Moving in less than 2 weeks and still not exchanged

[rebl]

I'm going ever so slightly mad with stress. The whole chain, including our nightmare vendors, are saying that they are AIMING for the 27th November for completion but they also said they were AIMING for exchange on Friday and that came and went with no contact from further up the chain. I'm getting very very worried about this. I have 2 young children (3.5yrs twins), one with special needs who isn't coping at all with the impending move and has become very very aggressive (biting, punching, pushing, pinching etc) and one who is now just crying at everything and is a struggle to get her to leave the house in case her toys have gone when we get back. I've promised her that her toys won't go and tried to explain to her but she's just 3.5yrs and doesn't understand and is just screaming with shear panic everytime we leave.

I've got no choice but to start packing with the proposed date being less than 2 weeks away so I can't hide the fact from them. But then I've not even been able to book the removal men and storage because the completion date isn't set in stone because we've not exchanged. So I'm worried that I'm not even going to be able to get anyone to move us when it comes to it.

I can't arrange the childcare needed for the move until exchange because once booked then I can't cancel or change the dates without loosing all my money. The same goes for the cats and the cattery.

I don't know what to do. I've tried to collapse the chain and they didn't let it collapse so I believe the awkward people do want to sell but I just wonder when they want to move. I feel like we are just being told what they think we want to hear, not the truth. As for our buyers, they're still being relaxed as ever but they came this weekend and measured up and they're clearly so excited and their solicitor has told them 27th for completion. We've not exchanged on our sale yet as the solicitor doesn't want to without exchanging on the purchase but we can't loose these buyers.

What a total stress and mess.

We exchanged and completed within 24 hours! Like you we couldn't get the vendors to commit, but just carried on assuming that it would happen so booked the removals van etc. In fact our furniture was half loaded in the van before we exchanged, as it was a pack and load one day, then move it and unpack the next.

Our vendors were moving due to financial reasons and I think the wife just tried to pretend it wasn't going to happen, so didn't do anything. When we arrived at the house they were still packing and did not remove everything for a few days - they just put it in the garage.

But it did all work out fine in the end.

The solicitor has today told my husband that we'll be lucky if we're in by Christmas. The EA has told me that we'll be in on the 27th . They still can't get their story straight. Honestly, I've had enough of this.

we have exchanged and completed on same day once, and exchanged and completed within 24 hours before.
It is very possible.

do not fret.

don't panic, last time we moved we exchanged on the thursday, moved on the sunday. it was stressful it all being done at the last minute, (and down to the others in the chain, not us!), but it is do-able.

What a horrible situation.... poor you. We were similarly mucked about, didn't know our completion date until two days before hand. One word of warning about quick exchange/completion dates, make sure your solicitor has enough time to draw down funds from your mortgage for your purchase because if you don't deliver the funds for your purchase on the completion date, you will be in breach of contract and have to pay a fine. My solicitor said she needed to have five days between exchange and completion for that reason. Maybe she was being ultra cautious but it's something to keep an eye on.

I hope it all sorts itself out... you really have my sympathies after the move from hell I've had.

I would call your solicitor and see what they think, as they often know a lot more than EA.

Also, see if they know what the hold up is.

Do you have contact details ofr the vendors? You could ask them direct.

Our last removal company pencilled us in for 2 different dates and seemed happy to do so. The cattery may do the same as it's probably not a busy time of year.

Hope it all goes ok

Do you have to move on 27th November? From experience, nothing is set in stone until you exchange. I'm sure you'll be able to negotiate a completion date 3 or 4 weeks later if that's the amount of time you need - no ones going to pull out at this late stage over a few days!

I know its stressful moving (believe me it took 18 months to sell my flat!), but you will get there in the end. If you're not in by christmas it's not the end of the world!

There is no way I'm going to exchange and complete on the same day. I can't deal with that and the kids and the childcare issue. Its very expensive just to put them in nursery in the vague hope that this date is to believed. Plus we are a 2 day move anyway.

jay11 I wish that not in by Christmas wasn't the end of the world. If we're not in by the 18th December I can't apply to the correct school and even if you discount that date if we don't complete by Christmas our buyers have to pay stamp duty which they currently don't have to pay and even if we find the money to cover that (which I can tell you we can't) then our mortgage offer expires just 2 working days later. So we have to be in by Christmas otherwise its the end, no can do, no mortgage. Thats the bottom line.

rebl poor you this sounds so stressful.

Can you call solicitors and say exchange has to be this Friday or you are pulling out? That gives you 5 working days.

Do you have a sense of what the hold up actually is? The EA should be pushing the vendors.

We exchanged and completed on the same day. I think it is becoming increasingly common tbh. It doesn't make it any less stressful though.

susie100 The hold up is mr and mrs swine flu (as they are now known to us!). We are couple number 2, we're buying from ms number 3 and she is buying from divorsing couple number 4 (Mr and mrs swine flu). Mr and Mrs swine flu have just come out with excuse after excuse (one being that they didn't return forms to their solicitors for 10 weeks because she had swine flu - hence their name!!). The current hold up is that Mr and Mrs swine flu haven't answered their precontract questions yet. So basically they're holding up the whole chain which has been putting up with their antics since July. We're loosing patience with them and now running out of time. Our vendor (ms number 3) is a wimp and doesn't do pressurizing and just is happy to let it all fall apart as far as I can tell.

bloody hell, sorry rebl! Keeping fingers crossed for you.

What a nightmare! Sounds as though this one will run and run.

Could you suggest buying from couple number 3 and breaking they chain and they move into rented? I know you have tried in the past but perhaps if there is an ultimatum?

If pre contract questions have not been answered then the conveyancing process has barely begun and it is likely to take a few weeks I would think!

Nightmare. We had the same problem and I asked the EA to physically go and sit with the sellers and help her fill out the forms (she took 7 weeks!)

I now know why we get different answers to the same sodding question and why I feel like we're being lied to. Couple number 4 (Mr and Mrs Swine flu who are divorsing) aren't divorsing amicably, they can't even agree to get the conveyancing done through 1 solicitor. They're using 2 solicitors to do the conveyancing . Hardly surprising its taking an age.

Susie100 We have already suggested to number 3 that they go into rented and she refuses to. I like the idea of getting the EA to go and sit with them to fill in the forms.

Give them an ultimatum - say you either exchange by a certain date or you are pulling out. If you do pull out but still sell to your buyers, have you seen any potential houses to rent in the catchment area?

I fully sympathise with you, we were supposed toexchange today but the Vendor #3 (there are 3 in our chain & we are #1) tried at the last minute to delay the agreed completion date - he is such an ar*e - but it now looks like exchange will happen tomorrow with the original agreed date. Ugh!

(((rebl)))

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Update. Yesterday we got a call from the cattery, they needed confirming for next week. So we then rang the removal firm we were going to use and they just laughed saying that next Friday is one of the busiest of the year and needed to have been booked a while ago. Then rang 4 others, no one can move us. So we're not moving next Friday, end of story! The rest of the chain have messed us around so much that this time we're going to dictate something. Hopefully this will mean there is another week for the chain to sort their lifes out and we can exchange with 10 days to spare before the move. All the removal companies can do the 4th at the moment, they said its normally quiet the 1st Friday of the month.

Best of luck with it, we are still being messed around. I cannot believe how chaotic and disorganised some people are.

I'm in exactly the same position as you rebl.

We had a deadline for exchange yesterday (set by us) which came and went and we're due to move on the 4th December.

Our solicitor is laid back about the whole thing whilst I'm getting more than a little tense and pushing everyone to make things happen.

Haven't started packing yet either aaaaargh!

I keep telling myself that it will happen, we will move and everything will be fine (to the point I'm starting to look like a blithering idiot....)

Sallypuss Its not nice is it. I can't believe that people think that they can just mess with others lives like this.

Our situation hasn't changed. No call from the solicitor so looks like we've not exchanged today either. No way are we completing next week now. I have got 2 removal companies that we can afford that can move us on 4th so that would be a better date for us now but if we don't exchange then I can't book them and then they might not be available by the time we can book them.

Tomorrow we are into the week that our vendors are AIMING for completion at the end of. Well, we won't be completing this week, you should see my house LOL! We've been away this weekend and so not ready for moving on so many fronts (main one being no removal company can move us). Still NO sign of exchange either so I'm really glad now that I didn't book anything for moving on Friday.

So guess that makes us now definatly shifting it to 4th December. I'm desperate to get things organised now and book removal company etc but dh won't let me yet so I've spent money on wallpaper for the kids bedrooms instead!

Wonder what tomorrow will bring? Will there be exchange or am I seeing those flying pigs again?

Good luck with this, we are in exactly the same situation it is so frustrating.
Let us know how you get on.

Must have seen the flying pigs last night! No sign of exchange today. Our solicitor can't get hold of our vendors solicitor. I wish I knew when to book things for, its doing my head in.

susie any news from you or just still sitting, waiting, and getting very frustrated?

Exactly! Vendor emailed me yesterday (she is very sweet) and it is clear her solicitor is about 2 days behind the rest of the world in terms of communicating with her so I am taking the direct route!

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