to those buying in these difficult times! AKA buyers support network

mistrihelen

Well my smugness was short-lived.

The solicitor is still being slow and doing things in the wrong order. We have signed contracts, but he has not exchanged them as he is trying to arrange stuff from the bank that he doesn't need to do until after exchange. Natwest have told us they do not send out the info he is waiting for, but he doesn't seem to get it.

The sellers are now telling us that unless we complete by Tuesday it is all over. I don't believe them (they have forced this date upon us with little notice - we are paying extra to accommodate them, plus it would take ages to get a new buyer), but I am still incredibly worried.

We have now 'ordered' the solicitor to exchange, but we can't actually physically make him. I am five months' pregnant and had been letting my husband do all the chasing to reduce my stress, but I feel like a complete powerless mess now.

Purpletopaz

Oh Mistrihelen!

Surley everything is in place once you exchange and can complete any time, even the same day! which is what my Solicitor told me, seems odd that he is delaying things! Really feel for you!

I was hoping the we would hear today if the exchange would happen tomorrow or not, but guess what??? the snow seems to have kept the solicitors from the office they have had an answer machine on all day! My Hubby got to work 20 miles away in our old banger!!! Cant believe it!!!!!

i have to send the LL notice tomorrow as the 14th is our rent day!! and thats sunday!

I plan to stay in this house ( once we move in ) For a very long time and will only leave in a box IYKWIM!

Good Luck!!!

Astara

I really hope you exchange tomorrow purpletopaz! It must be nerve wracking for you what with the weather again! I had a survey done on the new property that I was feeling excited about and guess what there's a problem with the roof! Today I just felt quite low with it all but kept telling myself it will all work out.

Purpletopaz

Oh Astara Hopefully you can resolve the situation!

We didnt exchange! Called the Sols twice on friday first they told my hubby they had rejected the dates! I asked him why he said I dont know! Called them again, she said its all in my letter! We have had no mail since tuesday! Apparently the vendors Sols are witing for some enquiries on the house they are buying to come back! Which was news to us as on January the 8th the EAs told us that they were ready to go and had everything in place! SO Annoying

I was annoyed with the solicitor why didnt they just phone me! I asked her too! Anyway I checked my last Tenancy agreement and for some reason the landlord dated it to run from the 16th! So I have a couple more days, we tried to call them, ended up texting they are away, so will have a chat with them tomorrow see how flexible they will be,

Good lcuk everyone hop alls going well!

mistrihelen

Hi again,

My situation resolved itself fortunately, we eventually exchanged on Thursday and will (hopefully!) be completing tomorrow. Just have to get stamp duty and legal fees over to the solicitor via CHAPS today. Getting excited now to see the house again (last saw in November...).

We rent so will still have rental house until end of March, so I suspect it's going to be a few weeks before we move in fully. Can't wait though

Purpletopaz - hope you get to exchange soon. I really think the bits at the end are the worst for the tense waiting.

Astra - I always dread getting surveys in but hopefully it will be relatively straightforward to sort out.

And good luck to everyone else, too

Astara

Hope you can sort it out Purpletopaz! And really pleased for you mistrihelen. I am feeling like I'm losing the plot - is doesn't look like I can go ahead with the property I've offered on because of the low valuation and results of the survey and the seller won't reduce the price. I really liked the area but there is not much on in that area. I will now be looking at a house in a different area tomorrow that's had a lot of interest and I'm beginning to feel desperate which is not a good look!! Ant advice on how to stay cool?

Milliewilly

Was interested in this as a knock down rebuild. Last week it was at £258K cash offer. Now gone to the dreaded sealed bids! Argh!

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-24626197.html?includeSSTC=true&_includeSSTC=on&pageNumber=6&backToListURL=%2Fproperty-for-sale%2FDore.html%3FincludeSSTC%3Dtrue%26_includeSSTC%3Don%26index%3D50

forumgrazer

first time post but lurking has been an invaluable support. Venting here so that I don't annoy my colleagues any further and I hope contribute something to the network... going to be a long one I'm afraid - probably should have started posting earlier.

OH and I got married in May 09 and I was finally able to join him in London 2 months after the event - changing jobs in construction industry in the middle of the recession was never going to be easy.

Managed to sell up my flat in July/August 09 - completed just before BH with leave to empty the flat on the Sat - and sold hubby's flat in August/Sept 09. Lots of back stories to this including getting gazundered on mine the day we accepted on his so were over a barrel... (luckily only £3k) and writing off 2 cars during the first flat move. So by Oct 09 we are chain free, living with Sister in Law and looking at 70% LTV

At present we're cautiously optimistic but given history still nervous.

Sep 09
Having seen about 20 properties, fairly cheeky offers on 7-8 we go back to a fairly shabby Ground/basement maisonette in v.central location. Vendor hasn't had any offers so we go for just over 10% under asking. Vendor accepts but says she's in a chain... turns out this is in her dreams and actually the BtL won't sell to her as she had thought. We're stuck waiting until she can find something else. We start looking again.

Nov 09
Many properties later we see several on one weekend - 3 offers, 2 rejected and 1 sealed bids. Our offer is accepted even though £2k lower as good chain free position. We are told chain free and hope for pre xmas exchange.

3 days later we are 'given opportunity' to have first refusal as other bidder comes back offering £4k more ie £6k over our accepted offer. Reluctantly we agree to match but make it clear that this is not on.

10 days after offer and the day before valuation we get told their chain has fallen through!!! We ask what chain?.... Turns out that they had cash to move into new property but were planning to then port their mortgage later. Now it transpires that their purchase fell through and with ERC of £15k! (1 year into 5 year fix) they need to find somewhere new to buy... in Dec.

We wait patiently and urgently scour for new properties for them with no success. We prepare plan B (actually plan C but who's counting)

Jan 10
Good weekend and see 3/4 good properties - place offers on and are rejected on 2 but by being brave on first bids for 3rd we secure an offer at nearly £30k less than house 2... next day we hear that house 2 withdraws their sale so its all go with the new one.

Following Monday, their EA calmly says 'oh we had a bit of a week there...' the other bidder, having given up on the day when we bid over asking, came back with an offer £15k over asking (that's £10k over us) Thank G we seem to have the only honorable people in London and they didn't even ask us to match it!

Then 3 weeks of faff-ing with the Woolwich Indian call centres and we are almost there with a formal offer - valuation came back as expected - I guess with an offer amde £10k over us it hopefully wasn't going to be a problem... At the moment we're waiting for our last months bank statements to be put in front of the underwriters for them to tick their boxes.

Anyway hope I haven't jinxed it by posting. Hopefully I'll have more news in forthcoming weeks but I don't hold out hope for getting in before Easter. Thanks for reading...

tiggerjj

Hey guys
Havent been around for a while, far too busy working.

Got good news this afternoon, sols said that the whole lease freehold is ok, turns out the vendors bought the leasehold and then later the freehold, somehow it all got confused in land registry. Apparently all they have to do is to get land registry to take it off the records and issue a new release saying what it shoud.

So now i can start everything...woohoo...mortgage and surveys gonna start and the searches. Now waiting for the next hurdle!!!

purple topaz, ahhh i really feel for you.....

everyone else, sorry at work so cant rpely properly just enough time for a quick update!

good luck guys!

Purpletopaz

Oh seems all are tootling along slowly! - nothing today for me!

Mistrihelen OMG how exciting for you! Gosh hope all goes well on the completion! I totally understnad about seeing the house again! I keep looking at the pics of mine but I cant remeber what the doors are like etc....

Astara - shame on the property that you looked at and i dont understand the sellers surely they know that the problems will show up again. I have seen more properties come on this week in my area it may be picking up now- so hope you can find something - erm advice on staying cool! When we looked at the house we are buying I just wanted to shout " give it to me " LOL I just loved it, so no help from me! Sorry!! i just prattled on about why they were moving and traffic and stuff like that!!!!

Tiggerjj WOHOO glad they worked it through finally! Hope all your searches and survey good well!

Forumgrazer - wow you have ben through the mill too! A couple of people on the thread have been through it, It must be so hard!!! fingers crossed for you!

MMM---- i called the LL today and explained to them the situation, he said they would be flexible if there are any probs and we need to stay a while longer! So thats good news, so I sent the notice to them ( yes i know i should wait ) we have been good tenants 9+ years I think he was a little shocked! still hoping we can exchange this week! And complete on the original planned date!

Hey we may be mad fighting to put ourselves in so much debt!!!!!! But It will be MINE!