The NEW waiting to exchange thread...

CLJ2986

Oh @BountyBlink I really thought it would be your turn!  Sorry to you and everyone else who had bad news today. In other news, I'm still just waiting 🤣 

catclaires

Oh gosh, everyone, I'm really so sorry to hear all the bad news today! Hope you are all managing to relax a bit tonight (wine definitely needed) and that you can enjoy the weekend at least a little bit. This process really isn't good for anyone's health! 

ss2020jd

Hi everyone  

I’ve been reading these threads with sympathy and understanding! So sorry to hear about the delays but the positive stories give me hope.
So I thought I’d finally join in. 

Complete date agreed to suit the buyer so they can meet deadline - changed by the buyer once as they couldn’t get a removal slot until the very last moment. We agreed, no problem. 

Originally aimed to exchange last week. Buyer’s paperwork all in order, our solicitor and theirs ready etc. Then as week progresses getting concerned but told that the buyer’s buyer has to courier over their signed contract as it had not arrived in the post. But once this was in place we would exchange yesterday, or by today, worst case scenario. As it got to the afternoon it finally transpires that the solicitor of the buyer’s buyer is waiting for the mortgage offer! What?! Isn’t this done right at the beginning or after valuation? Anyway their solicitor said it was expected to be issued today but have not heard anything since. 

So another stressful wait til Monday, as so many others! The solicitor claimed the deposit was in their account but just waiting for this offer. I am trying not to think about what will happen if it doesn’t arrive!! 

Good luck to you all. Hopefully it will be a Happy Monday! 

NotHydra

NotHydra said:

NotHydra said:

BountyBlink said:

NotHydra said:

BountyBlink said:

TheTruemans said:

Hey folks,
So a small update from us but I'm super confused about our timeline now as we still have a lot of tentative items still to go;
We spoke to our solicitors for the first time since appointing them back on the 13/5 - They have received our mortgage offer and will be sending out mortgage report shortly, They are just waiting on local searches to come back and for enquiries to be replied to, They have said completion would be about a week after this (no chain)

However we're yet to receive any paperwork from our solicitors, no word about fixtures & fittings, or when we can expect our contracts to be sent. Or any communication about completion date with the EA.
Things seem to be moving fast but a couple of week to complete seems unlikely?
Anyone got any advise on this - or am i just shocked how quickly things are now moving? 

If you like at my timeline, the last part, our vendors vendor only offered on the vacant top property on 27/5 and we are already at exchange. 

I know a lot of people say it takes a few months from offer to completion or more, but if everyone in the chain is motivated, you have a good solicitor, searches are quick (1-2 days in our area) then there is no reason why it has to take months. 

Once your searches are back your solicitor “reports” to you, basically a letter attaching search results, details on enquiries raised, details of your mortgage, and it’s your job to read the pack and if you have any more questions off the back of it to go back and ask your solicitor - then they can pose more enquires etc, but I never bother, unless there was something like a right of way I did need further clarification on 

they normally include contracts, FF/PIF EPC certificate etc and any guarantees planning notices/sign offs. Mortage deed and plan for you to sign. 

Then you send that back, then your solicitor will
ask for deposit and completion date 
then you are ready to exchange 

you can push this along...

look at your local councils website and find the email address for “land charges dept” fire off and email to them asking them when the searches for the property you were buying were done. 

Based on that you can then go back to your solicitor and ask when will they send the contact pack to you and report to you... 

hope that helps 

We got our search results 10 May reported to us Haven't seen any of the contract pack documents you have mentioned. I am starting to get beyond angry with our solicitor and think she has 100% dropped the ball on this. I am worried about completing 

Just send an email saying

dear 

We are not in receipt of PIF/FF, Contract pack for signature. 

Please can you send without delay, so we can move to an imminent exchange. 

Many thanks 

if they are still get to report to you on other items at least the above email will smoke out the reason for any undue delay. 

Copy in your vendors agent so they know you are chasing and can help chase on your behalf. 

She is supposed to be "reviewing" our case this week. How late tomorrow should I be chasing up for an answer.
I know now most completions happen on a Friday. 
So now I'm feeling my chances are slim. If by some miracle we get the contract pack the weekend. Can I still expect a completion of the 25th or am I dreaming? 

So I just received the following from head of conveyancing:

Good evening,

 

My apologies for any delay you may have experienced with us getting back to you.

The ability of a lot of solicitors up and down the country to work as quickly as we would normally be able to has been affected by Covid-19, the SDLT Stamp Duty holiday, and the current exceptional market conditions.

Thank you for your understanding and your appreciation that expectations of turnaround times of what may have been possible over 12 months ago are no longer achievable due to factors outside of our control.   

I note from the file that <solicitor> wrote to your yesterday.

I will speak to <solicitor> tomorrow in order to ascertain the current position reached and see what can be done to move it forward for you.  

Kind regards,

My response:

Dear <head of conyeyancing>.

Thank you for taking the time to respond.

Please note we are not yet in receipt of PIF/FF, Contract pack for signature.
Please can you send without delay, so we can move to an imminent exchange.

I look forward to hearing from you and appreciate the ongoing efforts to get my transaction to a satisfactory conclusion.  

Many thanks

And no response - I took a proactive approach and phoned the lender to see what is going on. The Title Deed was only submitted yesterday. Due for underwriting on Monday.....

My current timeline this month looks like this 

1 June - Scheduled Phone call with conveyancer - She said we would need to provide documents with proof of funds for money laundering. She also stated she would report to us the following week. Documents were sent within 2 hours.

4 June - Sent an email asking if all enquiries were received yet - no response.

8 June - Estate Agent phoned to confirm that sellers had signed and returned their contract and wanted a 25th June completion date.

10 June - Scheduled Phone call at 5:15pm. Did not receive a call back - no report from conveyancer as stated. 

11 June - Phoned in about missed appointment, told no longer taking scheduled phone calls.

16 June - Emailed to say the contracts were returned by seller and there was a completion date of the 25th June and to get back to be as a matter of urgency. Phoned in later to confirm - lady answering the phone said conveyancer had received the email and would get back to us by the 17th.

This week we have tried to phone with no response or call back. Then the emails from BountyBlink's suggestions with escalation still with no response.

Going to chat to estate agent again this morning but the outlook is currently bleak

trance_abbey

ss2020jd said:

Originally aimed to exchange last week. Buyer’s paperwork all in order, our solicitor and theirs ready etc. Then as week progresses getting concerned but told that the buyer’s buyer has to courier over their signed contract as it had not arrived in the post. But once this was in place we would exchange yesterday, or by today, worst case scenario. As it got to the afternoon it finally transpires that the solicitor of the buyer’s buyer is waiting for the mortgage offer! What?! Isn’t this done right at the beginning or after valuation? Anyway their solicitor said it was expected to be issued today but have not heard anything since. 

So another stressful wait til Monday, as so many others! The solicitor claimed the deposit was in their account but just waiting for this offer. I am trying not to think about what will happen if it doesn’t arrive!! 

Whaaaaaaaaaaat?!?

That's ridiculous! Surely 'having evidence of the mortgage offer' is an essential part of forming the contract?

Swash

Swash said:

My buyer's solicitor's out of office reply is switched on!! We are supposed to exchange today. 10 months of stress and she didn't even have the courtesy to tell my solicitor. Just hoping someone else can do the exchange instead. 

We have exchanged! My solicitor managed to speak to a manager and get them to deal with the file. At 16:30 yesterday we still hadn't heard anything and I was just so upset, thinking it was all falling through again.

5 minutes later our solicitor confirmed exchange had just happened. I'm over the moon.

Good luck to all of you still waiting, I hope your process goes as smoothly as possible, and thanks for the well wishes.

Happy moving.

Swash

ss2020jd

trance_abbey said:

ss2020jd said:

Originally aimed to exchange last week. Buyer’s paperwork all in order, our solicitor and theirs ready etc. Then as week progresses getting concerned but told that the buyer’s buyer has to courier over their signed contract as it had not arrived in the post. But once this was in place we would exchange yesterday, or by today, worst case scenario. As it got to the afternoon it finally transpires that the solicitor of the buyer’s buyer is waiting for the mortgage offer! What?! Isn’t this done right at the beginning or after valuation? Anyway their solicitor said it was expected to be issued today but have not heard anything since. 

So another stressful wait til Monday, as so many others! The solicitor claimed the deposit was in their account but just waiting for this offer. I am trying not to think about what will happen if it doesn’t arrive!! 

Whaaaaaaaaaaat?!?

That's ridiculous! Surely 'having evidence of the mortgage offer' is an essential part of forming the contract?

That’s what I thought! How can my buyer’s solicitor, who said in writing they are ready to exchange, not have checked this?  Buyers obviously need the funds from the sale of their house to complete their purchase. 

ss2020jd

Swash said:

Swash said:

My buyer's solicitor's out of office reply is switched on!! We are supposed to exchange today. 10 months of stress and she didn't even have the courtesy to tell my solicitor. Just hoping someone else can do the exchange instead. 

We have exchanged! My solicitor managed to speak to a manager and get them to deal with the file. At 16:30 yesterday we still hadn't heard anything and I was just so upset, thinking it was all falling through again.

5 minutes later our solicitor confirmed exchange had just happened. I'm over the moon.

Good luck to all of you still waiting, I hope your process goes as smoothly as possible, and thanks for the well wishes.

Happy moving.

Swash

Congratulations! You must be so relieved and happy. So glad they managed to do it despite the out of office reply! 

jenni_fer

Congratulations @Swash!

BountyBlink

Anyone else sick to their stomach and wishing the weekend away just to get to Monday & get some answers? 

Dreadful might sleep, up at 4am worrying, today has gone on for forever. 

I hope to have some good news Monday and for us all. The stamp duty holiday has made everything so much harder, even though there are saving to be had. 

i am now at that point of just wanting to move from this holiday let, have someone certainty back in our life as a family, not be thinking constantly about houses/agents/solicitors/chains. It’s exhausting. 

Just feel totally in limbo until this is done. 

Sorry needed to vent, normally so bubbly and upbeat but I’m broken!!! 

😩😩😩😩