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

RacyRed

Astara wrote: »

Hi RacyRed

Definitely look for something else. I was in a similar situation to you where it was dragging on and I saw another house which was in fact the perfect house but still had a loyalty to the other one and lost out. Then the sellers of the first one pulled out. I haven't actually seen another house as good as that one and often think about it but I guess it wasn't meant to be but don't lose out like I did. I'm still looking and may decide not to move because there is so little decent around.

Thanks for that sound advice Astara. It really feels as if buyers are right at the bottom of the heap in this house buying lark, doesn't it?

Astara

It's a funny old time at the mo but hopefully it will work out for us all one way or another!

Doshwaster

Things still going smoothly with me - in fact I'm worried they are going too smoothly.

Mortgage approved yesterday :j
Home Buyers Report pointed out a few problems - some of which I knew. I was initially alarmed when I first read it, but these surveyors have to be pessimistic by nature to cover their liability
Environmental search OK
Solicitor has the draft contracts so should have an exchange date arranged soon.

The next thing to sort out is house insurance. I got a quote from my mortgage broker but their prices were ridiculous - I got better ones within 2 minutes of going online.

LE3

Oooh - I just found this thread - may I join you?
I made the offer Monday, had it accepted on Tuesday, had a family friend do a survey for me Thursday which was fine so it's full steam ahead!
I have instructed the solicitor this morning and have an appt to complete the mortgage application next week (very disappointed that I can't get that appt any sooner but hopefully it will not cause any major delays)

forumgrazer

Good Luck LE3... hopefully you'll do better than the rest of us at the moment. A week since exchange and we have to start transferring funds around now to get them into one place in time. Silly thing is I'm locked down in one joint account and prevented from transferring out because DH forgot his pin and the only way to get to the money at the moment without the palaver of new pins etc is to close the account completely; a transaction that perversely I'm not locked out of.

Anyway for the time being we're trying to be sensible on ebay and not buy too much stuff until we're sat in our new house and can tell what will go with what. Will be stalking the house again this evening and weekend to show friends & family - at last we can actually do this without worrying it'll all fall apart.

Good luck to all x

Doshwaster

Spent this afternoon running up and down the High Street between bank, solicitor, estate agent, insurance agent and mortgage advisor (and polling station!) but I have now exchanged contracts! :j

I'm pleased I went for all local services as it wold have surely taken longer if everything had to be done by post and call centre.
Off to the pub for a well deserved few beers. :beer:

forumgrazer

:beer: yey Doshwaster!

doesn't that feel better... hope you've not too long before completion. Glad I've got this forum of a record to remind me just how painful its really been otherwise with the euphoria of exchange I'd be prepared to do this again... for the moment I don't know about you but I can't wait to be in now...

Synonymous

Hi everyone!

I definitely need a rant! The stress is beginning now for me and as a first time buyer its tough!

My HB survey flagged up a few things which meant getting four contractors out to look at the house - they advised to have all gas appliances and central heating checked and tested also lead piping in water system investigated, all electrics tested and quotes for upgrading to current regs, a dormer roof checking, and a timber specialist.

So I got some recommendations from friends and the contractors started ringing the estate agent today. As a result of this, the vendor has asked for a copy of my survey. He told the plumber that the only section of lead piping goes under a concrete floor, I've spoken to both the plumber and the surveyor who both said (obviously) this is irrelevant and not a good excuse not to remove it or reroute the pipework. But the message the EA left me said he was adamant there was no lead piping in the property?!

I relayed all this to my solicitor who confirmed my gut reaction that they can't have a copy of my very expensive survey, and said not to even quote sections to them, so I'll be emailing the EA about that in a minute.

Ha, it seems quite a small thing now that I've written it down! But I've spent most of the day on the phone to various people, and have been struggling with the timber specialist until the surveyor clarified it for me today and panicking that I was taking too long with things. I'm also conscious that the more money I spend on their house before it is mine, the more I'm setting myself up for a fall if they pull out. I seem to have an irrational fear, almost a conviction that they are going to pull out of the sale and leave me in the lurch. I'm also stressing about when to give my month's notice on my current rental!

Phew! I feel better now, everyone says its stressful, but I never realised all the doubt and uncertainty and almost distrust I feel about whether or not the sale will happen

RacyRed

Synonymous wrote: »

I'm also conscious that the more money I spend on their house before it is mine, the more I'm setting myself up for a fall if they pull out. I seem to have an irrational fear, almost a conviction that they are going to pull out of the sale and leave me in the lurch.

Phew! I feel better now, everyone says its stressful, but I never realised all the doubt and uncertainty and almost distrust I feel about whether or not the sale will happen

I really feel for you Synonymous. It is a horrible experience isn't it? You took those bits I've quoted right out of my mouth! I'm going round the bend with my purchase and it should be so straightforward. :mad:

9 weeks since offer accepted now, I've got my contract in front of me for signature but it looks as if the whole thing is going to collapse. The vendor's solicitor doesn't seem to know which way is up. My solicitor is having to redraft documents into an acceptable form. I trust my guy, he wants to get it right for me but is experience enough to take a view on some issues, we haven't been insisting that every i is dotted or t crossed, just the important ones.

I had a survey done but I'd not had a mortgage lenders valuation report done before because I didn't need it, but the niggling fear that I am paying an overly generous price made me get one done this week.

It turns out that a 90% mortgage on the property would only realise 70% of the agreed price. The vendors appear to think I'm some sort of "bank of buyer" and that every small additional cost that comes up (including ones legitimately theirs) should be be my responsibility and have now gone one too far.

Now I'm just full of doubt about the whole thing and am seriously considering walking away from the deal because of an argument about a couple of hundred quid! I've suggested that we meet half-way on the extra costs but have not had a response yet. I'm getting so fed up I'm half expecting a call to tell me they have received a higher offer. I just don't trust the vendors anymore.

Sorry, I know that I cannot properly explain the whole situation here but am so fed up and just really need a rant. I'm so wound up I'm sure my own judgement is unreliable now.

If you made it all the way through this, thanks for reading this horrible ramble.

Forgot to add, we STILL don't have target dates for exchange or completion either!

marlasinger

Can I join in?

We are very early on in the process (ie. viewed our first houses yesterday), and I am already feeling a bit stressed. We have been tracking a few houses on RightMove and were convinced that the two we viewed would be ideal houses, but we were a bit mistaken. :mad: One is extremely run down, and would need a hell of a lot of work, while the other one was just a bit 'meh'. Nothing jumped out at us, and I'd always thought that any house we view would have some great features, but I just feel lukewarm about them at best.

Part of the problem is our budget. We aren't going to get a fantastic house, and we aren't expecting to....but I just thought I would 'feel' something a bit more emotional (aside from disappointment ), when viewing. We are viewing another one today, and I'm going to line up a few more for next week, but for some reason I feel in a bit of a slump about it, and not really excited, which is what I should be feeling. :eek:

And because of our low-ish budget (at least for the area), should we snap up the first decent house we can find, or should we keep waiting for something that we 'fall in love with'? Or is the whole 'falling in love with a house' thing a bit of a myth?

Can anyone empathise?

marlasinger