Contacting seller directly after offer acceptance

kingstreet

ric1982 wrote: »

Q2. Is it ok to contact (push) seller's solicitor to get the things going (again the EA is most unreliable)?

You have a memorandum of sale, otherwise you wouldn't know the vendor's solicitor. Not a lot more the EA can do from then.

The next step is the issue of a draft contract by the vendor's solicitor to your solicitor. If the vendor's solicitor has not yet been able to do this, it's probably because they don't have the necessary information from the vendor to be able to prepare one.

Either way, you have no direct communication with the vendor's solicitor and they will tell you that if you attempt it.

arbrighton

As kingstreet says, cannot communicate with vendor's sol. We did have telephone contact with our vendors towards exchange as we were both so frustrated with their conveyancers (NOT SOLS!) who were holding things up (he did actually refuse to exchange on one day despite being instructed to do so then pushed the next morning for it to happen!). Plus we arranged between ourselves that we would ask for funds to be send the day before and held to order so completion could happen first thing since they were moving some distance

movilogo

It all depends on type of people you are dealing with.

First time I bought house, the seller was very helpful and he showed us personally and including how to operate intruder alarms, kitchen appliances etc. He also gave me his mobile number.

Second time I bought house, the seller refused to give her number and asked me to go via EA all the time.

Now I'm selling my first house and buyer didn't ask my details (I engaged an online EA). I am receiving all queries via EA/solicitor.

ric1982

Majority of responses I am getting here is that don't contact directly and go everything via solicitor.

The dilemma I am in is that it takes time to go things via solicitor and advise I got from this forum is that don't spend any money (as in my case as its tenanted) unless its vacant or you get certain assurance via solicitors (for vacant date etc).

If I leave the process (Searches/Surveys) etc for too long then Seller is going to doubt my intention of purchasing this property and also they (seller/EA) would want to push the sale and at some point start asking me about howz mortgage app/searches/surveys going etc..

Going back to the original question, considering that seller is happy to get in touch with me directly, I am still replying on sellers to about vacant date etc (which he/she might or might now have control over).

I am not very good at this (as you might have already figured this out by now) and my confusion is increasing (with anxiety) day by day.

Jhoney_2

Why not write a letter to vendors EA and cc your solicitors (so there is an air of formality about it and your own solicitor gets a polite nudge too). Ask your queries and mention your readiness to do searches etc, but express your concern that Vendor may think you are losing interest, however nothing has been received from their solicitor to move things forward. Get them all onto it, that's why they are paid.

phoebe1989seb

Hoploz wrote: »

But I will NEVER enter into any discussions directly again, it all goes through a third party so there are NO misunderstandings.

You'd have thought so, but in our experience, it was going through the EA that complicated matters and almost caused the chain to collapse.....

In this particular case in 2011 it was a misunderstanding over a relatively expensive (£2k) range cooker. The stupid EA got his Agas confused with his Rangemasters and our buyers were about to walk a couple of days before exchange. Fortunately as we had each other's contact details we were able to reach a satisfactory conclusion by talking it out amongst ourselves. The EA who had caused the problem was ultimately useless.

In our most recent sale during late 2014 we found keeping in almost daily contact via email with our buyers once again saved the day and helped speed up the process. Our EA (a different firm in a different part of the country from the previous idiots), whilst helpful, were short-staffed and lacking in time to devote to holding things together when someone further down the chain starting playing silly s0ds.....

It doesn't suit everyone, admittedly, but it has worked for us twice now

agrinnall

ric1982 wrote: »

Majority of responses I am getting here is that don't contact directly and go everything via solicitor.

The dilemma I am in is that it takes time to go things via solicitor and advise I got from this forum is that don't spend any money (as in my case as its tenanted) unless its vacant or you get certain assurance via solicitors (for vacant date etc).

If I leave the process (Searches/Surveys) etc for too long then Seller is going to doubt my intention of purchasing this property and also they (seller/EA) would want to push the sale and at some point start asking me about howz mortgage app/searches/surveys going etc..

Going back to the original question, considering that seller is happy to get in touch with me directly, I am still replying on sellers to about vacant date etc (which he/she might or might now have control over).

I am not very good at this (as you might have already figured this out by now) and my confusion is increasing (with anxiety) day by day.

The advice you refer to is right though, you shouldn't spend anything until the tenants are gone, and the seller should understand that. It could be months before that happens, and it's entirely out of your control, so you need to relax and let things happen at the pace that they happen - once the seller has vacant possession then you can try to speed things up.

The one thing that I would want to know now is that the S21 has been issued, if it hasn't then you're in for a long wait.

Personally I'd be using the time to look at what else is available without tenants.