The torment of waiting for exchange

[THNG5]

We were supposed to exchange today. No news all morning. By 1pm, I called my solicitor who was very relaxed(!). He checked our mortgage is through and said let's get this done. At 4:30pm, he called to say he couldn't get hold of the solicitor at the bottom and it's too late now and we'll try again tomorrow. I was so stunned and angry, I was lost for words. We're supposed to complete and move on Friday! To point to this post. Just need a rant. If it's not done by tomorrow morning, we'll have to change the completion date as I need to reschedule the movers 48 hours before. Ahhh!!

We once exchanged and completed on the same day. Exciting times! 🤪🤪🤪

It was also June 2021 - the last day of the Covid stamp duty relief. Not stressful at all! 🤣

Yes OP it was awful - moving house is in the top 5 of stressful life events. We were due to exchange at the end of August last year but we eventually moved in October. It was one thing after another.

I moved on Friday 2nd October and with all the back and forth up and down the chain it was exchange and completion on the Friday. We got here, I'm now telling people how smoothly it went 😂

Yep we were supposed to exchange last week, everyone in the chain agreed a completion date. Now apprently some legal thing about right off way on one of the properties in the chain has cropped up, so we have to wait, l will need to postpone removal company , its all a bit nerve wracking l am never moving again.

In my (admittedly limited) experience, removal companies are extremely flexible and are able to accommodate delays.

I feel for you THNG5.
We’ve been waiting 8 weeks to exchange, the seller’s solicitor keeps prevaricating, but won’t say what their issue is with the forward purchase. Our solicitor is now pushing for a time line and an exchange date. Fortunately we are not reliant on selling a property.
I think someone in the forward chain is wanting to see if Stamp Duty is affected by next week’s budget.
Fingers crossed for everyone.

I was due to exchange this Monday. The buyer has changed their lender!

Hope it works out OP. This kind of thing is a good reason to leave a few weeks between exchange and completion, as used to happen. Fingers crossed for Friday.

It’s very very stressful, but don’t be ‘stunned’ by conveyance solicitors having this attitude. They do it all day every day.

Another week passes by! Yawn.

we waited 16 weeks to exchange, each weekend is tough when you hear nothing. Even when we were told on the Tues we would exchange the Friday, by 2pm id heard nothing. Rang the solicitor and he denied exchange then rang me back and said yes we are exchanging. Honestly emotions are all over the place. Lots of swearing. Within 1 hour we had exchanged. What makes me laugh is after all that time they say its legally binding and to be out by 1pm nov 9th. Just like that. That made me chuckle. Not congrats you made it through a shit show, get packing. Just get out.

Some good news! DH bumped into our seller at an event this morning, Mr seller deliberately went over to DH to apologise for the delay. They are also frustrated as their onward purchase’s solicitor seems to be incompetent and the seller of that house has missed out bits of vital information.
Mr seller is going to voice his annoyance with those involved next week, so we will see!