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?

It's entirely possible if as you say the property is empty and no chain. Ten years ago when I bought my first house my offer wasn't accepted until the first week of September and we were in a few days before Xmas, similar situation to yours. But this assumes surveys etc don't throw up any big issues your way.

My purchase was having the survey done today which is great. Missed a call from the estate agent (who is never available when I call her back) that the seller's solicitors havnt heard from mine about the searches. I know they were finished almost 2 weeks ago and my solicitor said they would put queries across so why they haven't I've no idea. Sent a rocket their way, I don't want this being a cause of holding up the purchase. I'm hoping to get the keys and move my mum in before Xmas if I can...fingers crossed

My parents' cash purchase went through in 7 weeks. I'd say with good solicitors and an efficient mortgage lender it can be done.

100 days til Christmas today. Definitely feasible.

We’re being held up by our buyer’s local searches.
Our buyer is a cash buyer in rented accommodation, we’re also cash buyers and have reserved a new build. The house builder’s target for exchange was this week with completion next week, we accepted the offer on our house and made the reservation six weeks ago.

The searches for the house we’re buying came back quickly.
Our solicitor has been on the ball, everything on our side is done and we signed our contracts for both the sale and purchase three weeks ago. Our buyer’s solicitor has been out of office and unavailable for a number of days over a period of three weeks, and enqueries they raised were answered immediately by us and then sat in their inbox for almost two weeks. They’ve even sent paperwork for our buyer to our address.

We’re due to complete next week which will be 14 weeks from our offer on our purchase being accepted. We had an exceptionally long wait for our mortgage offer (9 weeks!), delays over summer due to solicitors on holiday, and then unnecessary delays the last 2 weeks, so with fewer components in the chain I’d say it’s definitely possible. I think I’d be letting all parties (EA and solicitors) know now though and really keep on top of them.

We’re finally going to sign our contracts tomorrow, I’m not sure the completion date is set in stone but our buyers go on holiday the end of next week so it better be. I’ve managed to sort out a new removals firm as the one we paid a deposit to now can’t fit us in. We still have 75% of the house to pack up before the van starts loading Monday morning, I’m in work the rest of this week. No idea how we’ll manage but we will!

One of our school friends is considering buying the house we’ve just pulled out of. I’m finding it really weirdly anxiety inducing / upsetting. Is that weird?

I guess we invested heavily both financially and emotionally into the house for 6 months so even though we were the ones who walked away, I’m still somewhat invested.

Our mortgage offer took a long time too - although turned out to be irrelevant!. But congratulations!!

Ooof I'd find that very weird indeed. I think it's the fact that in your mind, you had moved in, decided on bedrooms, kitchen decor, etc. And that never materialised, and now you might be under pressure to go there and see it again as if you've never imagined living there. A bit like if your best mate started going out with your ex situationship!

I'm biting my nails here a bit. Our survey was last Monday and we haven't had the report yet. It says ten business days, so I think next Monday will be the last possible day for it to come through. I'm anxious that it will say there's subsidence, due to some cracks in walls... It's a doer upper, and I'm ready for damp proofing, electrics, new septic tank etc but subsidence is a different ball game.
Also, I contacted my solicitor via email two and a half weeks ago, anxious that I haven't had the paperwork from the sellers. She replied saying that the forms have just come through, and she was drafting a letter to me. But I've had nothing! I'm prepared for slow-ish solicitors, but 2 and a half weeks seems like a lot...

Ours was 8 weeks to the day back in Feb/March so it can be done. 4 of us in the chain but think we all had decent Solicitors and no one encountered any major issues.

Contract on our purchase is signed, we ended up having to sign power of attorney for our solicitor to sign our sale contract on our behalf as it hadn’t been released by our buyers solicitor in time, which makes me nervous! But I’m trying to stay positive so sorted our new house insurance, confirmed removals and booked a deep clean. I’ve entirely lost my appetite which isn’t helping with emptying the freezer.

Completion will be exactly 6 months to the day of going on the market, I can’t believe the end is in sight.

We are a week in with no draft contract. Not feeling optimistic!

Hi all, I posted on these threads back in March time and then I dropped off because I was so stressed with the whole process, I just wanted to forget about it!
Anyway I just wanted to bob my head back in and share our timeline as we have now FINALLY exchanged.

March 2024 - house on RightMove
September 2024 - sale agreed on our property and found onward property

December 2024 - has to pull out of onward purchase due to multiple multiple issues coming up in searches and survey

2 weeks later - found out forever home and agreed a sale

April 2025 - our buyer (rightfully so) pulled out as fed up of waiting. Issue with Land Registry on onward purchase and a ridiculously slow solicitor = months of frustration

May 2025 - sold our house to new buyers

September 2025 - exchange, and we are all complete end of Sept

I just want to say that even when it seems completely impossible, it is possible and to keep going. I wholeheartedly understand every stress, worry, limbo feeling and frustration that comes with this process. It feels like you are moving at the slowest slowest pace, no one is answering calls or emails and the amount of people at work, at school run, neighbours who asked me - any news on the house? nearly sent me over the edge!!

Keep going!!!!!!!!!

It took us 3 months to get a draft contract (put in offer in April, accepted in May and we still haven’t exchanged). I think a week would be very optimistic indeed. Is it a very straightforward purchase? Is the seller very motivated?

The seller is now in rented as they moved away for schools. They’ve had two sales fall through so they should have paperwork ready. The agreement was that we all work to a December completion (we are also currently in rented after selling our place earlier this year). But yeah, I think a week is probably a bit too optimistic.

3 months for a draft contract is insane unless there is a chain which was incomplete when you offered?

We’re a chain of 5 which formed very quickly, the problem has been that our seller’s solicitor has been completely useless (in fact the original person left and I don’t think the firm put anyone else on the case for about six weeks, and only then a trainee) - which is unlucky but not something you as a buyer can control. That’s why I asked how motivated the seller is, because you’re completely reliant on them to chase their own solicitor. Hopefully they will but if they’re already in the area and started at the school now I guess there is not so much pressure on them to get the sale through.

Well, except they’re paying a mortgage and rent in two expensive cities!

Congratulations, I hope all goes well with the move! Good to know it does sometimes have a happy ending!

Our mortgage application seems to have gone smoothly. Broker thinks we should have an offer next week.

Draft contracts received and I’ve paid for searches. This has made more progress in a week than our last purchase made in about 3 months.

Signed the contracts- was expecting exchange on Friday, but now the “compliance team” have found two further issues with the power of attorney of the people who are selling the house we are purchasing.
I feel so I’m limbo!!! I can’t book removals as I don’t have a date, but if it’s all sorted then I think it’s likely we will have a week between exchange and completion - do people normally manage to find removals in that short space of time?

Hi all, joining in if I can?
Accepted an offer on our house in July, buyer living with family so no chain. Found a dream house and had offer accepted in August, house is empty so no chain. Challenging bit is we're moving from north to south so it will be a big physical move. So far everything has been going ok, and last week, EA of the house I am buying told me he expected we would get exchange dates sorted by the end of this week...
Then over the weekend I got an email from our solicitor saying the house we are buying was underpinned in 1992. I know nothing about underpinning only that it is something you don't want! I've spent the weekend trawling the internet for info, today I'm going to contact surveyor, EA, mortgage advisor etc to try and find things out - but what are people's thoughts? Does anyone have experience with this? I'm going to be devastated if I lose the house and I'm also annoyed I've only found out about the underpinning now!

We are buying a house with a recent subsidence claim. The main issue is making sure the lender will lend and that you can obtain insurance at a reasonable premium with an excess or no more than £1k for subsidence.

the house we are buying didn’t need underpinning - it was drains related - but an underpinned property is more secure than one that hasn’t been.

There will be lots of people telling you to walk away but if the house hasn’t moved since 1992 it’s going to be okay.

Just popping on as been a few weeks since last updated....Sadly no update at all! Our buyer is still hanging in there (we accepted offer e/o July) and our seller (accepted our offer s/o August, but had a previous buyer before us so technically been proceedable since v early July) still hasn't found onward purchase and as far as I can tell isn't even viewing any.

I totally understand it takes time to find the suitable onward purchase, but they've had ~12wks being proceedable to put offers in etc. and it just feels they're not serious sellers at all.

No we're no further forward. DH now getting frustrated about the whole thing and is considering extending our existing home instead, and everything feels totally up in the air!

We feel like we’re in limbo waiting for exchange and completion.
The date that was being mentioned for completion was the 26th but the buyer’s local searches didn’t arrive with their solicitor until the end of last week so that ruled out the 26th as they needed reviewing before anything else could happen. The building company we’re buying from have now suggested next Tuesday, the 30th, but as yet exchange hasn’t taken place and our buyer was only being issued paperwork to ‘review’ last Thursday so I think we’re starting to cut it fine for the 30th too.

We signed the contracts for both the sale and our purchase over three weeks ago.

Same here @MadisonAvenue. Contracts signed at end of August with suggested completion for 19th September but hold up with our buyer and now we have no new date.
Our solicitor is getting nowhere with buyer's solicitor.
Hugely frustrating. Don't know whether to carry on packing or not.
Our sellers have gone all quiet after pushing for a date in September.
Very worried it's all going to fall apart.