The NEW waiting to exchange thread...

Camboudica

@RM_2013, I'm so pleased to see you finally got to the finish line! Good luck and much happiness in your new home. 

SprostonGreenHead

wA__L said:

1616six said:

A__L said:

Has anyone else struggles to find a witness to sign the deed?

We got one of our neighbours to do it, I’ve had the village shopkeeper witness things in the past, work colleagues etc - should be fairly simple to find someone?

We've asked neighbours so far but struggling to find someone to actually do it. We'll have to pop round a friends to get this done. Tried the people in the shop downstairs and they didn't want to either. 

I'm not defending these people refusing to be a signature-witness, but as a witness to a legal document, is it not plausible that they (and I know it's a long-shot, but) in theory could be called upon to give evidence in a court at a future date if said signing was questioned in some way?

All that said, I'm sure I could convince someone in the local pub with the offer of a pint ... at a push.

Local friends, work colleagues, then neighbours would be my first port of call. If desperate, I'm sure any local solicitors office would do it, or maybe the post office, for a price.

SecondStar

Just submitted a first offer on the phone this morning, gave a fairly low-ball number so I can increase if need be.

Crossing fingers that this is the first step on the road to exchange!

SecondStar

SecondStar said:

Just submitted a first offer on the phone this morning, gave a fairly low-ball number so I can increase if need be.

Crossing fingers that this is the first step on the road to exchange!

First offer decline, got told the seller’s minimum & offered again at that price.

There is another party who has never made a formal offer, but who has asked to be ‘kept informed’.

Shouldn’t be allowed imo - either you’re actually interested and so you make an offer, or it’s none of your business. Parties to be ‘kept informed’ just seem like time wasters to me.

Or maybe that’s just all the nerves creeping out,  and I hate waiting!

SprostonGreenHead

SecondStar said:

There is another party who has never made a formal offer, but who has asked to be ‘kept informed’.

Shouldn’t be allowed imo - either you’re actually interested and so you make an offer, or it’s none of your business. Parties to be ‘kept informed’ just seem like time wasters to me.

Or maybe that’s just all the nerves creeping out,  and I hate waiting!

Depends, imo. If they expect to be kept up to date with the details of the offers then that's unreasonable, and no EA should be passing details of offers from one party to another interested party other than to say they exist or that a better or preferential offer than the one they have lodged exists (although who can ever really trust an EA they're being honest on that!?).

If they're just asking to be informed if offers come in or not, that's ok, I think.

That said, if one is interested in buying a property, one should make an offer at the earliest opportunity.

SecondStar

SprostonGreenHead said:

SecondStar said:

There is another party who has never made a formal offer, but who has asked to be ‘kept informed’.

Shouldn’t be allowed imo - either you’re actually interested and so you make an offer, or it’s none of your business. Parties to be ‘kept informed’ just seem like time wasters to me.

Or maybe that’s just all the nerves creeping out,  and I hate waiting!

Depends, imo. If they expect to be kept up to date with the details of the offers then that's unreasonable, and no EA should be passing details of offers from one party to another interested party other than to say they exist or that a better or preferential offer than the one they have lodged exists (although who can ever really trust an EA they're being honest on that!?).

If they're just asking to be informed if offers come in or not, that's ok, I think.

That said, if one is interested in buying a property, one should make an offer at the earliest opportunity.

So I’ve viewed properties where there were already offers on, and in each case the agent (from different companies) told me what the figures of the offers were. I don’t know if it’s unusual to give out exact amount, but again this has been across multiple agencies.

I don’t know if this other party will be privy to exact offer figures. I suspect they may be told, given that I was told exact figures of other offers when viewing.

I don’t know how it would be of benefit or interest to a party who viewed the property and then never offered, to be told that there is an offer in now. If they were genuinely interested, they should have made their own offer; not be sitting waiting to hear if anyone else wants the property.

I’ve got a bad feeling this one may be snatched out from under my nose.

SprostonGreenHead

SecondStar said:

I don’t know if this other party will be privy to exact offer figures. I suspect they may be told, given that I was told exact figures of other offers when viewing.

I don’t know how it would be of benefit or interest to a party who viewed the property and then never offered, to be told that there is an offer in now. If they were genuinely interested, they should have made their own offer; not be sitting waiting to hear if anyone else wants the property.

I’ve got a bad feeling this one may be snatched out from under my nose.

They benefit by being able to delay making an offer unless and until there's a competitive offer, so they can continue to look at other properties without being "committed" to an offer (I put this in quotes because you're never really committed anyway until you exchange, and one could offer and still look at other properties).

I agree with you though from a moral perspective: if you want to buy, make an offer!

Try not to worry, you don't know what you don't know, and even if a better offer than yours is on the table, you'll almost certainly be given an opportunity to better it because the seller and EA naturally want the best offer possible. Have you got headroom and willingness to increase your offer if this happens?

SecondStar

SprostonGreenHead said:

SecondStar said:

I don’t know if this other party will be privy to exact offer figures. I suspect they may be told, given that I was told exact figures of other offers when viewing.

I don’t know how it would be of benefit or interest to a party who viewed the property and then never offered, to be told that there is an offer in now. If they were genuinely interested, they should have made their own offer; not be sitting waiting to hear if anyone else wants the property.

I’ve got a bad feeling this one may be snatched out from under my nose.

They benefit by being able to delay making an offer unless and until there's a competitive offer, so they can continue to look at other properties without being "committed" to an offer (I put this in quotes because you're never really committed anyway until you exchange, and one could offer and still look at other properties).

I agree with you though from a moral perspective: if you want to buy, make an offer!

Try not to worry, you don't know what you don't know, and even if a better offer than yours is on the table, you'll almost certainly be given an opportunity to better it because the seller and EA naturally want the best offer possible. Have you got headroom and willingness to increase your offer if this happens?

It’s a low priced property, the sort that attracts buy to let, and probably cash buyers wanting to let - which isn’t me!

I have the room in my budget to go up, but it will quickly reach a point of the property not actually being worth the offer made, in which case I run the risk of having it down valued at the mortgage valuation.

It’s just such sneaky-snake behaviour to want to know the offer amounts of others, without actually having made your own offer first! It’s hardly the thing a serious buyer would be doing, and morally I don’t know why that’s tolerated or supported by agents.

It’s been 2.5 hours since the last phone call, and I’m definitely getting grumpy haha.

folkestonelisa

Someone please reassure me that buying and selling a house is not only stressful, but there are long waits when nothing happens. Our buyers had their survey end of December and the searches applied for the first week of Jan. should I know anything by now? Should I have heard anything about the survey? I have realised that not only am I impatient I’m a bit of a control freak and the not knowing is doing my head in as well as making me overthink everything. God knows how I’m going to be waiting for stuff on my house purchase that’s about a month behind my sale.

Spurs1711

We are waiting to exchange now. We had our searches go in just before Christmas and they came back last Monday and raised 5 issues apparently and said we can exchange in 2-3 weeks so next week or the one after. Not heard anything for a week now though so just let them get on with it really. Looking to move on 17th March but we are zero chain as we’re FTB and the house is an ex rental so should be fine. It is annoying the lack of communication from conveyancers tbh.