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

[JoyfulSpring]

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

I checked the rates yesterday and they weren't any better than what I have now!

@Hoolahoophop and @NormallyAwkward that is infuriating! Why lie and undermine the relationship with your buyers in the first place?! Like us buyers wouldn't understand that they might need to find a place, too.

I went through L&C and they said that if rates go down before you complete, they can just go back to the lender and ask for the better rate to be applied. For me though they've gone up a bit since I locked in my rate, so I don't think I'll have to do it. I assume though if the broker can do it, as long as it's the same product, but just with a reduced rate, you can phone up and ask them to switch your offer to the new rate.

I haven't seen much movement in rates. I did delay applying in case!

@Tupster yes we are with a mortgage advisor as well i am guessing if there is a better rate she will tell us ? I thought the base rate going down would mean the fixed rate would be lower than 4.5 apparently not

In other news another week went buy with our buyers solicitors being uncontactable 🤷🏻‍♀️ we were ready to discuss dates last Monday as all the enquiries were satisfied ! I don't understand the radio silence ! Don't they want to close cases and get paid ? I though lt we would definitely make the April deadline and i could apply to a school we loved soon. they only have one space for ds ! If i miss the school place i will definately cry and go mental on them !

@movmovingtoreading your mortgage advisor can definitely change your rate with the same lender if a better one comes up. Not sure if they'll let you know or you need to ask.

I wish I'd have gone with an online conveyancer now. My friend always said how great hers was as every document and email sent was on this online portal. It's the not knowing what's going on that killing me. I really don't see how we're going to complete in 3 weeks with enquiries that were only sent this week! My estate agent is optimistic as she worked in a conveyancing firm, so I'll take a bit of hope from that.

@NormallyAwkward we have an online portal as well is great you can see every email send etc
And all documents enquiries through there !

@movingtoreading we've got an app and it's pointless. It's not updated as things happen and no documents have ever been added to it! I thought I'd done a load of research before hiring our solicitors. All the negative reviews started going online a couple of months into the process.

@NormallyAwkward which up is it ? I had to get on the website for mine to show me the timeline i.e email from solicitor email from client etc . Ours is simplify ceway
Even though our solicitors and our vendors are great our buyers is rubbish so it doesn't make much difference tbh ! But i can see in the app she has been chasing them

@movingtoreading it's all branded as their own app but if I go on play store and click app support it's perfect portal. I've tried going in the web way and there's nothing there either.

Found you all. I have had similar to you @JoyfulSpring my EA has been dreadful, her communication has been shocking. I have had to escalate it & get her taken off my case.

Finally got an update from the new person & just awaiting one search, so should be able to talk dates in a few weeks.

Ok so after being shady turns out that they didnt have PP for the conservatory, insist it isnt needed but wont provide an indemnity for it.

Also survey came back... mainly good BUT all the issues are with the conservatory!

They also said it was a combi boiler but it is a tank system grrrr

@NormallyAwkward i see something like this ! Which is great it does make me obsessive in checking it though 🤣

How bad is asbestos? If undisturbed its OK right? Plus they think the piped might be lead... The whole thing is freaking me out now!

@movingtoreading I think we're moving to the same sort of area! I'm having the same stress about schools, my son will be starting secondary in September and because we haven't exchanged yet I'm going down as an out of area application even tho we'll have been living there for a few months by then. Wokingham council have confirmed we need to exchange by the end of March to be changed to residents be even then we won't know if we've got our chosen school until the second round of offers which are after 17th March. We definitely won't get the school we want if we don't exchange by then and even if we do they've said it's not guaranteed but it's likely.

I've been banging on about this to everyone in my chain since November last year and they don't give a crap. All these enquiries would have been answered in a week if they were dealt with by a competent solicitor. Makes me so angry! Our lives are literally on hold.

Do they DEFINITELY know there's asbestos? Our buyer got into a tizzy about this. Turned out the asbestos was just anaglypta paint on some ceilings.

There was asbestos (probably) on a garage roof but it is not dangerous if left alone and would cost, we estimate about an extra £500 to remove when they renovate the garage into a summer house or office or whatever they plan.

That's what I'd love to see! I think that's the same as what my friend had. I've got this only and half the time it's not updated on time. You can see the 3 month delay in searches returned and sending for enquiries though!

I meant exchange by the end of February not March!

My buyers insisted on getting an asbestos survey on my house because of a couple of artex ceilings. I was chatting to the survey guy and he said that that kind of asbestos in textured ceilings is actually very low risk anyway. (turned out mine was just textured paint and no problem)
The risk in asbestos is all about breathing in the fibres - so you need airborne particles before that's possible, hence undisturbed is no danger, and it's just about getting specialists in with the right kind of masks etc when you need it removed.
Lead pipes, if they are your water supply could be an issue. You don't want lead leaching into your water. Lead is also a soft metal so more prone to damage. It would be super unusual for lead pipes supplying your water nowadays though.

@JoyfulSpring oh no i am so sorry you are going through this too ! This is why we are moving now even though we still don't have to but i didn't want to risk being to close to the secondary school applications.
As if moving was not stressful enough getting a school place as well adds extra !
I cant find any school that has places for both of mine i will have to do breakfast club for one so i can drop them on time 😭 i am already dreading it as we currently walk to school and jt takes 5 mins !
I am planning to be a pain in the butt next week calling everyday until i get a response surely they will want to get rid of me quicker that way 🤣

@NormallyAwkward i think this system is a bit clever takes the email and automatically "tracks" it as activity so no one has to physically put it in the system as an action . That way i can spy on who is chasing who which is great !

This happened with my DD last year.

They don't do it until closer to exchange because it creates another hard search on your credit file. They managed to save my DD and her partner £32 a month.

Even though base rates have fallen since, my son has a 3.69 agreed so hopefully will complete by early April as I don't think he will improve on that and they might be reluctant to extend with the rates higher now.

Blimey!

We bought a house with an asbestos roof! Although it's gone now. Cost a few bob more than a normal roof due to disposal cost but a decent roofer knows the rules and deals with it appropriately.

My EA brought an old builder friend round with my buyer. The builder has lived in the area for half a century or more and knows how the houses were built. He just kept interjecting common sense and knowledge into the conversation, reassuring the buyer that the house was not a toxic wreck.

Our lender didn't credit check us for a rate swap. Just changed it. We did it twice during the process. We had to ask the broker, he didn't suggest it.