The NEW waiting to exchange thread...

Drawingaline

Our timeline
08/07 offered on house. Gave us two weeks to market and sell ours
21/07 accepted offer and chain complete
23/07 instructed solicitors and initial legal stuff done
28/07 mortgage application submitted
28/08 solicitors sent through enquiries from our buyer. Then said contract pack not received from our vendors. Discovered it had been sent on 03/08!
01/09 sent off paperwork to do with our sale
05/09 second set of enquiries from our buyer
07/09 EA move manager chasing for our vendor
07/09 Mortgage offer FINALLY received
11/09 finally spoke to our solicitor re our purchase. Contract pack only just received, searcher underway and she was going off on holiday. Enquiries still not raised, still not had a copy of fixtures and fittings 🤦 flurry of communication led to a f&f, title plan etc and solicitor working over the weekend to finally begin to raise enquiries. 
15/09 heard from move manager that enquiries raised. 

Really hoping things get a shift on now. Searches due back next Tuesday when solicitor back in the office. We really want this house, lots coming into the market but nothing ticks as many box's so would be annoying if it fell through. Also a small chain and we are selling to a BTL so want to crack on. Looking at first week of Nov realistically, but I am not going to get bogged down with ridiculous enquiries we plan to stay here for 20-30 years, so if we have to get indemnity policies to satisfy any issues for the mortgage then I would rather pay for them than go back and forth for weeks.

söpöpöllö

Might as well plonk myself here.
25/7 First viewing of the house
31/7 AIP received
1/8 Second viewing of the house
3/8 Offer accepted
10/8 Full mortgage application and lots of back and forth in between
25/8 Ordered searches
9/9 Got the searches
10/9 Underwriter was tripping and reduced mortgage severely. Broker contacted BDM.
11/9 Full mortgage offered
12/9 Sent off signed contracts to our solicitor
16/9 Building survey

That's it so far. Just waiting for the survey to be conducted tomorrow, and then I don't know what's happening! We have a very short chain, our sale is ready to exchange and our sellers are moving in with family, so technically it shouldn't take long. Our solicitor is very good and responsive, so I have a fair amount of trust in him. 

Tabitharocks

FTB here! So my timeline is as follows:-

• Offer accepted on property- 3rd July
• Solicitors instructed- 3rd July
• Full Mortgage approved- 19th August
• Homebuyers survey- 9th September
• Land searches received- 11th September
• Draft contracts from vendors sent to my solicitors-12th September

So I am having a bit of a mare with my solicitors.  I have literally spoke to her once on the 24th August and that has been it.  She has not responded to any of my emails, phone calls etc.  The vendors are now getting anxious about whether my solicitors have received the draft contracts and I am receiving no response what so ever from them.  As I understand it, I am in the early stages of conveyancing and this does not bode well at all.
My question is, when is it the right time to ditch these solicitors and try another one? ? Or am I being too pushy/hasty?

purple_ck

Birdy54 said:

Thought I would add to this thread as we have finally exchanged!
Exchange was supposed to happen almost every day for the past 2 weeks but for various reasons, where the blame lies with the vendors solicitors, we only exchanged yesterday. We were supposed to be exchanging and completing yesterday but the vendors solicitors were waiting on their CTD so we didn't end up completing. We've been ready for weeks and we're FTB with the vendors buying a new build so no chain.
Completion is now set for Friday 18th and I couldn't be more excited!

good news ! I have noticed a lot of people in my process are playing the blame game as well !

ftb_needs_advice

Thought I’d join.

Offer accepted on house I’m buying: 24th June Solicitors Instructed: 25th June
Mortgage application approved: 15th July
Valuation: 22nd July
Draft contract received by seller: 22nd July

Mortgage offer received: 28th July

Contract, transfer, SDLT and mortgage deed signed: 29/07

Searches completed: 14th August
**2 enquiries still outstanding
Exchange: awaiting 
Completion: awaiting 

Last 2 enquiries taking forever so no idea when the end will be in sight.

Drawingaline

Tabitharocks said:

FTB here! So my timeline is as follows:-

• Offer accepted on property- 3rd July
• Solicitors instructed- 3rd July
• Full Mortgage approved- 19th August
• Homebuyers survey- 9th September
• Land searches received- 11th September
• Draft contracts from vendors sent to my solicitors-12th September

So I am having a bit of a mare with my solicitors.  I have literally spoke to her once on the 24th August and that has been it.  She has not responded to any of my emails, phone calls etc.  The vendors are now getting anxious about whether my solicitors have received the draft contracts and I am receiving no response what so ever from them.  As I understand it, I am in the early stages of conveyancing and this does not bode well at all.
My question is, when is it the right time to ditch these solicitors and try another one? ? Or am I being too pushy/hasty?

If searches have come back in Friday and contract pack was only sent at the weekend they won't have been able to do much. Now they have this info they should be reviewing it all and raising enquiries. This will take some time. Stick with it. We have had a similar problem except that our sale is progressing well, but our purchase is going much slower. A lot of solicitors are still working from home some of the time and everything takes so much longer than it should at the best of times!

Hannimal

Jadek said:
 
So frustrating, do you know why completion was delayed? Was it anything to do with your HTB ISA? I only realised last week that I need to give 30 days notice on my LISA - my solicitor thought it was the same process as HTB, so that’s delaying things for us! 
Although the vendors solicitors haven’t responded to the initial pre-contract queries yet, argh! 

Someone further up the chain preferred that date. It is very annoying. 

kasqueak

adierei said:

What a week. We were meant to
exchange/complete on 11th, got an email on 9th saying that there was an outstanding query on our vendor’s vendors property. Bearing in mind we were always told no chain, vendor buying a new build) and also being chased by the estate agent for countless weeks because our sols weren’t ready. I have now passed over responsibility for all email correspondence to the husband as the stress is just not worth it. Also got really sad as it is pear season and we won’t get to enjoy our new pear trees (I know that is a silly, first world problem, I was just so looking forward to being in the garden with our 1year old, picking our fruit and playing after spending the last 8 months in one room 😭).

Fingers crossed for this week 🤪

Fingers crossed for some news this week. It’s not silly about picking the fruit at all! 

I live in a flat and am moving to our first house with my 2yo and can not wait for him to finally have a garden to play in! I hoped we’d be in for some September sun but still waiting....
was meant to exchange last week but like you still waiting on an outstanding queries from the vendors solicitor who refuses to answer the phone to my Solicitor really holding things up! 🙈

Drawingaline

Managed to speak to our solicitors cover, and mortgage offer has been received there! So now we are firmly into enquiry territory, last searches due next Tuesday which is when my solicitor is back of holiday. Really hoping there won't be too many enquiries. We had six from our buyer, mostly to do with the covenants and the conservatory built 20yrs ago by the previous owners. And the lack of building regs for our boiler which I made sure was flagged to our solicitor from the off. 

hannah2283

So it was all agreed that we would complete on the 21st. We exchanged yesterday without my solicitor bothering to tell me. I now get a letter from the solicitor saying that we are completing on the 18th (this Friday). At no point have I been asked or told about this. I can’t actually be in the place I’m moving to on Friday. Have written the solicitor a very strongly worded email. Pretty angry about it!