Conveyancing- Stressful

Jitterbug123

Hello,

I am probably being overly concerned, but everything so far has gone well so I thought I'd see what the wise people of MSE think.

I have put an offer in on a property, the valuation had taken place, and I have had full approval for the mortgage.

I instructed solicitors, and they requested the contract from the seller's solicitor on the 13th May. I have chased them a few times to find out if it has been received, so that searches can be undertaken etc, but it still hasn't arrived with them.

I contacted the EA when I got the full mortgage approval, and also informed them that my solicitors were still awaiting the contract. I also said I had noticed that the property was still listed on their website.

Now, they said they'd remove the listing, or mark it as sold STC but they have not done so yet. Additionally, my solicitor has still not received the seller's contract.

I am concerned that the seller wishes to keep the property listed in the hopes that they will get a higher offer. Is there anything more I can do to push the sellers to send the contract over, or is it likely their solicitors are just slow?

Thanks for reading!

dinosaur7

I've only ever been involved in buying 2 houses - once when I got married and then one move 10 years later - and I've sworn never again! It's horrid. No one seems to do what they say they will do, everything takes longer than you expect and no amount of pushing seems to have any effect! That's been my experience...and both sales went perfectly well with no real problems...but it felt nightmarish!

Hang in there and try not to stress. If your move is anything like mine, you will get to the point where you've just about given up all hope of anything happening and the phone will ring with an instruction to get in to the solicitors to sign the contract and get your removal van on standby because it's happening this week.

Meanwhile, wine and chocolate might not be the healthiest way to cope, but personally I'd recommend it . Good luck with your move!

Jitterbug123

Thank you. It's good to know that it's generally a tricky business. I thought once the mortgage stuff had gone through (as a FTB and under new MMR) then I'd feel at ease. Sadly not!

Richard_Webster

I've already said this in another post today - but did OP ask the sellers whether they were buying on and, if so, what they were looking for? (What they are looking for may give an indication of how realistic their expectations are.) Also why are they moving? Again if the reasons are vague they may change their minds.

Sellers very often see little point in instructing solicitors until they have found something to buy because the process will not go any quicker if they do because their purchase (and any onward purchase beyond that) will dictate timescales.