The all new buyers/sellers waiting room (9) the one where we start to wonder if we'll move by Christmas..

[NeverGoingToMove]

Huge apologies if I have missed this thread, I have searched high and low but don't think another was started after number 8 ended in May.

After a seriously stressful encounter with building control, I think we are almost ready to exchange. After going on the market last July, I'm hoping we'll move before our year anniversary!

How is everyone else doing?

@ErlingHaalandsManBunim so sorry you’re dealing with this. What a nightmare. It is awful how you feel like your future is the hands of the random person that viewed and offered on your house.
We are in a similar position to you and if our buyers havent made contact with the estate agent and some progress by Monday we’re putting the house back on the market.
I just don’t get why you’d buy a house and then do nothing 🤷‍♀️ and why wasn’t your estate agent aware that no searches even had been ordered.
I hate this process so much. I really hope you get some answers soon and don’t lose your onward purchase.

@moving300m I am so sorry you are in a similar position to us. It honestly has been so frustrating and we have needed the patience of a saint. The fact the top of the chain has zipped along quickly, as has the bottom, and us two in the middle are literally still at square one is beyond ridiculous. We are okay. We have the searches back and enquiries completed on our forward purchase, we are porting our mortgage so that has been sorted and we have our offer. We are literally waiting on our buyers, and have been for over a month. We have chased and pushed and there has been absolutely no urgency for them to do anything. And now finding out no searches have been done? I mean, WTF! I am so disappointed that we are in this position and that I have been saying for weeks now that our buyers need to get a move on only to be told I am overreacting.

We think we may have no choice but to go back on the market because even now, when things are so critical and fragile, there is still no sense of urgency from our buyer and their solicitor.

What progress are you waiting for from your buyers?

@ErlingHaalandsManBun so sorry to hear this! Wtf are they doing and why hasn’t anyone been aware?? I would be having stern words with your solicitors and estate agent as it’s their job to know this stuff. Furious on your behalf, your buyers sound horrific. I would consider re marketing it with a different agent to be honest

@@ErlingHaalandsManBun have you given them a deadline to take action? Any chance the rest of the chain are willing to be patient? It’s such a shame that this process is not more straightforward and one person can cause issues for so many people.
Our buyers have had a month to sort a survey and keep giving ridiculous excuses. Up chain won’t be ready for a while so we just about have time to re market and keep our onward purchase as long as we sell fast.
It’s just frustrating to be in limbo because of someone else. I hope that your buyers are going to take action early next week and the situation can be resolved.

@moving300m I think we may have to.

Our buyers have also not booked a survey, despite us practically pleading with them to book one because of the wait time to get one done and there being no reason to delay this. But it fell on deaf ears. I just knew that someone in the chain was going to reach a point where they got fed up waiting. I told the agents this and they dismissed me.

From what I have been told the chain is impatient and are not willing to wait too long and they require action. And although we have told our buyers this, they still are not taking much!! Its so bloody frustrating!

We have reached a point where we may have to get a bit more pushy and issue some ultimatums which we never want to do, but I don't think we have much choice. They just don't seem to get how desperate this situation has become. They have a rental they can move into so they can let their sale complete and not be affected, so its not bothering them what happens further up and that we have been affected. It feels so bloody unfair.

Have your buyers said why they are not booking the survey?

If it comes to a point of remarketing we will be going with a new agents and new solicitors. We will NOT be using these twats (pardon the language) again.

I am hoping it won't come to that point. We are desperately doing all we can to hold this chain together but our buyers are not helping us so we feel we are fighting a losing battle.

I think this week will be the crunch point, we either all keep proceeding or we sack it off and start again.

I am beyond frustrated and concerned about how much wine this process is making me consume 😂

@ErlingHaalandsManBun I really feel for you, it’s horrible! We are also hanging on by a thread and it’s ruining our lives right now. Hard to see the wood for the trees! I cannot believe your estate agent hadn’t sorted this? I’m furious for you!

@ErlingHaalandsManBun This is the issue because up chain may be impatient but realistically your sellers would also need to remarket and start again if they didn’t wait for you. Just so frustrating and selfish of your buyers causing all these issues. Let alone useless solicitors and estate agents who really should have been aware of the lack of searches at least. Like why wouldn’t they have been all over that weeks ago 🤷‍♀️
Our buyers have made a lot of excuses. The latest is they’re looking for the right kind of surveyor. I’m selling a 1960s semi so surely any surveyor will do! And now they’re ignoring the estate agent and their own solicitor so who knows.

Honestly its really bloody horrible. I agree, its wrecking our lives too. I just can't see the end of this.

Sorry you are having a stressful time too

Thank you xx

God its so frustrating.

Honestly its easy to find a surveyor. Do some googling, look at trust pilot,and google reviews, get some quotes and book one!!!

Sounds very much like stalling to me.

I am sorry you are having to cope with this shit show too xx

This sounds awful. Can you ask your agent to keep viewings and keep marketing until survey booked/ money spent - which shows an intent. I did this and it certainly ensured surveys were booked promptly.

@ErlingHaalandsManBun yes I think they’re stalling as it’s such a ridiculous excuse. A nervy weekend waiting to see if they contact the estate agent or their solicitor on Monday.

I hope you get some answers next week too and you manage to keep your chain tact. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for you.

@Lilactimesyes if they don’t make contact we’re remarketing. I don’t want to mess around any longer. We’ve been going back and forward for a month.

@moving300m I really hope you get some answers too! The whole process is so stressful!!

We are meant to be completing on Thursday but still haven't exchanged as there is another issue with someone's land registry. This is the second time they have had to expedite it with them. So no idea if its actually going to happen.
I can't update utilities or book a van until its sorted. Very frustrating and our solicitors are useless at letting us know what's happening.
We are also renting which we gave notice to leave so are now in limbo. Hoping and praying it all gets sorted in time but not holding out hope.
There are only 3 of us in the chain and the middle couple were offered an undertaking to make sure it all went through on time but have refused!

I am reading all this updates and realising I entered this very naively as it seems like nothing goes as it should! I had been harbouring hopes of moving in October but I think I need to readjust my expectations. I wish we’d said carry on marketing until money was spent - we are on our second buyer (first offered within a week of going on market in March then pulled out after messing us about for a few weeks - never even got his solicitor details but agents had it marked SSTC and off the market), this time we said not to do that until memos were issued and all looked in order - but we are still a month on waiting for their solicitors to actually act. I’ve never bought/sold in a chain before and clearly underestimated how flipping complicated it all gets!

How long would you say is a normal period for someone to have a survey done after making an offer? Our buyers are cash buyers and made an offer after having brought a builder round. This was two months ago. The house wasn’t on the markets at the time. We came down a little from the asking. The house is old and needs some work, price reflects this. Their house is under offer. Came today after a long holiday and said they’d be getting a survey once theirs had sold. I said I’d prefer it done asap as the house would need to go on the market asap if they were to change their mind. They said “but you know we’ve a builder lined up ready to come in, and we are keen (I believe they are). I asked him if he meant à homebuyers survey, and he said if that’s what they’re called. I’m wondering if they actually meant surveys by solicitors?
wwyd?

@Gingercar one lower down our chain had a survey done after 13 weeks and then proceeded to get money off, I think a lot of people use this tactic as sellers are more pressured as everyone is further down the line. No advice unfortunately but this was our experience

Thanks. M wondering whether to tell them we want them to do surveys in the next fortnight or we’re going to put it on the market. They were desperate to see it and make an offer before it went on the market.

When we found our buyer, and our subsequent onward purchase, we were advised by both our solicitor and our agent that it is best practice for surveys to be done early. If there are any findings from them that need to be dealt with or sorted then it can be done while conveyancing enquiries are taking place, and we are waiting for searches to come back. This avoids unnecessary delays.

However, we are 3 months in and we haven't booked our onward survey because our buyers have not yet booked theirs on our property. We don't want to spend money on an expensive survey when our buyers haven't made that financial commitment to buying ours. Their reason is that they want all the conveyancing enquiries done first and have been told by their solicitor they are not to book a survey until last. We have pushed and pushed their solicitor to complete the enquiries and get surveys booked and they are being unbelievably slow. There is no sense of urgency there at all and we may now even lose our onward purchase because of this (but I realise that is another story)

This feels bonkers to me but we now think they will use that tactic of doing the survey last then using any little minor thing that may come up to renegotiate the asking price, knowing full well that we have taken months and spent money and when we are literally at the point of discussing dates and are desperate, they will have us over a barrel.

Its a proper shit tactic and everyone seems to be doing it now. Just when you think house buying and selling can't get any more dire and crap.

We are also thinking of telling them surveys within the next week or it goes back on the market.

We have no chain, so no surveys or anything to do on our side. We could complete next week. They have a buyer who was supposed to not have a chain, but now does. And now they’re talking about doing surveys “once our house is sold”. The more I think about it the more I think of telling them it’s going back on the market- they offered mid May. We have a solicitor engaged, but I guess all our forms and deeds are still there for the next buyer, even if we will lose a bit of money. I know this couple ADORE our house, it’s a one of a kind house (even with its issues). I think they would kick themselves.

We think we will give them a ring tomorrow. And I might have another estate agent out too!

Hearing about these tactics of leaving surveys to last to renegotiate is making me feel a bit ill. I can’t believe people do this. Our buyers have had 13 weeks and have not booked their survey. Their buyer (bottom of chain) is pushing for a completion date, so surely they’re risking losing their sale? If they try this the chain may well collapse because we are stretching to get our forever home, we don’t have any leeway for price reduction.

@Hermioninny I know it's a bit strange but not everybody opts for a survey - is this case here? I didn't - I was buying a 13 year old house - IMHO - the surveyor was not going to pick up alot. I would query with the EA why the Buyers weren't doing a survey. I was very upfront that I was not doing a survey to manage expectations.

This is what I hate about buying a house, always second guessing everyone's reasons. We complete this week and our buyer got a survey done really late, no price drop. I think they just didn't know what they were doing and the solicitor probably reminded them that they recommend you get one so they just did it. I keep reading statistically less people have surveys than do but doesn't seem to be the case here.

I totally agree, to be fair I think this link in our chain of 5 is the only one who had a survey out of a 5 link chain and our previous buyers never had a survey either, I think it’s so dependant on people and circumstances isn’t it. We haven’t had a survey on our onwards as it’s a new build so don’t know what it would tell us tbh

I realise that post makes no sense! I’ve barely slept as this house move is causing so much anxiety 😥