The NEW waiting to exchange thread...

ohdarn

Natbag said:

I think the problem is that with lockdown, working from home and the cramped situation we're in currently, it's just making this whole wait so much more stressful. I probably need to just try not think about, maybe stay away from here for a few days, as it's driving me mad. The whole process is a total b1tch.

Yes it seems to make it worse. We've been packed ready to go since January, my wife is working from home and trying to do a degree course at th same time, but with no table to work at and the kids at home it's somewhat difficult.

Now the kids have returned to school, we have an epic school run every morning as they've started at the school over at the new house.

Having a break works if you can switch off, I've been finding that playing video games in the evening works well to try and forget it.
About half the time it works.

Wren14

Why do you have to get shorty to get the estate agents to do anything!?
After being fobbed off by our EA about our buyers mortgage for 6 weeks I finally sent an email saying I wanted an update. She came back with they want a new mining interpretive report and electrical safety certificate at our expense. 
I told her in no uncertain terms that I would not be paying for anything else as they are already getting a huge £16,000 reduction off the original agreed purchase price. I also pointed out that there is no legal requirement for an electrical certificate when selling; it is only for landlords when renting. Also reminded them that I had supplied the Interpretive Mining Report from when I purchased 4 years ago so if they wanted another one they would have to pay for it.
Lo and behold an hour later they will forget a new electric certificate and pay for the mining report themselves. 
I feel that without me getting shirty with them they would have just allowed this to drag on indefinitely.
Would love to know exactly what the sales progressor at the EA gets paid for, as far as I can see she only reacts to things when pushed.
Rant over! 

Natbag

It's just a joke. I can't get an answer from anyone, and certainly not a straight one. Data protection means I can't get any information at all on why my ex's purchase is holding up my purchase and for how long - even though he's told me about the issue himself. Surely, if I was just any other party in the chain, I would be given basic information. All I want to know is how long the issue might take to resolve and when we can look to exchange, realistically. That's not a lot to ask!
It's the same for us, working from home with a tiny desk wedged into our bedroom and my boyfriend shivering in the conservatory. We are living in a very small 3-bedroom house with six of us here on some days - my flat tenancy ended before our joint purchase completed, so I've ended up moving into my boyfriend's house for what was temporarily (or so I thought), and if we have both sets of kids over it's absolute chaos. They vary in age, no-one has their own space and opportunities to get out and escape the four walls are still so limited.

chloeH95

Anyone else find it extremely annoying that solicitors never inform you of time frames as to how long things will take?? 

E.g they received the enquiries answer All I was told was yes they got them and they would be reviewed and we would be updated! 

I’m sure if they just put “I am aiming to get this completed by 5 working days” it would stop a lot of chasing emails from clients 😩

dungabeagle

Woo! My title report is here! It’s about a million pages long! Exciting! 

Going to read it all over before my partner gets home & get the gist of it to go through with him (he will read it too! But I’m a smidge more legally minded) then we get to find a witness! Thankfully a good friend of ours lives a 2 minute walk away so we should be able to stand in their garden & be witnessed! 

Natbag

@chloeH95 - yes, absolutely this. It really shouldn't be so difficult.
@dungabeagle - exciting! Definitely have a full read through, get everything signed and drop it back in person if you can. Saying that, we got ours a fortnight ago, dropped it back the next working day, and we haven't progressed at all due to an outstanding enquiry elsewhere.  

Dadto3Boys

So how often should you get any update from once solicitors have been instructed - both sides? No updates from being instructed 
Buyers solicitors instructed on 2nd March and not heard anything - normal?
Our solicitors, only instructed on 23rd March, not so concerned.

We had the Survey back and main things are:
Essentially the boiler isn't working - now found not regularly serviced ... ok to ask them to get done asap?
Some windows don't close properly/fully - a real bug bear in our current house. 
Chimney stack cracked and damp spots on inside of the roof.
All 3s on utilities and unable to access - so will have to have a punt on if we think it looks ok (we are no experts)

Any advice on what we could ask, what is fair?
Get people to quote for fixing, I know a 1950's house isn't going to perfect but keen to avoid any issues down the line.

GoingOn30

Hi all,

Dadto3boys - You should have had an update by now I would have thought, worth chasing I think!
The boiler I think you could reasonably ask them to do something about since this wouldn't have been evident on viewings, but what you can ask for in general depends on how strong a position you're in. How much do you want this particular house? Was the house on the market a long time before you offered on it? How fast is the market moving in that area? Did the survey valuation match the agreed sale price?


I am wondering do solicitors usually wait until you have a mortgage approved before they apply for local authority searches? I know these are taking a long time atm so keen that our solicitors apply for them asap 
Our sellers had completed and returned the property information forms to their solicitors by Tuesday morning so I'm hoping that our solicitors will receive the draft contract soon, so I want to make sure there's nothing that then will be holding back our solicitors from applying for the searches once they receive it! Thanks in advance

amyr

We are edging closer to exchange... Our buyer put their offer in in the first week of March, there's no chain, and their searches are due back within 10 days...

However... Despite the fact that from the very start of the sale we'd been incredibly clear we wanted a quick sale which completes before the end of April (we must have told our solicitor this at least five times), only today have they told our buyer and their solicitor. Super frustrating!

As our buyer is in rented accommodation, this should really have been communicated much sooner given notice periods etc...

firsttimesellerldn

ohdarn said:

Natbag said:

I think the problem is that with lockdown, working from home and the cramped situation we're in currently, it's just making this whole wait so much more stressful. I probably need to just try not think about, maybe stay away from here for a few days, as it's driving me mad. The whole process is a total b1tch.

Yes it seems to make it worse. We've been packed ready to go since January, my wife is working from home and trying to do a degree course at th same time, but with no table to work at and the kids at home it's somewhat difficult.

Now the kids have returned to school, we have an epic school run every morning as they've started at the school over at the new house.

Having a break works if you can switch off, I've been finding that playing video games in the evening works well to try and forget it.
About half the time it works.

Definitely agree that lockdown makes it all more stressful. Me and my partner have both been working from our one bed flat for a year. Whilst we’re privileged to be able to work from home it’s certainly been rather testing.