First time buyers help!

Kirstie93_2

Hi

Here is the timeline of things before I start:

Mortgage in principle (Halifax) 28/02/15
Viewing 03/03/15
Offer 04/03/15 (and accepted same day)
Meeting with MA 11/03/15 all checks passed
Valuation 23/03/15
Valuation received 25/03/15
Instructed solicitor 26/03/15 (paid for searches)
Draft contract arrives at solicitors 27/03/15
Enquiries sent 27/03/15
Meeting with MA 04/04/15


The meeting with the MA on Saturday was a complete waste of time as she just wanted to give us some quotes for home and life insurance (which turned out to be 3x as much as the quotes we already have). She said we should receive the mortgage offer at some point next week.

What I want to know is what has been happening at the bank between the 11th March when we were approved and now! Why does it take so long to offer something we have been approved for. It seems like this is the only thing we are waiting for to progress to exchange! I don't want the couple we are buying off to think we are wasting their time.

I work for a firm of solicitors so it is a lot easier and quicker with paperwork etc and don't have to rely on Royal Mail

Kirstie93_2

Kirstie93 wrote: »

Hi

Here is the timeline of things before I start:

Mortgage in principle (Halifax) 28/02/15
Viewing 03/03/15
Offer 04/03/15 (and accepted same day)
Meeting with MA 11/03/15 all checks passed
Valuation 23/03/15
Valuation received 25/03/15
Instructed solicitor 26/03/15 (paid for searches)
Draft contract arrives at solicitors 27/03/15
Enquiries sent 27/03/15
Meeting with MA 04/04/15
Enquiries back 08/04/15
Searches sent 08/04/15


The meeting with the MA on Saturday was a complete waste of time as she just wanted to give us some quotes for home and life insurance (which turned out to be 3x as much as the quotes we already have). She said we should receive the mortgage offer at some point next week.

What I want to know is what has been happening at the bank between the 11th March when we were approved and now! Why does it take so long to offer something we have been approved for. It seems like this is the only thing we are waiting for to progress to exchange! I don't want the couple we are buying off to think we are wasting their time.

I work for the solicitors that are doing the work so it is a lot easier and quicker with paperwork etc and don't have to rely on Royal Mail

Cheeky little bump

The searches were sent off this morning (how long do they take to come back)

Our solicitor called to update that she has received the enquiries back from the sellers and everything was fine and she was waiting for out mortgage offer before she sent the searches. I asked if she could do it now because we won't receive the offer until next week (the MA is on holiday until tomorrow) but everything is agreed so there are no problems with the mortgage!

kingstreet

If the valuation was back on 25 March, it should have been offered on about 27 March.

Was there anything else outstanding?

Our Halifax cases are being offered in about a week from the application being submitted.

Kirstie93_2

kingstreet wrote: »

If the valuation was back on 25 March, it should have been offered on about 27 March.

Was there anything else outstanding?

Our Halifax cases are being offered in about a week from the application being submitted.

Thanks for the reply. Nothing outstanding, everything was accepted when we submitted the application on 11th March and we arranged the valuation that day too. When we first spoke to the MA she said the valuation would take place 2-3 days after our meeting (it was more like week and a half) then we went to see her on Saturday (4th April) which we booked with her on 11th, and it was a complete waste of time and she said we should receive the offer some time next w/c 13th. I don't understand the delay between the mortgage being accepted and us receiving the formal offer!

kingstreet

Halifax has a mostly automated system.

DIP
v
Full application > valuation fee paid and valuer instructed
v
Documents requested immediately > documents supplied and approved
v
Colleys uses access details to book valuation inspection appointment
v
Valuation done and report returned to Halifax
v
Valuation approved > case goes to offer.

It's pretty foolproof. The only areas for delay are the time it takes to obtain and provide documentation and for the surveyor to do the inspection and get the report back.

Either way, valuation back 25 March and not yet offered on 8 April is not usual. Estate agency advisor?

Kirstie93_2

kingstreet wrote: »

Halifax has a mostly automated system.

DIP
v
Full application > valuation fee paid and valuer instructed
v
Documents requested immediately > documents supplied and approved
v
Colleys uses access details to book valuation inspection appointment
v
Valuation done and report returned to Halifax
v
Valuation approved > case goes to offer.

It's pretty foolproof. The only areas for delay are the time it takes to obtain and provide documentation and for the surveyor to do the inspection and get the report back.

Either way, valuation back 25 March and not yet offered on 8 April is not usual. Estate agency advisor?

Would it be beneficial for me to ring the Halifax and try and find out what is happening?

kingstreet

Beneficial?

I would certainly hope so!

We'd be having very, very pointed conversations with our lender contacts if cases were taking that long when there was no obvious reason.

Kirstie93_2

kingstreet wrote: »

Beneficial?

I would certainly hope so!

We'd be having very, very pointed conversations with our lender contacts if cases were taking that long when there was no obvious reason.

Just got off the phone. It is still showing as a mortgage promise on the system so the MA hasn't updated anything since 11th March. Apparently they do all there own processing at the branch we are using. She is on holiday and back tomorrow. There aren't even any notes to say the valuation has been done:mad:

Kirstie93_2

Kirstie93 wrote: »

Hi

Here is the timeline of things before I start:

Mortgage in principle (Halifax) 28/02/15
Viewing 03/03/15
Offer 04/03/15 (and accepted same day)
Meeting with MA 11/03/15 all checks passed
Valuation 23/03/15
Valuation received 25/03/15
Instructed solicitor 26/03/15 (paid for searches)
Draft contract arrives at solicitors 27/03/15
Enquiries sent 27/03/15
Meeting with MA 04/04/15
Enquiries back 08/04/15
Searches sent 08/04/15
Mortgage offer 09/04/15 (Should receive next week)

Hopefully the mortgage offer and searches come back at same time

Kirstie93_2

UPDATE

MA emailed us on 9/4 to say she had passed the case to a colleague and we will receive the offer in the post this week (w/c 13/04)

How much longer can it possibly take!!

Kirstie93_2

Feeling so fed up of it all today! I emailed the mortgage adviser to ask if she could give me an estimate for receiving the offer and this is what I got back:

Hi Kirstie
You and the solicitor should have it within the next 48 hours
Thanks

We received the valuation back on 25th March, so heaven only knows what she has been doing since then :mad:

We just feel like we will never get into our new home, everyday is getting harder and harder to live at home with parents and not living together!!

Can anyone shed any light on how long we should expect to wait after we have got the offer and the searches are back (these were sent of 8th April)

Thank you