicitors first thing to find out why they are not responding.
I'm just losing faith in this whole process every day is like Groundhog Day

Congratulations @AngeloMysterioso !!!

What a relief!!!

Many congratulation!