The NEW waiting to exchange thread...

AmmDram

BountyBlink said:

I have moved house more times than I have had hot dinners 🤣 joking aside my advice is this, get as many quotes as you possibly can from as many removals firms, and I’m talking have 10 or more companies that have been out and quoted. Then don’t worry about the dates for the moment. The day you exchange get on the phone & starting working your way down your list and one will be available I promise you that. I have moved before with exchange and completion on same day and it was a Friday in height of a hot market and I still got moved. So just have your ducks in a row and promise you it will all work out ok. 

Thanks. I wish I had got a few more quotes sooner. We’ve had 4 companies out and I asked a fifth who said no... feels like we’ve left it a bit late now for more quotes, each company who came out took a week to be available, then another couple of days to get their quote out. 

I had a call from my solicitor at end of play today. Everyone in the chain has agreed to Friday 14th May for completion but she told me their partner is still going over files due to complete tomorrow and that we will he lucky to exchange next Wednesday (12th) or Thursday, the day before! I don’t think I could handle same day exchange and completion, you must have nerves of steel!

BountyBlink

AmmDram said:

BountyBlink said:

I have moved house more times than I have had hot dinners 🤣 joking aside my advice is this, get as many quotes as you possibly can from as many removals firms, and I’m talking have 10 or more companies that have been out and quoted. Then don’t worry about the dates for the moment. The day you exchange get on the phone & starting working your way down your list and one will be available I promise you that. I have moved before with exchange and completion on same day and it was a Friday in height of a hot market and I still got moved. So just have your ducks in a row and promise you it will all work out ok. 

Thanks. I wish I had got a few more quotes sooner. We’ve had 4 companies out and I asked a fifth who said no... feels like we’ve left it a bit late now for more quotes, each company who came out took a week to be available, then another couple of days to get their quote out. 

I had a call from my solicitor at end of play today. Everyone in the chain has agreed to Friday 14th May for completion but she told me their partner is still going over files due to complete tomorrow and that we will he lucky to exchange next Wednesday (12th) or Thursday, the day before! I don’t think I could handle same day exchange and completion, you must have nerves of steel!

Oh it’s so stressful isn’t it... try and call all 4 of your removal companies and give them Friday 14th as move date, but explain you won’t be able to pay a deposit until two days before. I have found in the past the movers that have been family companies for years are more helpful and won’t take money when you are in this type of situation of no gap between. You still have time for quotes, if the companies that have been out won’t hold the date for you, definitely get some more firms out this weekend to quote. Also, ask your agent for any removal companies numbers, most agents know of helpful movers in your area. All the best and you will get sorted even though it may seem you won’t. 

AmmDram

BountyBlink said:

AmmDram said:

BountyBlink said:

I have moved house more times than I have had hot dinners 🤣 joking aside my advice is this, get as many quotes as you possibly can from as many removals firms, and I’m talking have 10 or more companies that have been out and quoted. Then don’t worry about the dates for the moment. The day you exchange get on the phone & starting working your way down your list and one will be available I promise you that. I have moved before with exchange and completion on same day and it was a Friday in height of a hot market and I still got moved. So just have your ducks in a row and promise you it will all work out ok. 

Thanks. I wish I had got a few more quotes sooner. We’ve had 4 companies out and I asked a fifth who said no... feels like we’ve left it a bit late now for more quotes, each company who came out took a week to be available, then another couple of days to get their quote out. 

I had a call from my solicitor at end of play today. Everyone in the chain has agreed to Friday 14th May for completion but she told me their partner is still going over files due to complete tomorrow and that we will he lucky to exchange next Wednesday (12th) or Thursday, the day before! I don’t think I could handle same day exchange and completion, you must have nerves of steel!

Oh it’s so stressful isn’t it... try and call all 4 of your removal companies and give them Friday 14th as move date, but explain you won’t be able to pay a deposit until two days before. I have found in the past the movers that have been family companies for years are more helpful and won’t take money when you are in this type of situation of no gap between. You still have time for quotes, if the companies that have been out won’t hold the date for you, definitely get some more firms out this weekend to quote. Also, ask your agent for any removal companies numbers, most agents know of helpful movers in your area. All the best and you will get sorted even though it may seem you won’t. 

Thank you. You’ve given us a bit of hope! A couple of companies said they wanted payment in full up front, but maybe they might be open to negotiation. Fingers crossed!

amandacat

I'm currently working through all the paperwork I have been sent to sign-- contract, transfer document, stamp duty document, mortgage declaration document, a document on whether we want to be tenants in common etc, title plan to sign and also getting savings account statement as requested to show deposit balance in account (seems a bit late in the day to be asking for proof of deposit but heho!). I have also been asked to obtain buildings insurance and provide the details and they have given me their bank account details to pay the deposit but the letter is confusing as in one place it says to transfer the deposit and in another part of the letter it says to wait until a completion date is agreed.

My last update was that enquiries were outstanding and this might take another fortnight but then I received all this the other day with no mention of the outstanding enquiries.

Is it likely that my solicitor would have sent me all this paperwork to sign in readiness for when final enquiries are received or does this mean final enquiries must have been received and we will be ready to go once paperwork is signed? Sorry probably a hard question to answer but I can't get hold of my solicitor currently as they are on annual leave and noone else in the office can answer and I have been told to call back next week when the solicitor is back...

deadonions

So 6 weeks after my searches were back we get to completion or so we thought. Last week we were told Completion date was today. After nothing all day yesterday and after multiple emails and ignored calls finally had an email from solicitor saying there other side weren't aware of completion and it's too short notice.

Appears my solicitor didn't bother to tell the other side the completion date until yesterday. Beyond frustrated and already put in a previous complaint. But now she's said she would need to send the mortage money back to lender to complete next Friday or complete Monday and as per her advice ask (for some reason we've had to contact the seller directly for most of this) the seller if we could store his stuff. It's just a mess at this stage. 

Long rant but just can't get over how incompetent the solicitors have been. 

caz_cardiff87

i'm so sorry this is so stressful for everyone!

my searches *should* be back but i'm holding off calling to check until next week just incase lol
I'm just riding the ignorance train and assuming they are being dealt with on monday.

Natbag

@deadonions - that's ridiculous. So many solicitors are so incompetent. I don't understand how they can charge so much for such a poor service.
@amandacat - did the bundle include search information, drainage, mining, buildings/electrical documents, all that stuff? When we were asked to sign the contracts, it came with all of that and after all the searches and enquiries were complete. I'd be surprised if they'd asked you to sign before enquiries were complete, although I guess your solicitor could just be trying to get ahead for quicker movement once that's done. I'd ask  

amyr

deadonions said:

Long rant but just can't get over how incompetent the solicitors have been. 

Couldn't agree with this more! This is our third time going through this process, and by far our worst experience yet (although none have been brilliant!). 

Still absorbing info from yesterday about the signed exchange contract from our buyer (we'd been told the buyer had posted this last Monday, which they then revised to last Friday, then revised to Tuesday, then revised to Thursday...). The buyer is now adamant he has posted this and it should arrive today. 

However, the buyer's solicitor has said he has been asking questions about how to show proof of funds (which should have been done at the same time as the rest of the paperwork - I think?) as his deposit is coming from a number of sources - his own accounts, gifted monies from family, a daughter's saving account - meaning it's not straight forward. He's also raised a query about the annual service charge, having spotted this in the deeds (£144 a year, freehold, really should have been made clear to him without any enquiry being needed). 

So, no chance of exchange today and we're feeling very wobbly. Ten months of trying to sell, one failed sale on day of exchange), and still living in a house we are utterly out of love with. Our nerves are so shot that every small bump is feeling like a mountain! 

Tiglet2

amandacat said:

I'm currently working through all the paperwork I have been sent to sign-- contract, transfer document, stamp duty document, mortgage declaration document, a document on whether we want to be tenants in common etc, title plan to sign and also getting savings account statement as requested to show deposit balance in account (seems a bit late in the day to be asking for proof of deposit but heho!). I have also been asked to obtain buildings insurance and provide the details and they have given me their bank account details to pay the deposit but the letter is confusing as in one place it says to transfer the deposit and in another part of the letter it says to wait until a completion date is agreed.

My last update was that enquiries were outstanding and this might take another fortnight but then I received all this the other day with no mention of the outstanding enquiries.

Is it likely that my solicitor would have sent me all this paperwork to sign in readiness for when final enquiries are received or does this mean final enquiries must have been received and we will be ready to go once paperwork is signed? Sorry probably a hard question to answer but I can't get hold of my solicitor currently as they are on annual leave and noone else in the office can answer and I have been told to call back next week when the solicitor is back...

You have received the "Report" from your solicitor.  This is indicative that you are nearly there, but solicitors often do send out the report and associated papers before all the enquiries are back. Usually most of the enquiries have been answered, it's just a few outstanding ones remaining.  The solicitor does this so that they can get their files ready, i.e. they would like you to send back your signed forms - Contract, TR1, Mortgage Deed, SDLT form, Signed Title Plan, and confirmation of how you would like to own the property (Joint Tenants/Tenants in Common).  They are hoping that by the time you have read and understood the Report and returned the signed documents, that the remaining enquiries will have been answered.  Then you/they will be ready to proceed.

The solicitor will need your authority to exchange (on the day) but they will not be able to exchange unless they have your deposit monies in their Client Account, so make sure you send this to them once they confirm that all enquiries are answered, a completion date has been agreed by all parties and they are looking to exchange.  I am not sure how long your chain is, but of course everyone involved in your chain will also need to be ready.  You will need to have a quote agreed for buildings insurance in readiness for exchange.  Once the solicitor confirms that exchange has taken place and the completion date set, you will need to confirm that you have put the buildings insurance in place.

Hope this helps.  Good luck!

Natbag

@amyr - you've had it so rough, this journey just seems relentless, and never-ending doesn't it? Hope they can get those things sorted today for you. When are you aiming to complete?