Spring house selling/buying support thread

[PyjamasForever]

After quite a lengthy time on the market I finally have an offer on my house and have had an offer accepted on a house I want to buy. I’m feeling a bit uncertain it will happen with the current financial situation and wondered if anyone else in a similar position wanted a thread for a bit of moral support?!

We’ve instructed solicitors, filled out our TA6 and TA10 forms, applied for a mortgage and have some documents to send them… I then find the next bit the hardest bit about buying and selling when you have all those uncertain weeks with searches/surveys etc and it could all fall apart at any minute!

@daisychain01 whats in the buyers pack because it hasn't moved our buyers along. EA says our buyers have to do everything face to face with solicitor so we might exchange after christmas 😂 (not funny).

@KrankyKumquat we are downsizing, not retired yet but I had a neck injury a few yrs ago so its forced our hand to downsize sooner. We will eventually be cashbuyers when this sale goes through and as we will be in temp accommodation, I thought if we bought a empty home it would be quicker but reading your experience maybe not.

@InOut2023 aww feel for you. What a nightmare. Would you consider backing out. Problem you have is seller is unlikely to do a top notch job more of a temp fix to get the sale and you will be left with the probs down the line. Do you love the house enough to want to pay for a new roof? All houses are risks but that is an expensive risk.

@Downsizerboomer sounds like yours will be soon enough and Im glad things are progressing for you. We are downsizing and we are in our 50,s, said to my husband imagine doing this in our 70,s, it bloody hard work.

As for imagining pulling out/sale falling through, I think everyone goes through this. Im still thinking if my buyer pulls out then at least I can feel settled. Currently I feel like a suck record saying " I think we might exchange this week" 😂

It's possibly difficult for your vendors to know how much to reduce the price by, and feel they have more control if they do the roof repair themselves.

my only advice is make sure they provide some form of documentation so you know it hasn't been done on the cheap by a cowboy who will disappear off the face of the earth if you ask searching questions. You need to know what was the actual roof problem and what solution they've put in place. If they're cagey about it you know they're trying to pull a fast one. In their position I'd be really transparent, ensuring I give my purchaser the comfort factor they need. It may also be worth getting the surveyor who did the survey for you, to revisit the property after the repairs and get them to report back to you that they assess it as fully resolved. Might cost you a few more quid but very well worth it. Caveat emptor with all these things!

I’m 74 so very glad I didn’t leave it any longer. I have been living on my own in a rural area for five years now and I am moving to somewhere a bit busier with actual shops and good public transport so I think it will be a good thing!

Regarding my roof I let my buyer send three roofers to quote for the work and then we discussed what would be a reasonable reduction that was fair to both of us. I was here when the roofers visited and heard everything they said so it did feel fair

whats in the buyers pack because it hasn't moved our buyers along. EA says our buyers have to do everything face to face with solicitor so we might exchange after christmas 😂 (not funny).

From memory it was a failed initiative from 2007, so I just checked on Google and I've copied the info below, apparently they are coming back in digital form. Comoleting after .Christmas is much more civilised 😊

Providing a buyer’s pack in advance is currently just routine conveyancing work and is not yet a mandatory step before listing a property.

Your memory is spot on. You are thinking of Home Information Packs (HIPs). Introduced by the government in 2007, HIPs legally required sellers to provide property information upfront. However, they faced intense backlash from estate agents and sellers, were heavily blamed for stifling the market, and were ultimately scrapped and abolished in 2010. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Because HIPs failed, the UK reverted to its traditional routine: properties are listed first, and the "buyer's pack" is only compiled by the seller's solicitor after an offer has been accepted. [6]

The Rules Are Changing
A major policy shift is underway. The government published the Home Buying and Selling Reform Roadmap on GOV.UK. [7]
The government plans to reintroduce mandatory upfront "sales packs" to stop transactions from falling through late in the process. The planned transition follows this timeline: [2, 8]

Current Phase: Voluntary adoption. The government is working with estate agents and the property sector to trial standard, digital versions of these packs. [6, 9]
Future Phase (Targeted by the end of this Parliament): The government intends to introduce official legislation making sales packs legally mandatory at the point of listing a property. [7, 8]

The modern version will rely heavily on digital logbooks and AI-assisted conveyancing to avoid the expensive, paper-heavy red tape that ruined HIPs years ago. [10, 11]
Are you asking because you are preparing to sell a property soon, or are you currently in the process of buying one?

[1] https://www.gov.uk
[2] https://thenegotiator.co.uk
[3] https://www.theguardian.com
[4] https://www.theguardian.com
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org
[6] https://www.tlt.com
[7] https://www.gov.uk
[8] https://www.legalfutures.co.uk
[9] https://plmsalesandlettings.co.uk
[10] https://www.lawsociety.org.uk
[11] https://www.burdward.co.uk

Well done you, that sounds like great timing for you, x

Looks like things are moving this week. After an extremely busy weekend, packing, going to the skip, arguing with other half 😂. 7.30am msg from EA 😲. Buyers want to complete 2nd week of oct, so I take it they want to exchange this week. That's not guaranteed tho because EA says she thinks buyers are nearly ready ?????

It's quite common now to only have a week between exchange and completion according to our removals company. Makes things interesting when you are trying to get things booked in for your move 😕

No we have organised 4 weeks between exchange and completion because we said we would cut the chain but we need time to find somewhere to live etc.

Well we still havent exchanged and now theres been a message from the buyer at the bottom of the chain that if 'the chain' does not stop putting pressure on for exchange that they will pull out.
Lovely.

omg what f nightmare, whats the hold up then. Why they dragging their heels.

Absolutely no idea. We were under the impression it was the solicitor being slow. Hope to god the buyer isnt getting cold feet at this late stage in the game.
I feel absolutely sick.

Whats your estate agent saying surely they know what is happening in the chain. Ask your solicitor to send letter stating that zero pressure is being applied but we are entitled to know what the hell is going on. Other people have lives as well. So many exchange dates have come and gone. There is alot of money involved for him to throw his toys out of the pram. He needs to grow the hell up. If he says hes waiting on surveys etc or money then at least the chain knows. Its called common decency. Funny how when people communicate effectively all this "pushing" will go away. I'd be fuming.

As far as I know it is simply just waiting for the solicitor to review. We have all signed our contracts and as far I know the bottom buyer was signing theirs Friday. Everything is done, we are not waiting on anything as far as I know. Our EA has backed off now so we'll just sit tight and let it play out. All I hope is this isnt some last minute play to reduce the price of our buyers property. Because they will no doubt come up to us to also reduce in line or part in line.

That happened to us yrs ago wanted 15k off the house, told him we couldnt and foreward chain wouldn't reduce or share costs so the chain collapsed. This is why we decided to go into rental this time. Hopefully as his solicitor is slow buyer is struggling and trying to pin him down to review to get this resolved. This pussy footing with not wanting to pressure people is bollocks, he is buying a house not deciding to go on a night out ffs. Stop all the cloak and dagger shit, the chain wants to know what is going on. Surely the estate agent can contact his solicitor to ask what the hold up is ffs, there is no pressure on him then.

The solicitor rarely answers emails or the phone, hence the buyer is getting the pressure. Im also hoping that its just the buyer also feeling frustrated that the solicitor is slow and its simply out of his hands. On pins now!

@WWBWBapparently DC trying to buy with no chain since first week May reports similar seller solicitor frustration. Feel your pain. Hope injured DH faring better.

Possibly that then, hes getting it off EA. Fingers crossed for you. Mind I dont know why people aren't just honest. If hes struggling to get solicitor just say. Then at least the chain can breathe and not worry its something else. If hes working full time as well its hard to drop things at a moments notice. As hes threatening to pull out that doesnt sound like a person who is trying to get money off. Those sorts of people love the game and power, not threaten to pull out, he sounds genuinely stressed with it all.

Still waiting to exchange, or even a date to exchange. I signed about a week ago. Apparently they are not ‘ready’. Am trying to get clarification from solicitor as to what that actually means, as it feels like a stalling tactic, if they have got cold feet and looking elsewhere. Everything is done, surveys, post-survey renegotiation, new mortgage approval.

It’s incredibly stressful, as I have already booked the council to take furniture away that I don’t need, and don’t want to lose the slot as I won’t get it again for about 6 weeks, but equally don’t want to give away furniture that I need, if the sale falls through.

Thankfully not in a chain but bloody hell, I wish we could at least get to exchange, so I can get on with all the logistics of going into rental, and finding a new house to buy.

@LivingLounge omg I feel your pain, my short lived elation has now turned to anger. Just come off the phone to my solicitor and he,s heard nothing about exchange this week. In fact hes not heard from them for over 2 weeks. We signed about a month ago. Told him about my msg and he said their solicitor has to confirm it with him first and we will decide if its enough time for you. He's great my solicitor.
The limbo tho is starting to grate. Ive also got to organise a rental with 2 dogs which is going to be hard, we have to sort removers, storage, all the admin. I need to get settled. Not sleeping through stress, bickering with hubby over trying to find future property but yet again dont want to take any more on until exchange. Everything is hinged on exchange. Its been radio silence for 2 weeks. Wth are these solicitors doing. As I said before this js the worst conveyancing ever. Ive had zero info, I still never had confirmation if my buyer has their mortgage. I guess they do if the are talking about exchange dates. Literally its been all guess work. They never replied to my solicitor despite his asking. Everyone is saying its exciting, but all I want to do is cry. This will def be my last move. I was so angry at the last meeting with solicitor that I stipulated I extended completion date, how the hell can I organise my family when im not privy to how the chain is progressing. Ive a son and be dammed will I be forced out. They can wait on me now until im ready.

Another one here in limbo. Our buyer's solicitor (who has been lying and blagging his way through this entire process) contacted our solicitor to start talking completion dates. That was last week, but we have heard nothing despite a same-day response from our side. Then, to our surprise, there are contracts still left unsigned re our purchase. I am now fearful that we won't complete when we intended. EA is chasing both sides today. Our solicitors chased yesterday. We are getting removal quotes but whats the feckin point if we have no firm date. We need to move by a fixed date, so this is getting stressful.

IF we get through this, I really want to offer our solicitors a wonderful parting gift for their excellent service/communication since day 1 (aka, doing their job reasonably). They have been excellent and are the driving force behind the progression of our small chain (they came recommended by our EA, which could have been problematic).

@2longinthetooth you signed a month ago? I seriously think the anxiety will kill me if this drags on much longer. I’m in the same position with pets, and needing a rental and storage. The EA has now said they will chase as well, my solicitor hasn’t responded. I loathe my solicitor’s office, they are rude. When I drop off documents they either leave me standing at reception or take them at the door. I have a feeling my ‘solicitor’ doesn’t even live locally, and just has a team of admin doing the bulk of the work. When I last bought and sold I used a local solicitor who has now retired - we met at his office a couple of times, he asked loads of questions, he was really helpful and thorough. I may as well have gone through a conveyancing factory and paid far less given the service I’ve had this time.

@GlaceCherryFromThePast feel for you too! What’s with all the long silences all over the place, it’s so hard to know what is happening.

I thought my solicitor was ok but in hindsight I can see all their focus has been on our sale rather than our purchase (I'm wondering if this is because they were recommended by our selling EA). Everything has been done quickly and efficiently and we signed about a month ago. In contrast, apart from us getting the survey and searches done ASAP and AML checks, nothing much has happened on our purchase, emails about it aren't replied to, and suddenly there's an issue with deeds which has to go to Land Registry - surely they'd have got them right at the beginning? So we've a date for completing sale but no idea on date for purchase, just shrugs about chances of getting everything done on the same day and how we avoid becoming homeless.

Personally conveyancing has gone backwards and people just havent got any common sense. Even the solicitors. Asking us stupid questions we have no way of knowing, like do drains go over other properties wtf. How the hell am I supposed to know that. They had a drain survey mind ffs. My solicitor is like let them consult their survey.
@LivingLounge omg the process is bad enough, let alone having rude solicitors. Its not as tho they are cheap either. The solicitor is the only thing I lucked out on, everything else is dismal. Mostly im p!ssed with the lack of communication and info sharing, like im not involved. Ive had fantastic EA in the past but this one you,d swear was working for the buyer. Zero info from them. Deep breaths Its going to be a bumpy ride. Im literally taking it day by day.

@KrankyKumquat That is super stressful, at least we know we are going into a rental and have known since the start, but in your situation you planned to go into your forward property. To spring it on you now last minute would send me into a right panic. Big hugs to you and again deep breaths.

Another day of silence here and as the buyer at the bottom is calling the shots with threats of pulling out there’s absolutely nothing we can do. Feel like calling his bluff and saying ‘go on then’