The NEW waiting to exchange thread...

tigerlily74

Well one of our two outstanding issues has been resolved now, as for the second, they think they have resolved but I disagree, I am going to wait and see what my solicitor advises, hopefully in the next couple of days. The rest of the chain report they will be ready to talk dates tomorrow or Monday. Tense times!

mm1985

Yesterday I got told we should exchange tomorrow, will I get a call before this happens? 

FTB_Help

fleur8 said:

Working myself up to call my solicitor for the first time. Haven’t had a reply to any emails in about 11 days although we are ready to proceed to exchange. The seller’s estate agent is calling me THREE times a day as their solicitor can’t get a reply from them either. I feel so nervous! Have to put on my work voice and get on with it...

Hehe! Let us know how it goes, been watching your case for a while now!

Im almost there too, got my title report and just sent some additional enquiries and got all my documents ready signed to be posted to our solicitor for safe keeping until we can exchange

Stand_up_Juno

rachtom84 said:

Hello, I've been following this thread for a while but never commented..
 Our house purchase has been going on for the last 2, yes TWO YEARS and it looks like we are coming to the end finally! 
We sold our house back in June 2020 and have been living with in-laws since then (with two kids) 😩... The house we are buying is vacant, (next door to in-laws) and has been for the last two years too... Owner went into a care home then passed away early last year during the purchase process... The delays we've had have been probate, extending our shared ownship lease on our sold property, covid, sellers House not been registered and having to apply for a mortgage twice!
So glad it's finally at the end... 
Anyway.. Completion has been agreed, from both sides, on Friday 15th...however we still haven't heard from the mortgage company (Halifax) and whether they have approved the release of the money yet in time for completion... Our solicitor instructed them last friday and we sent the deposit money through then, I asked about exchange but they said they will wait to hear from Halifax before exchange... With 3 days to go does this look likely we will get the money before completion or could it be delayed even more?

I know we will wait to hear back from our solicitors but just wandered if anyone else has been through this before?

Sorry for the long post! 

Hello. I've followed but never commented either, but your post has got me writing! I honestly didn't think anyones sale could have taken as long as mine! You asked if anyone else has been through this before? Nearly, but I can't beat you (yet) as it's "only" been ONE year and ONE month since my initial offer.
My Timeline (I have nothing to sell / proceedable buyer)
Dec 2019 - My offer is accepted. My mortgage is in place. I'm ready to go.
Mar 2020 - My Sellers are struggling to find anything to buy which is frustrating but the total lack of communication from the EA is worse. 
Mar-Jun 2020 - Lockdown / property market closed and my mortgage offer has expired. 
Jun - Sep 2020 - A complete lack of communication from the Estate Agents /Sellers/their Solicitors so I start to look online at Rightmove again with a view to pulling out having waited TEN months for the Sellers to find. 
Sep 2020 - The Estate Agent calls to say the Sellers have found a house, no chain, as the owner is old and has moved out. We should complete in 8 weeks. So it's simple, I'm buying a house from people moving into a vacant house. Brilliant!
Sep 2020 - I get my second mortgage offer. 
Nov 2020 - Start of November, the end is in sight and I hope to have moved in by December. All my conveyancing is complete.
Nov 2020 - The old lady who owns the vacant house, my Sellers are buying, sadly passes away. We now have to go through probate. The Estate Agent assures  me it takes 8-12 weeks to get Grant of Probate, and it is a simple one, just one only child beneficiary, no complications.
Nov 2020 - The survey exposes some potentially expensive work but as I have now unexpectedly benefitted £6500 from the stamp duty holiday I don't negotiate further on price as I can use that extra cash. 
Jan 2020 - Absolutely no updates from anyone regarding the progress of the Probate and right now I'm on the verge of pulling out. The only thing that keeps me there is the fact that it's taken so long and we may now be so close. However the EA tells me that my Sellers can't even get hold of their own Solicitors (who are slow at the best of times) and the Estate Agent acting on behalf of the probate seller is not apparently able to provide an update either. ARRRRGHGHH! 
My current mortgage offer expire mid March and IF this process means I miss out on the Stamp Duty holiday then I will ask for that amount to be deducted from the sale price. Non negotiable.  Otherwise I'll pull out. 

RachTom - I feel your pain with two kids and no home of your own for this amount of time.  Extra "pain points" for living NEXT DOOR to the house you're buying all this time. As we have  a similar situation with someone in the chain passing away, how long did the Probate take, was it a complicated one (lots of beneficiaries) or straightforward?  Is it any clearer for you that you can exchange or not on Friday 15th?  Good luck. This process is such a nightmare!

Kbenn0

denideth said:

retepetsir said:

Another week gone, apparently still awaiting a document from the Vendor's solicitor even though they said it was sent just before Christmas. There's been no progress in 6 weeks so I'm getting a little worried. 

I feel your frustration. We had an offer accepted on a house at the beginning of November and still haven't received anything from the vendor's solicitors, despite chasing.

I’ve also been in the same boat ! Offer accepted in November, we have just had the draft through. Praying searches are reasonably quick.. although instead of 5-10 days, I have been told that some are taking a month. I’m in a short chain of FTB, myself and Chain free home. My FTB have searches back, had enquires responses back. It’s a bit of a nightmare when your very organised but others are very very slow. I think it’s probably as they have nothing to loose, whereas we could face a huge stamp duty bill 😩. Hope you two have had some progress since your post ? 

mowgliisaG

Thought I’d join the chat - I recognise a lot of you from the mortgages threads. Who would have thought getting the actual mortgage offer would be the easier bit - exchanging and completing way more frustrating...
So our buyers conveyancing is so so slow. We sent co tract pack to them on Nov 9 and they paid for their searches on Oct 27 - they only submitted searches on 24/12 which means they won’t be back till 26th Jan holding the whole chain up. They are still to send my solicitor the initial queries. 

Our developer was expecting us to complete end of Dec which was then jan 15 and now looks like mid feb. Annoyed!!!
the wait continues....
  

rachtom84

Stand_up_Juno said:

rachtom84 said:

Hello, I've been following this thread for a while but never commented..
 Our house purchase has been going on for the last 2, yes TWO YEARS and it looks like we are coming to the end finally! 
We sold our house back in June 2020 and have been living with in-laws since then (with two kids) 😩... The house we are buying is vacant, (next door to in-laws) and has been for the last two years too... Owner went into a care home then passed away early last year during the purchase process... The delays we've had have been probate, extending our shared ownship lease on our sold property, covid, sellers House not been registered and having to apply for a mortgage twice!
So glad it's finally at the end... 
Anyway.. Completion has been agreed, from both sides, on Friday 15th...however we still haven't heard from the mortgage company (Halifax) and whether they have approved the release of the money yet in time for completion... Our solicitor instructed them last friday and we sent the deposit money through then, I asked about exchange but they said they will wait to hear from Halifax before exchange... With 3 days to go does this look likely we will get the money before completion or could it be delayed even more?

I know we will wait to hear back from our solicitors but just wandered if anyone else has been through this before?

Sorry for the long post! 

Hello. I've followed but never commented either, but your post has got me writing! I honestly didn't think anyones sale could have taken as long as mine! You asked if anyone else has been through this before? Nearly, but I can't beat you (yet) as it's "only" been ONE year and ONE month since my initial offer.
My Timeline (I have nothing to sell / proceedable buyer)
Dec 2019 - My offer is accepted. My mortgage is in place. I'm ready to go.
Mar 2020 - My Sellers are struggling to find anything to buy which is frustrating but the total lack of communication from the EA is worse. 
Mar-Jun 2020 - Lockdown / property market closed and my mortgage offer has expired. 
Jun - Sep 2020 - A complete lack of communication from the Estate Agents /Sellers/their Solicitors so I start to look online at Rightmove again with a view to pulling out having waited TEN months for the Sellers to find. 
Sep 2020 - The Estate Agent calls to say the Sellers have found a house, no chain, as the owner is old and has moved out. We should complete in 8 weeks. So it's simple, I'm buying a house from people moving into a vacant house. Brilliant!
Sep 2020 - I get my second mortgage offer. 
Nov 2020 - Start of November, the end is in sight and I hope to have moved in by December. All my conveyancing is complete.
Nov 2020 - The old lady who owns the vacant house, my Sellers are buying, sadly passes away. We now have to go through probate. The Estate Agent assures  me it takes 8-12 weeks to get Grant of Probate, and it is a simple one, just one only child beneficiary, no complications.
Nov 2020 - The survey exposes some potentially expensive work but as I have now unexpectedly benefitted £6500 from the stamp duty holiday I don't negotiate further on price as I can use that extra cash. 
Jan 2020 - Absolutely no updates from anyone regarding the progress of the Probate and right now I'm on the verge of pulling out. The only thing that keeps me there is the fact that it's taken so long and we may now be so close. However the EA tells me that my Sellers can't even get hold of their own Solicitors (who are slow at the best of times) and the Estate Agent acting on behalf of the probate seller is not apparently able to provide an update either. ARRRRGHGHH! 
My current mortgage offer expire mid March and IF this process means I miss out on the Stamp Duty holiday then I will ask for that amount to be deducted from the sale price. Non negotiable.  Otherwise I'll pull out. 

RachTom - I feel your pain with two kids and no home of your own for this amount of time.  Extra "pain points" for living NEXT DOOR to the house you're buying all this time. As we have  a similar situation with someone in the chain passing away, how long did the Probate take, was it a complicated one (lots of beneficiaries) or straightforward?  Is it any clearer for you that you can exchange or not on Friday 15th?  Good luck. This process is such a nightmare!

Wow. I feel for you too... We have had an awful experience with the lack of communication, also with the sellers solicitors... Luckily we know the sellers (daughters) and have been able to keep in contact directly the whole way through.. I suggested they make a complaint as they were adament it was us with the delays! .. Our purchase/sale did officially start in April 2019 when the daughter showed us round the empty house (also needs alot of decorating and modernisation) and it's a perfect house for us and the only house we could find in our budget (was still looking on Rightmove up until now😂)
so the probate I think only took 3 months from what I remember. we found out owner passed away in start of Feb 19 and we had confirmation of probate granted may 30th (although no one actually informed us of her passing, we found out by a friend in the house next door!)
If you can chase your solicitors/land registry ask the sellers conveyencer for the probate to be expedited as its holding up a sale etc... Obviously if you are really keen on the house..

Regarding our exchange/completion tomorrow.. I will be emailing the solicitors if I haven't heard by lunch time, to see if they have managed to get hold of the sellers solicitors to exchange! .. Bank has already agreed on the money to be released so guess our solicitor will get that today or tomorrow?

We have bought a house before (11 years ago) and had a mortgage but I can't for the life of me remember how the process works!
Google and this forum have been very helpful 😂

Keep me updated😊

rachtom84

mm1985 said:

Yesterday I got told we should exchange tomorrow, will I get a call before this happens? 

I'm wandering this too.. Do they contact you first for confirmation? 

JessJ23425

fleur8 said:

Working myself up to call my solicitor for the first time. Haven’t had a reply to any emails in about 11 days although we are ready to proceed to exchange. The seller’s estate agent is calling me THREE times a day as their solicitor can’t get a reply from them either. I feel so nervous! Have to put on my work voice and get on with it...

Isn't that just the worst... we were in exactly the same spot being almost harassed by seller via estate agent on a daily basis. Couldn't get a thing from my solicitor so was completely helpless. Don't be nervous, remember you're their client and are paying for a service - you are not going outside your right by calling for an update!

Good luck, hope it works out soon.

zodiac55

rachtom84 said:

mm1985 said:

Yesterday I got told we should exchange tomorrow, will I get a call before this happens? 

I'm wandering this too.. Do they contact you first for confirmation? 

Yes I received a call this morning for authorisation (after failed to exchange yesterday)