The NEW waiting to exchange thread...

harz99

TamsinC wrote: »

Strange how different they all are - the EAs for the house we are buying are useless - never answer emails etc, whereas our solicitors are fantastic.

Could be as simple as - the EA doesn't work for you or get paid by you, whereas your solicitor does...

kk235b

I might be exchanging on Monday, but this is the...5th? time I have heard this, so I'm not holding my breath. At least a completion date has been proposed this time, which makes it feel a bit more solid.

The completion date is a day I have 2 friends coming to stay with me for a weekend event for which I have to do lots of cooking and hosting. Ahhhhhh. That'll be fun with all my stuff packed up and no fridge or beds...but, I'm going to focus on the positives which is that I AM (hopefully) EXCHANGING!

TamsinC

We pulled the plug - sad and happy at the same time.

Time Scale so far . . . updates in bold
Tenants asked us if they could leave house - 26/12/17
Estate agents instructed - 31/12/17 (then a bit of bother)
House on market - 10/1/18
DIP from Nationwide 13/1/18
Offer received and accepted on our house 17/1/18
Offer made and accepted on the house we want 20/1/18
Solicitors Instructed 17/01/18
Documents picked up and filled in from Solicitor 17/1/18
Documents and ID returned to Solicitor 19/1/18
Solicitor composes draft contract & starts local searches - for selling 22/1/17 - for buying ?
Mortgage application interview - 1/2/18 - 3 and 1/2 hours of going over and over the same stuff - still not finished - they are struggling with the fact that hubby will leave the forces in Dec and go onto a service pension - we can't say what his job or wages will be at that point and so are basing the mortgage application purely on his pension. They can't cope with that and the fact that deductions from his wages NOW won't be applicable in Dec. Head office and underwriters need to be contacted. This is making a compacted issue out of something that is not complicated.
2nd Mortgage application interview - 8/1/18 - ANOTHER 2 hours going over the same information - they still don't get it but the application is going through.
Basic surveys done for our purchase - 12/2/18 - nothing untoward found
various letters and emails from our solicitors - they do seem to be on the ball though I am in contact a leasers twice a week to keep things moving forward.
Valuation survey for mortgage - 14/2/18
Chasing mortgage offer - 21/2/18
Mortgage people see and approve valuation 23/2/18
Building survey - 23/2/18 - awaiting report
Emailed mortgage approval - 26/2/18
Exchanged on the house we are selling 27/2/18
Completion on house sale 2/3/18
Chasing building survey on house we are buying 6/3/18
Received survey 7/7/18
negotiated a £10K discount
rang to sort mortgage documents with lower price 10/3/18
solicitor emails to say old document sent 13/3/18
rang again and it will be another 1 - 2 weeks! 13/3/18
email to say new mortgage offer on it's way - not the 1-2 weeks they said 16/3/18
vendor emails to say solicitor needs to do Deed of Easement 19/3/18
pulled out of the sale 27/4/18

Beetlejuice01

We completed today! 7 weeks from offer to completion, much quicker than I was preparing myself for. Went to our new place, had the locks changed and a celebratory beer and will be moving all out stuff tomorrow. I can't wait to make it my own! Good luck everybody else!

FloProActiv

Well done Tamsin - it takes a lot of courage to pull out of something when you've put so much energy into it, and from what you've said it definitely seems like the right thing to do. Fingers crossed you find something even better soon.

kuratowski

TamsinC wrote: »

We pulled the plug - sad and happy at the same time.

So sorry to hear this! Hope you manage to find another place you like.

Had a similar (not exactly the same) thing happen to me twice in succession last year. So frustrating. It'll be a while before I try to move again

quantumlobster

So we should have exchanged on Friday, but the lender sent the paperwork (to my solicitor) by snailmail, instead of by fax as they should (and usually) do. Conveyancer is currently looking to get it over the line this afternoon.

I will be much, much more settled once I know the exchange has gone through. Things could still go wrong, but the probabilities go way, way down.

Surrey_EA

TamsinC wrote: »

Strange how different they all are - the EAs for the house we are buying are useless - never answer emails etc, whereas our solicitors are fantastic.

Given there are 10s of thousands of EAs throughout the land, with an equally large number of solicitors, it is probably no great surprise that some are brilliant, some are awful and others are somewhere in-between. Not unlike most industries I suppose.

betty02

Not really sure what happens next or how long it will take but here is how my Halifax portal currently looks (also so far my solicitors haven't answered 1 call and take 3-4 days to reply to emails unless they want money then it's instant and they call me! Should've read more reviews!!)

22/03 - Offer Accepted
23/03 - Solicitors Instructed
23/03 - Welcome Pack Sent
26/03 - Conveyancer requested contract docs
05/04 - Contract doc received
05/04 - Searches ordered
06/04 - Mortgage offer received
12/04 - Signed welcome pack received
12/04 - Signed & Verified ID received
20/04 - Searches received
25/04 - Contract docs checked
25/04 - Docs sent to sellers solicitor
25/04 - Contract approved

quantumlobster

Exchanged at last. Onward to the move!