The NEW waiting to exchange thread...

FloProActiv

Surprise surprise, the stuff that the vendor's solicitors were supposed to have sent over last week hasn't arrived with our solicitors. Have told the estate agent, since she was the one who said that it was supposed to have been sent.

It's like the most un-fun game of Chinese whispers. Hopefully with the estate agent and solicitors chasing the vendor's solicitors, things will move.

Shanksy86

We've finally exchanged! :beer: Completing next Tuesday, shame we won't be in for the bank holiday so instead we'll be doing a supermarket sweep around the DIY shops trying to get some good deals. Good luck everyone still waiting, you'll get there and it'll be so worth it!

PThome

Congratulations everyone that finally exchanged/completed!

Finally we are hopping to exchange this week with a completion date of 17th May!
We still can't believe that this day is almost here! After a sale falling through and a complicated issue with the planning application of the house we are trying to buy, it seems that finally everything is sorted and so just waiting for everyone to sign the contracts!!!

It is now 9 Months since house went into the market! Fingers crossed!

Good luck to us all

TamsinC

After being almost at exchange and then pulling out we go to see another house at the weekend - it was one that was on the market late last year and then disappeared off the market (apparently the vendors took it off for the winter:huh:) just as we were about to ask for a viewing. Its now back on. It was a favourite back then. Fingers crossed we like it. We are very picky and there is very little out there.

Rosestar123

Shanksy86 wrote: »

We've finally exchanged! :beer: Completing next Tuesday, shame we won't be in for the bank holiday so instead we'll be doing a supermarket sweep around the DIY shops trying to get some good deals. Good luck everyone still waiting, you'll get there and it'll be so worth it!

same, i wanted to complete before the bank holiday weekend..but we complete on the 10th. Going to spend this weekend, like you said looking at DIY places and bracing myself for what I've let myself in for!:rotfl:

Rosestar123

TamsinC wrote: »

After being almost at exchange and then pulling out we go to see another house at the weekend - it was one that was on the market late last year and then disappeared off the market (apparently the vendors took it off for the winter:huh:) just as we were about to ask for a viewing. Its now back on. It was a favourite back then. Fingers crossed we like it. We are very picky and there is very little out there.

Good luck! let us know how the viewing goes!:j

dunroving

Background: Cash buyer, no chain, but property to sell. Selling in Scotland, buying in England. House I am purchasing is from estate of deceased couple who purchased it leasehold in 1963 and bought freehold in 1997. My buyer is a professional with no chain and an AIP mortgage approval [information all learned during the sale/purchase process] Throughout the process, I have been in regular contact with the seller's estate agent, who has been helpful in chasing things up, especially regarding intransigence of the seller's solicitor (see notes!).

02-03-2018 BUY: Viewed house (England) and made offer of £10k over asking same day
03-03-2018 BUY: Offer accepted by seller (I later found that 4 offers had been received, and mine was second highest)
05-03-2018 BUY: Engaged solicitor for house purchase
06-03-2018 BUY: Client care pack received from solicitors and returned same day (evidence of ID, funding sources for purchase, etc.)
10-03-2018 BUY: Full survey conducted
13-03-2018 SELL: Own house put on market (Scotland), having had Home Report survey completed
20-03-2018 BUY: Contract papers received by my solicitor from seller's solicitor
20-03-2018 BUY: Gas safety inspection conducted
23-03-2018 BUY: Contract pack received from my solicitor; later noticed freehold title contained a note of a pre-existing leasehold title belonging to seller
26-03-2018 BUY: Electrical survey conducted
27-03-2018 BUY: Contacted my solicitor that the registered freehold title included a note of a leasehold title, but no leasehold title included in contract pack. Other than this, no major issues with contract pack. Mailed signed forms same day.
06-04-2018 BUY: Replies to queries received from seller's solicitor. No response received regarding query about the mentioned lease. This was reverted back to the seller's solicitor.
13-04-2018 BUY: Contacted by seller's estate agent, who had been emailed by seller's solicitor that he did not see the need to cancel the lease, "as it was referred to on many occasions within the freehold"; [this was followed by multiple sporadic communications between solicitors, with seller's solicitor being very reluctant to cancel the lease. Finally, we responded to say that if he did not want to cancel the lease, then he should register it, and sell it with the freehold, but that ignoring it was not an option]
17-04-2018 BUY: Contacted by seller's estate agent to say she had heard from seller that he had contacted solicitor to say he/we need the lease cancelled.
20-04-2018 BUY: Asked my solicitor to confirm that seller's solicitor was treating cancellation of lease as a matter of priority.
25-04-2018 BUY: Contacted by seller's estate agent to say she had heard from seller!!!8217;s solicitor that cancelling the lease "may cause more trouble than it solves ... the conveyance refers to various rights, exceptions and reservations and covenants contained in the Lease and if the Lease is cancelled then the Freehold title and conveyance become meaningless. As we understand it this is the way that the Council have dealt with sales of these properties over the years and we do not wish to end up sabotaging our title to find that the buyers solicitors have changed their minds."
24-04-2018 SELL: Received offer from a buyer who came for a second viewing two days earlier. Handed over to estate agent (Yopa) to conduct negotiations.
26-04-2018 SELL: Final sale price agreed with buyer, memorandum of sale completed and house marked as Sold STC. Solicitor engaged to deal with conveyancing (same person who acted for me as buyer when I bought the house).
26-04-2018 BUY: Spoke with my solicitor, who said she had arranged to speak with seller's solicitor on the Monday (30-04-2018) to request that if he was unwilling to cancel the lease, please register it and include it in the sale with the freehold.
27-04-2018 BUY: Contacted by my solicitor to say seller's solicitor had been in touch to say he had begun the application to cancel the lease. Aaargh! Only a month since we queried this and requested cancellation! Have been in touch with my solicitor and seller's estate agent to please confirm seller's solicitor is treating as a matter of URGENCY, and has requested expedited processing by Land Registry.

So at this point, my supposedly simple purchase is being held up while the seller's solicitor is applying to Land Registry to cancel the lease so that the freehold title is clean. Just an example of how a transaction that in theory couldn't have been simpler can be held up by an arrogant, lazy solicitor. I'm tempted to say "unethical" also, because I am pretty sure he deliberately tried to fudge the situation in the hope that I wouldn't notice/wouldn't care that the house has an existing (albeit unregistered) leasehold noted on the freehold title. Luckily, I, the vendor, and the seller's estate agent are reasonable people who seem motivated to ensure this transaction completes. Because of course in England, until contracts are exchanged, anything can happen. I feel quite lucky in comparison to some people, that my delay will end up being only 6-8 weeks and that I will "only" have to postpone a planned holiday.

kk235b

I exchanged! Yesterday. For completion on the 10th! Gonna be such a tight weekend as I'm involved in organising a weekend event on the 11th-13th and have 2 people staying with me -- I hope they like playing cardboard box tetris!!

Super relieved it's over and I can breathe easy that no one can pull out (without major repercussion, at least!), but can't wait til the week of the 14th when it's just me alone in my little house, unpacking my dishes and books and making IKEA trips.

Also I think I may have accidentally switched the current owner's energy company, oops. I was just trying to get an estimate and then a thing popped up saying thank you for switching. Not a great start.

FloProActiv

EA emailed to say that our solicitors have told her that they are sending out the contracts today, so hopefully things will start progressing (although I wish our solicitors would actually tell me things rather than hearing about any progress from the EAs...)

lena_halo

Our MA just called to say we have been sent out mortgage offer - YAY! So exciting, now it's starting to feel real!

Although we have had a bit of a mix up with our solicitors, where Countrywide Conveyancing instructed the same lawyer for the purchase that is also working on my sale (good) but also instructed their own team who have done all the searches and been holding the contract pack for a month! Hopefully that is all ironed out now and our actual solicitor is now in possession of the contract pack and the searches so fingers crossed things will start moving now!