The NEW waiting to exchange thread...

FtbEmz

birdmadgirl8 said:

FtbEmz said:

Anyone know what documentation this will be? We’ve already signed the solicitors paperwork.

As a FTB I’m still not 100% sure as to how this all works. The property is empty (it was the sellers parents who sadly passed), we have no chain so hoping we can set a completion date for first week of June. Does that sound reasonable time to get everything in order? 

Documents should be details of property you're buying, plus fixtures & fittings (what stays, what goes). As for how long...there is no guessing this. It depends on results of search, efficiency of solicitors, agents, etc. Has your vacant property been through probate? Hopefully yes to that question, as probate can really delay things. Good luck with it all.

Thank you. That’s very helpful. Yes, it’s been through probate. 

birdmadgirl8

@FtbEmz That's good news. All sounds quite straightforward for you ☺️

birdmadgirl8

CLJ2986 said:

Hi all, reading the latest updates on here has left me with some questions. Since we've only just got our mortgage offer after 2 months I haven't really been in touch with the solicitors and they have raised queries with the seller according to my online tracking portal. Should I know what these are? Also it says all searches are recieved but my first email from them last week said one search is outstanding... should I query why I'm being told two different things or is that just normal? 

Thanks all! 

You don't necessarily need to know Qs they've asked, as it's probably legal stuff that they can sort for you. There are quite a few types of search they need to do, so sounds like there's one they're waiting on. When all searches are back you should ask for copy to make sure there's nothing you want them to raise on your behalf though. Have you seen results of survey? You might have Qs arising from that too. I would definitely contact solicitor to check on all this. You've hardly been pestering them. Good luck!

Drem1992

We're still stuck on the enquiries, I don't know exactly what the solicitors have asked, is that normal? Am I allowed to ask what enquiries they have raised? I'm guessing a few of them relate to our survey which they have a copy of.
On Monday last week they just said they'd sent enquiries the week before and were still waiting on a response from the vendor. 
I'm just getting bored now, I'm so fed up of our tiny 2 bed rented flat, because of lockdown there's so little to do at the moment and I really wish we could be in our house painting walls and digging up the garden already!
I know I'm being inpatient because we're only 10 weeks in and comparatively that seems very quick, I suppose I was hoping things would move faster as we are FTBs and the vendors are moving into rented. Trying to distract myself but really getting fed up with this ridiculous, complicated, unnecessarily drawn out process. Surely there must be a better way to buy a house than this!

birdmadgirl8

Drem1992 said:

We're still stuck on the enquiries, I don't know exactly what the solicitors have asked, is that normal? Am I allowed to ask what enquiries they have raised?

Yes, definitely ask. You are paying them after all. They tend to get on with it (without sharing) unless they need info from you. I asked my solicitor to send list of Qs she'd asked & she sent it straight away. If you've been waiting a while I'd get on to vendor's agent to let them know you're waiting on answers - they can then pass on to vendor. Vendor might not know their solicitor is slowing things up. 

Livingincolour

Drem1992 said:

We're still stuck on the enquiries, I don't know exactly what the solicitors have asked, is that normal? Am I allowed to ask what enquiries they have raised? I'm guessing a few of them relate to our survey which they have a copy of.
On Monday last week they just said they'd sent enquiries the week before and were still waiting on a response from the vendor. 
I'm just getting bored now, I'm so fed up of our tiny 2 bed rented flat, because of lockdown there's so little to do at the moment and I really wish we could be in our house painting walls and digging up the garden already!
I know I'm being inpatient because we're only 10 weeks in and comparatively that seems very quick, I suppose I was hoping things would move faster as we are FTBs and the vendors are moving into rented. Trying to distract myself but really getting fed up with this ridiculous, complicated, unnecessarily drawn out process. Surely there must be a better way to buy a house than this!

I don't want to freak you out but we are into week 17 of our purchase, also chain free FTBs & we were totally convinced we would have it all wrapped up by week 12. We swing between total infuriation and resigned acceptance on a daily basis! 

It is the enquiries that are holding ours up, there is a handful outstanding and our solicitor refuses to exchange without them being satisfied. I would definitely ask yours for a list so you have a grasp on what they are - basically we've found the more visibility and information we have, the easier it is to be patient. 

amyr

Doesn't it just feel like two steps forward, one step back!

Our buyer is home from abroad! Our estate agent knows, we know, our solicitor knows, but somehow the buyer's solicitor still thought they were abroad!? 

It's all so frustrating. We should (I HOPE) be ready to exchange but the lack of communication means it's taking forever.

Our last sale also fell through at this point so the delays are causing us so much anxiety...

Natbag

A ball of stress over here again this morning, thanks to my seller messaging me directly yesterday to say that either we commit to a May completion date by the end of this week or they are putting the house back on the market. Joy. Desperately trying to get hold of my solicitor to see if this is possible (I doubt it, as she's extremely non-committal to anything) and basically flailing around trying to beg anyone who will listen to help save this chain. Also trying to beg my ex to just vacate the property to allow my sale and purchase to complete, but of course he's continuing to be a selfish **** and won't do it, even though the 6-week delay that's caused this is on his purchase.

laura0289

@birdmadgirl8
Thank you for the welcome. I cannot belive its taken you 6 months. Thats ridiculous it must be so stressful for you. The thing I find the most frustrating is lack of communication from the solicitors, but from this thread it seems to be the norm. I would just like updates on things, I don't think that's too much to ask. The searches are due back today, so hoping to have some positive news towards the end of the week. 

amandacat

Livingincolour said:

Drem1992 said:

We're still stuck on the enquiries, I don't know exactly what the solicitors have asked, is that normal? Am I allowed to ask what enquiries they have raised? I'm guessing a few of them relate to our survey which they have a copy of.
On Monday last week they just said they'd sent enquiries the week before and were still waiting on a response from the vendor. 
I'm just getting bored now, I'm so fed up of our tiny 2 bed rented flat, because of lockdown there's so little to do at the moment and I really wish we could be in our house painting walls and digging up the garden already!
I know I'm being inpatient because we're only 10 weeks in and comparatively that seems very quick, I suppose I was hoping things would move faster as we are FTBs and the vendors are moving into rented. Trying to distract myself but really getting fed up with this ridiculous, complicated, unnecessarily drawn out process. Surely there must be a better way to buy a house than this!

I don't want to freak you out but we are into week 17 of our purchase, also chain free FTBs & we were totally convinced we would have it all wrapped up by week 12. We swing between total infuriation and resigned acceptance on a daily basis! 

It is the enquiries that are holding ours up, there is a handful outstanding and our solicitor refuses to exchange without them being satisfied. I would definitely ask yours for a list so you have a grasp on what they are - basically we've found the more visibility and information we have, the easier it is to be patient. 

We are in a similar position with just enquiries holding us up, we didn't see the enquiries raised initially. However, we did receive a letter about 3 weeks ago where the solicitor reported on the findings so far. This included the 20 odd questions raised, the 18 answers that were satisfactory and the 2 outstanding. We then a week later received a further letter detailing the search results, there was nothing of any concern and the solicitor said in the letter than if we wanted to raise anything in relation to the searches we could but if they didn't hear from us then they would assume we don't want to raise anything. 
We are stuck in limbo as the seller's solicitor hasn't replied to the last 2 enquiries and so exchange/completion dates can't be agreed until they do. I mentioned in another reply on this thread that I chased this via the EA who said the seller's solicitor said they had dealt with these enquiries but had received a fresh set of enquiries off my solicitor following the searches and needed to now deal with these. I was in despair as was told I would need to wait at least 2 more weeks to hear anything else. However, having re read my letter from my solicitor following the searches, it is clear they haven't raised any further enquiries and so the seller's solicitor are for whatever reason either lying to the EA or have made a mistake . 
This process is ridiculous!!