How many times did you attempt to exchange?

[UndertheMapleTree]

Please send me cheering stories to distract from my current grump at estate agents. We’ve tried to exchange twice now - the first time fell through because it turned out the buyers above us needed a whole new mortgage offer after a renegotiation over price and the EA hadn’t even mentioned this, and then this week - a week later - it fell through when it turned out there were still outstanding queries at the top.

The pushiest of the estate agents (who are handling our sale and the one above) are claiming the solicitors misled them but they are now refusing to give any sense of how many queries remain so we’re feeling rather grumpy.

Please reassure me with your stories of protracted exchanges that then all beautifully fell into place!

Why are you attempting to exchange before the whole chain has confirmed they are ready to exchange? Is there a lack of communication in the chain?

It happened when I bought and sold last year. The EA of the house we were buying went out to the whole chain and had set an exchange date for the following week without telling us. They then phoned us.
I just laughed and said no chance, we still have X Y and Z outstanding before we can exchange. They then had to sheepishly go out to the rest of the chain again to tell them it wasn’t possible.

Why is the EA managing it? You need to communicate with your solicitor who needs to seek clarity from your vendor's and purchaser's solicitors.

Exactly. One thing I learnt when selling
my first flat is to ignore what the estate agents say, and speak the solicitors to understand the correct position.

Oh yeah we’re not listening to the EA at all any more! But we were also told by our solicitor that we were going to be exchanging on Tues, not the EA. I wish I knew who was miss communicating!

Our solicitor isn’t great tbh - before anyone asks it it a reputable local solicitor, not a conveyancing factory - and we’ve already had to complain to his boss when he just refused point blank to reply to messages from us for about the first month. He now acknowledges emails (a result!) but doesn’t seem to be actively engaged in the process at all. So basically I am just a bit tired and frustrated.

Write to the solicitor and ask what is preventing exchange at various points in the chain and ask for a full response in 10 working days. It may be that the chain is becoming unviable. How long is it?

When I bought earlier in the year, it had already been a long protracted process. I had buyers so keen on my house they'd waited a whole year to get it, while I was waiting for the property I wanted to buy to be vacated. At the end, although we were trying to do it all together, I'd promised my buyers to be out by a certain date - was even prepared to break the chain if necessary. Everything was in place (or so I thought), all I needed was to view the property on exchange day - check it was completely cleared, phone solicitor and boom. Did all that, and suddenly my buyers produced some last minute drainage queries out of nowhere. Then an unexpected letter changing the management company for my purchase arrived... This was a Friday and it all got sorted the following week and we were able to complete on the original date agreed, but it was a hairy few days!

Never been more than one 'attempt'? I, and people I know well enough to be involved every step of the way (😂) have always had a confirmation from all solicitors in the chain that they're ready, agreed a date and gone ahead.

Ach, I was hoping you’d all make me feel better not worse!

The last time I moved we had a brilliant conveyancer and everything was sorted, absolutely straightforward. This time… Our solicitor was the one in contact saying we would be exchanging for the second time this Tues, then we heard from the estate agents that there were all these issues at the top of the chain right at the end of the day, not the solicitor.

I’ll take small comfort from hearing it isn’t unusual and therefore we’re allowed to find it frustrating!

You have to abandon all hopes of cliinging on to your sanity when buying/selling! Good luck, nothing in yours sounds like it can't be sorted so I really hope you'll get there this week. :-)

We had 2 failed exchanges then the 3rd day it finally happened. To do with people being out the office unexpectedly I think it was.

We had two attempts at exchange before we managed to exchange. First we had agreed a date, called our solicitors at midday to find out what was happening as we’d heard nothing. Our buyers solicitor had let things expire and not realised until that day. Second time, we set a date and the chain further up had a last minute spat about something.

We exchanged the third time with no hiccups but it did feel really flat. It didn’t really feel real until about day 3 in the new house when I was mostly sure it couldn’t go wrong.

By the way, we used a conveyancing machine type place and had absolutely no issues with our conveyancers (others in the chain is a different matter). With a previous purchase we used a local and well recommended solicitor and they were terrible. It’s just luck of the draw as to whether you get someone who gives a shit about doing a good job.