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?

Good luck @kirinm! We lost out on 2 houses before finding the one we’re buying and I genuinely thought at one point we’d never find something else we liked in our budget. I hope you get one of them.

Hope everyone is managing to have a good weekend despite the variation of stresses we all seem to have with this process.

Got the searches back this week from the conveyancers, nothing massively worrying just a few questions about drainage across the property. I asked when the survey was being done (we'd arranged for it to be through them as it's a service they offer), to be told they can't do it as they don't have capacity! Found this out on Friday afternoon so have spent the weekend leaving messages with companies asking for quotes. So irritating and I've been worrying all weekend that the sellers think we're holding them up since this was meant to be a quick sale.

Mine fell through after 6 months due to issues in the chain. My EA managed to get it back on RM as a new listing - otherwise it would have looked as if it been listed since February and an expectation that a low ball offer would be acceptable.

Offer 1 made. They are asking for a figure of between X1 and X2 (£50k difference between the two) in the sales particulars but we’ve offered figure X1 which is what they state is the guide price on RM 🙄. So far they’ve answered all of our questions really quickly as we’ve told them we will make an offer on another house if this is rejected. I also said our offer was the max we are willing to offer. I’m hoping we get an answer today as I’d like to make the second offer tomorrow if it’s rejected.

Good luck! It can be so hard when it's a long wait.
Our survey was done today. It's happening relatively late in the process because the building society said we had to have a damp and timber report, and so we did that first. I'm nervous of the survey outcome- there are some dodgy looking cracks and google thinks it's subsidence. I really don't know what we'll do if that's the case- we love the house so much but the sellers would have to bring down the price for us to be able to do the work. I hate doing that- I really don't like renegotiating, but subsidence is a biggie isn't it...
Hopefully I'm worrying about nothing and the survey will be fine!

Feeling really despondent. No response to our offer yet. I’m guessing the vendors want to leave the house on the market and see if they can get a better offer. If they want more they really should say that on the sales particulars instead of wasting our time. Again.

Just seen this thread

We listed ours in July, because we'd found one we really liked. Weren't allowed to offer on it as ours wasn't on the market, of course by the time we were on the market, it had gone

Been told 2 potentially coming up in that area, neither have currently materialised

We've viewed about 4, aside from the first one, none We've fallen in love with

Only had about 4 viewings of ours, no offers/second viewings

Had a few cancellations, including one where we'd tidied up etc that morning (we have a baby too) and we're sat outside ready (house cats i dont trust anyone not to let out etc) wondering where they are after about 15 minutes, got through to the office half an hour after they were due to arrive, to be told they cancelled in the week! Safe to say I sent a snotty email.

Its the utter arse ache of keeping everything fairly tidy and presentable. We were supposed to have a viewing tonight, just been told they've cancelled. Even more annoyingly, we were supposed to view one yesterday, but when waiting outside discovered the date had been put in wrong and it was due to be today. Which of course we emailed to rearrange thinking we'd be busy getting ours ready 🙄

There's nothing coming up either, those that are are out of budget, or the area is grim.

Feel like estate agents are all a bunch of crooks at this point

Being given the run around. Now they want proof that we can borrow what we’ve said we can borrow. We have our mortgage offer from our just fallen through purchase and the same lender is willing to lend us the amount we need. Broker doesn’t want to start getting AIPs because they’re pretty worthless compared to an actual offer. Also don’t really want to share the info we have from current lender as it shows we can borrow more and EA may then try and get us to increase.

EA said vendors are nervous but also that they have loads of viewings booked for Saturday. I suspect they’ll want to wait until then whilst also keeping us hanging. We are due to see it tomorrow and we will say that we will show them proof of what we can pay (beyond what we’ve already provided) only when they confirm the offer is accepted and the viewings on Saturday won’t go ahead.

They also said something about wanting surveys booked in and now I’m wondering if they’ll want that done before cancelling viewings - making it virtually impossible for us to do before the viewings on Saturday.

@kirinm urgh that sounds like a rubbish situation. Are you going to consider the other house instead? Or definitely want this one? It sounds like the EA and the vendor will be very difficult to be making so many demand so early in the process!

@ErlingHaalandsManBun how did you get on today?

We are still waiting for communication from the buyers solicitor. Feeling pretty fed up.

@moving300m oh god really? What the hell? I just don't get why they would say they want a reduction, then not respond to your reply on that. What does your EA say?

We had a really good meeting with the conveyancer today who was really, really helpful and we now know exactly what needs to be done. We will now put this in an email to our buyers and see if they wish to stay on board with the sale or not. Either way, we will be getting the title changes done that we have had suggested to us today ready for when we sell it again in the future.

@ErlingHaalandsManBun that sounds really promising that you are getting the practicalities sorted. Hopefully your buyers are still interested and you can proceed from here. Keep us posted.

EA is equally frustrated. The solicitor is responding to no one even our buyer apparently. This is definitely a very bad solicitor issue on their part.

@kirinm why would you not just offer on both so you know what all your options are? Is it likely that house number 2 will go while house number 1 are faffing about?

@NeverGoingToMove we did think about that but turns out we don’t have it in us. I spoke to the agent of the other house and they’ve had no offers so I think if we get a response to our offer on house 1 by Thursday then we will be okay. If the vendor on house 1 wants to allow the Saturday viewings we will just go with house 2.

Hope its okay to pop in here, really just need a place to vent!

Viewed a place at the weekend, put in a note of interest. Asked how much to take it off the market - they said they didn't have a specific number in mind. Communication is so slow between sellers and estate agents and solicitors. But today, someone's swooped in with an offer apparently so amazing that it's been taken off the market. We didn't even get time to put in a proper offer! What if it had been better?? Usually everything in the area we're looking at goes to a closing date, so of course the one we really, really loved seems to be first come, first served. So gutted. I'm not sure we'll find anything like it again, it ticked so many boxes.

@ErlingHaalandsManBun did you get any feedback from your buyers yet? Maybe a little soon given how long everything takes.

We finally got some communication between solicitors and are hopefully getting somewhere now. Having to compromise more than I’d like or think is fair but if we actually move I guess it’ll be worth it.

I’ve still been here lurking and completely empathise with all the frustrations, slow progress, chain collapses and the emotional turmoil of this process.

I hope I can shed hope as we have exchanged today. This has been a year long process and we too hve experienced chain collapsing and wondering if we can go through it all again.

for me the next anxiety is have we made the right decision, on paper the house we are moving to ticks so many boxes…biggest disadvantage is it’s not move in ready which I had hoped (probably an unrealistic hope)

wishing you all success in your journeys on this rollercoaster!!

@moving300m no news just yet. We have planned a call with them on Friday afternoon where they will tell us their thoughts on everything and if they are going to proceed. We are fine either way. We have made peace with it all.

Good to hear you have finally heard something and could soon get this sale moving again. Thank god for that! It's a shame you are having no choice but to compromise though. Its proper shit but I guess you need to keep in mind your end game, and that is to move.

Still waiting to see if our offer is accepted. The vendor wanted us to view it again to make sure we still like it (hadn’t seen it since Jan) and I’m glad we did. DP absolutely loves it but I’m not feeling optimistic as there was another couple viewing when we arrived and I can just imagine the EA calling them today asking if they intend on offering.

I’m hoping the vendors experience to date has made them really think about who they’re selling to but I think money still talks and if they’ve been told they can get over asking and they have viewings lined up at the weekend, they’ll want those to go ahead. We shall see but this week has felt mentally very difficult so far.

@ErlingHaalandsManBun let us know how it goes. And at least being ok either way takes the pressure and stress away.

Exactly, we could argue and end up losing out all together but it’s not really worth it at this stage. I guess that’s why people do this and fortunately we can just about afford to.

Offer accepted! Please let this be the last time we have to do this.

@kirinm yey that’s great. Hope it all works out for you.

Oooooh good luck! I think you'll be crossing your fingers until you get to exchange, but you have every chance of getting where you want to be with this one. Yay!

Hi is it okay if I join you please? Am selling my late parents home. Quite emotional because I’ve had to clear all their stuff, and there has been loads, got a house clearance company coming next week, then hopefully one more skip and it’s done. Has taken me a year, lots of help from my adult kids, lots of skips, trips to the dump etc. Cost me a small fortune, and I’ve been paying council tax, insurance, utilities etc since mum passed almost 18 months ago . I am feeling the strain on my MH. I’m their only child btw, and executor.

So that’s the background. House went on market early July. Realistic guide price. It’s in a sought after village in a conservation area. Got an offer within a week, silly starting offer but we negotiated, and they came up with an offer I accepted, about 10k below guide price. They had just sold their house to a ftb. So far, so good.

3 weeks ago the 3 solicitors suggested a completion date mid October. We all agreed we could meet this. Over a week ago, buyers solicitor said they were ready to exchange. This is when it started to concern me, because for 9 consecutive work days I have authorised exchange and it hasn’t happened. Also worrying is that it’s gone silent. I contacted my solicitor early this week for an update, and the response was we are aiming to exchange Wednesday (yesterday ). My estate agent has been good, chasing them too, and he was assured the same, exchange Wednesday. My solicitor then emailed me, short and to the point, “unable to exchange today, try tomorrow, will update you “. Today, radio silence, neither myself or EA have had any response from solicitors. I’ve chased mine, EA has chased mine and buyers, and buyers themselves, but nothing.

To add to this, my DD and her partner wanted to buy the house in June, but hadn’t put their property on the market, so we agreed that they would market theirs, and see what happens. They’ve just sold this week. They still want the property, but are going to move anyway, so now looking around.

Any advice welcome please. Should I assume the current sale isn’t happening, due to exchange delays and silence, or is this part of the process and normal? Should I bite the bullet, bin off the buyers and let my DD and partner buy?

Thank you for reading, sorry for the long post.

Were at top of chain
3rd in chain are delay delay
communication dead lock no solic will talk to any EA
the ea concerned will only communicate by email wtf
this has been going on-since april
our ea just gives us bs when she does call us
yes were chasing yes were emailing ...... blah blah blah
i know about GDPR and confidentiality
how can we put the urgency into some of these solic who takes weeks to respond to queries weeks to respond to questions weeks to even answer the phone its just ridiculous
any conveyancers on here ........
am at wits end

you mean pull out of your current sale to the Feb and sell to your DD instead? I think that would be a big risk. When you say they have “sold” this week do you mean completed so they’d be buying chain free or that they’ve accepted an offer?

I think delays of a few days in exchanging is no reason to pull out. You’ll be quicker sticking to your current chain than starting from scratch (not to mention it’s a bit mean to your current buyers to pull out just before exchange)

I agree though the communication or lack thereof is maddening!!