The NEW waiting to exchange thread...

oneilld3

As FTB's, we've been ready to exchange/complete for about 2 months. So much so, that our solicitor has claimed the HTB bonus ready for completion. Our Vendor were informed last week that the solar panels on the home they're buying are leased through 'A Shade Greener' and will need a Deed of Variance. Weeks ago, I told the entire chain (only 3 of us in it) that we need to complete by 14th June ideally, or the end of June as a last resort or else we need to move into rented accommodation as  having lived with family for almost 2 years is no longer an option.

What experience has anybody had with trying to get Deeds of Variance from 'A Shade Greener'? I've seen horror stories of it taking months and the whole chain collapsing?

Firsttime2021

After reading this thread religiously the past few months, we are almost ready to exchange  I hope!!!

we are buying a property we rent from my parents as a consession purchase so parents selling at lower value to use the difference between lenders valuer and price parents are selling at as deposit. Our village is so expensive to buy in and it’s so poplar, our village estate agents often don’t have the chance to put properties up on right move as they tend to have a very long waiting list, especially for three beds like we needed. Luckily the house we are buying from my parents has everything we want and we’ve already lived in it for 6 years and are slowly doing it up ourselves as the intent was always for us to buy it. 

started the process in March, had a lot of issues with valuer bringing up suggestions of subsidence etc so brought in an Structual engineer who diagnosed wear and tear and a guide of £1500 to repair which has been done and lender satisfied with works completed. Mortgage offer amended to show this.

searches are all back, our solicitors are ridiculously slow, haven’t replied to my emails for two weeks, I’ve called this morning to again ask for an update and surprise surprise they’re to busy to speak to me as always. 

We had hoped to exchange and complete by the end of may as it’s such a straight forward purchase. Bar the remedial building work which took less than two weeks to source a good builder and get the finished works approved by the lender, it’s been our crap solicitors who have just sat back. It was me who had to push for the searches to start!!! They didn’t start the searches till may, we’d instructed them on the 1st of March after we had our mortgage offer in place. We waited on instructing just Incase Santander didn’t like the commission purchase. 

We’re FTB so luckily no stamp duty holiday weighing on us.

amazing seeing al the exchanging and completions going on this week though! Congrats to you all, I can’t wait to finally exchange and breathe a bit. 

bellabella

Thanks Bounty Blink There are only us and the buyers in the chain they are FTB and we have an inherited property we are moving into so in theory should be quick and easy I emailed my solicitor yesterday but will email my estate agent today with the text you provided .

Firsttime2021

sw7 said:

Does anyone else have a solicitor who is using an online progress-tracking portal? If so, what has the experience been?

Our solicitor uses a platform called Hoowla. It looks to have the capability to upload and transfer all documents through it, but our solicitor has required them by post. And for some reason they yesterday went in and marked all the sections for showing progress on the mortgage, searches, enquiries, etc. as 'completed', leaving the next step as 'exchange'.

We've been in that position for several months already so I don't know what suddenly prompted them to update it...

sw7 said:

Does anyone else have a solicitor who is using an online progress-tracking portal? If so, what has the experience been?

Our solicitor uses a platform called Hoowla. It looks to have the capability to upload and transfer all documents through it, but our solicitor has required them by post. And for some reason they yesterday went in and marked all the sections for showing progress on the mortgage, searches, enquiries, etc. as 'completed', leaving the next step as 'exchange'.

We've been in that position for several months already so I don't know what suddenly prompted them to update it...

Yes!! Ours are using this particular one, they don’t update it, it’s sat at 33% for a month. 

My solicitors are crap at communicating with me, I’m ready to pull my hair out 

trance_abbey

baileykxo said:

Hey everyone, just wondering what people experiences are with third party local authority  searches? It seems like that is what’s been applied for and now instead of 10/15 days it’s 10 weeks… 🙃🤦🏼‍♀️ Is this likely to be a true timescale or?

I was quoted 12 weeks by my solicitor when the council was saying 12 days. I did a bit of research and found a company who said they'd turn them around in 15 working days (so they were due yesterday but I haven't got them yet). Before pursuing this option I had a chat with my solicitor and he recommended using the third party rather than applying myself because they're supposed to do certain checks which means that if there's anything missing or incorrect I have some recourse later.

laura_lau

Hello everyone, hope this day brings some good progress to all! I'm so sorry to see so many other people are having lots of stress with solicitors not being bothered at all about doing their job in a timely manner. I can totally sympathise, and I'm still experiencing it. We've been waiting from my seller's solicitor to answer to our suggestion of dates for 10 days now. Suggested exchange date has passed, and suggested completion would have been tomorrow. I just heard from my solicitor, she said if the seller's solicitor answers soon, we should be able to exchange this week and complete next week, but I have the feeling she is occasionally chasing, and certainly not stalking the other solicitor (as she should, in my opinion!). So, I'm calling the estate agent again, waiting for them to call me back. Buying a house really feels like a full time job!!!

CLJ2986

laura_lau said:

Hello everyone, hope this day brings some good progress to all! I'm so sorry to see so many other people are having lots of stress with solicitors not being bothered at all about doing their job in a timely manner. I can totally sympathise, and I'm still experiencing it. We've been waiting from my seller's solicitor to answer to our suggestion of dates for 10 days now. Suggested exchange date has passed, and suggested completion would have been tomorrow. I just heard from my solicitor, she said if the seller's solicitor answers soon, we should be able to exchange this week and complete next week, but I have the feeling she is occasionally chasing, and certainly not stalking the other solicitor (as she should, in my opinion!). So, I'm calling the estate agent again, waiting for them to call me back. Buying a house really feels like a full time job!!!

I feel your pain, I've asked several times if we can start taking dates, I've outlined the fact of rental notice everything and nothing. I called today for an update, got told she's looking at the file (again) spoke to ea yesterday and he knows we really want to push for next week. I know we're close and it shouldn't take another month but handing on our notice is a big risk with no dates set!

Josephgousto

@laura_lau I couldn´t agree more! feels like all I am doing is house related things hoping for a good day with some progress for everybody!

laura_lau

CLJ2986 said:

laura_lau said:

Hello everyone, hope this day brings some good progress to all! I'm so sorry to see so many other people are having lots of stress with solicitors not being bothered at all about doing their job in a timely manner. I can totally sympathise, and I'm still experiencing it. We've been waiting from my seller's solicitor to answer to our suggestion of dates for 10 days now. Suggested exchange date has passed, and suggested completion would have been tomorrow. I just heard from my solicitor, she said if the seller's solicitor answers soon, we should be able to exchange this week and complete next week, but I have the feeling she is occasionally chasing, and certainly not stalking the other solicitor (as she should, in my opinion!). So, I'm calling the estate agent again, waiting for them to call me back. Buying a house really feels like a full time job!!!

I feel your pain, I've asked several times if we can start taking dates, I've outlined the fact of rental notice everything and nothing. I called today for an update, got told she's looking at the file (again) spoke to ea yesterday and he knows we really want to push for next week. I know we're close and it shouldn't take another month but handing on our notice is a big risk with no dates set!

Yes, I have the very same problem, I can't hand in my notice until I have exchanged at least, and my tenancy agreement expires next month, so my landlord might reach out at any moment to agree for another year, and then I will have to avoid him until I have exchanged, which might turn out to be very awkward! I really hope next week is the week for both of us!!!

Saddlerstu

Just when we thought we'd agreed dates for our completion, top of the chain has realised England vs Scotland in the footy is on the 18th and wants a delay!! 😫🤬