Flat buying - seller turning nasty

pinkshoes

Why does it take 7 days between exchange and completion? It can be done on the same day, or within 24 hours quite easily! (Ours was v quick!)

If you need short term accomodation, you should try your Travellodge hotel, because if you book it now you could have a room at £15 a night... I'm sure they'd come to an agreement if you wanted to stay a couple of weeks!

carpetbelly

Firstly, it is possible to exchange and complete on the same day. The people I bought from were after that, I didnt mind. Meant I got my property a bit earlier!

Secondly, you should turn the heat up on this woman. Make sure you are not going to take her furniture. Offer original asking price, then further down the line take £5k off the price due to 'market conditions'. If she's so desperate for money from this sale for her other places she'll have no choice.

The tables have turned, rather than bending you over you have her over a barrel now. Make use of it!

ghekkomanic

pinkshoes wrote: »

Why does it take 7 days between exchange and completion? It can be done on the same day, or within 24 hours quite easily! (Ours was v quick!)

I've asked my GF before about this and she said they like to leave 7 days, but it can't be done same day. I can't remember why!

As for having somewhere to stay, we're looking at a room to rent tonight which is cheaper than our current place, and I'm looking at flats to buy on Saturday.

carpetbelly wrote: »

The tables have turned, rather than bending you over you have her over a barrel now. Make use of it!

Unfortunately we have to wait for the correct landlord's replies. No idea how long that will take!

I can wait though - if she still wants to sell us the flat/furniture it won't be at the prices she's asking!

carpetbelly

ghekkomanic wrote: »

I've asked my GF before about this and she said they like to leave 7 days, but it can't be done same day. I can't remember why!

It really can be... I only bought in June and as I said, I done them both on the same day as the sellers wanted to move away to be nearer family and their solicitors had been rubbish. They even knew that and they kept apologising so to hit the completion date I'd wanted we exchanged and completed on the same day. Well, wasn't the date I really wanted, stuff from the leaseholder took a bit longer to come back than it should have so was about a 2weeks later. Still though, doable on same day

Nicki

I've been reading this thread with interest and sympathy too, having had a difficult time with our recent move.

With the greatest respect to your girlfriend, I think the fact that she is a trainee solicitor, not qualifed, and the fact that she is emotionally involved in this is affecting the advice she is giving you. I don't mean to be rude about this. I am a solicitor myself, and recall that during my training contract I really didn't know much more than the average person on the street either!

As others have said, there is no reason at all why legally there must be 7 days between exchange and completion, assuming you are buying the property in England or Wales. You could exchange and complete on the same day if you wanted. For practical reasons, people often like at least a week between the two, as it means that you don't have to book your moving van, redirect your post and arrange for your utilities to be cut off until you know the deal is definitely going through. However, this isn't a problem for you, as you are moving out of rented accomodation, so don't actually need to move out of your rented flat on the day you complete if you don't want to, nor do you need to cut off utilities. Nor does it sound like it should be a problem for your seller who is leaving the country on a set date, so would also be arranging all these things to happen on that date in any event.

It is far easier said than done, but the best advice I can give you, is to negotiate the best price you can, and to stay as flexible as you can be on the actual date you move. It sounds like you have very little furniture of your own. Do you have family or friends who would store the bulk of your possessions for you for a few days or weeks in a garage or spare room? If so, you could move out of your rented accomodation into a hotel (or in with friends) for a few weeks to see how things go. If the deal doesn't go through, it will probably take you 6 months to find somewhere else you like, do the conveyancing and complete, so you could at that point take out another 6 month tenancy to tide you over while you look.

Good luck. Don't give up hope. You may well be in for Christmas. This is the worst part of the whole thing, but having been through a nightmare (with our buyers not our sellers though) and been stressed beyond endurance, and homeless with 2 children for a few nights to boot, I can honestly say that all was forgotten within a few weeks of moving into the new house, and that the trauma was in the end worth it (though I am never ever moving again!)

ghekkomanic

carpetbelly wrote: »

It really can be... I only bought in June and as I said, I done them both on the same day as the sellers wanted to move away to be nearer family and their solicitors had been rubbish.

Thanks carpetbelly. The general concensus seems to be you can exchange and complete on the same day. Good to know it's a possibility if it comes to that (depsite my GF's protestations!).

Nicki wrote: »

Good luck. Don't give up hope. You may well be in for Christmas. This is the worst part of the whole thing, but having been through a nightmare (with our buyers not our sellers though) and been stressed beyond endurance, and homeless with 2 children for a few nights to boot, I can honestly say that all was forgotten within a few weeks of moving into the new house, and that the trauma was in the end worth it (though I am never ever moving again!)

Thank you! I should be thankful kids aren't involved! What a nightmare for you.

Actually a lot of people have mentioned that the stress of a difficult transaction could sour the property, so best to pull out. It's difficult to know until I move in (if it happens) but I suspect it will be the opposite - I'll feel like I've earned it and enjoy it more. Don't know...

carpetbelly

It could sour the property and like you say, you could feel like it's a battle won and you can wine and dine within your victory

If you really like the property, just go for it... You're in such a good position it's great.

Mozette

just bumping this up for the next chapter.
And to wish you good luck.

Guy_Montag

I agree with Nicki, in fact I surprised I got to page 9 before anyone mentioned it. Your GF may be enthusiastic & good at her job, but she's better off getting mate's rates from her boss than doing this sort of stuff herself.

It's not really about the mechanics of doing the job (which I'm sure she's great at), it's about the experience. It's about knowing when the seller is taking the piiss or when the other solicitor has fouled up or is deliberately dragging their feet. These things you only learn with time.


Good luck, but I would suggest, if you can put it delicately enough to maintain your relationship, that you get one of her colleagues to deal with it, or at least keep a close eye on things.

Despite a bit of HPC nuttery in the middle there, you have united the board in a way that few can manage. In fact I'm surprised some of our London correspondents haven't offered you a room for a few days. Shame on them :-P

clutton_2

as guy says ""deliberately dragging their feet" -

getting searches (was it ?) for the wrong address ????

classic delaying tactic/dragging their feet !!!!