Ftb advice on order of things please

[PuzzlingRecluse]

Hi All

Im after some advice please. I’m a FTB waiting for a builder to provide an invoice before my mortgage application can be approved. I have a solicitor but I’ve held them off searches until I’ve my mortgage application is completed. I’m too late for home buyers insurance. I can’t afford to be £1300 down if it goes pear shaped (solicitors advised costs) Sellers estate agent is now prodding builder daily for the invoice 🙄 should I continue to wait for that & mortgage approval before getting solicitor to start searches? Or should I just crack on with searches? Not sure what’s the norm here. Any advice appreciated, thank you

In your position I would wait, and tell seller estate agent that the move is on hold until that's rectified. You will sink costs onto searches and legal work and of thos doc never materialises you will owe that money. Make this your sellers problem, if it's something that's needed their end and they want to move to crack on they need to get it.

I personally held off the searches until my mortgage offer was back and approved. Could you get a search protection scheme from your solicitor? Sometimes they offer protection in case something out of your and their hands don't allow you to proceed with the purchase, and they reimburse you (at least) the search money.

I would wait.

There are stages where costs do get sunk, sadly, but if you aren't in any particular hurry then it makes sense to do one hurdle at a time.

My DD did it this way..

Mortage approval first
Survey second and potential renegotiation of offer after survey (not always a step, depends on whether something significant and unknown crops up)
Then pay for searches
Then rest of legals took place

Thank you both 😊

I’m a FTB and currently had mortgage approval, I then instructed searches and surveyor at same time and agree with above comments wait until mortgage approval to begin with . Good luck from a fellow FTB :)

Hi, I'm also an FTB. I waited until the Memorandum of Sale was received before paying for my searches. I want to have a survey done as well, but I'm staggering this so I'm not shelling out a lot of money at the same time, and the searches are cheaper than the survey will cost.

The searches are starting to come through now, and there doesn't appear to be anything particularly to worry about - if there had been, I could mention it to the surveyor to investigate further if the area of concern was in their survey remit.

I've received the contract pack now, so I've arranged a second viewing in which to check things on the fixtures and fittings list and to pinpoint things I want the surveyor to comment on specifically. After that viewing, I'll arrange the actual survey.

ETA: I'd had discussions with my mortgage people when I paid for the searches, even though the offer hadn't been officially confirmed at that point (but it was a few days later).

Thank you, I’ve decided to hold off searches until I get the go ahead from mortgage company. Appreciate the reassurance that it’s the right thing to do.