Positive time lines on house buying?!

Piiiinksocks

We had an offer accepted on 24/09/19 - almost 8 weeks ago. We’re in rented, our vendor is buying an empty flat (supposedly sale fell through at a late stage so majority of legal work is done as this needed a lease extension).

I’m feeling SO impatient now. It took 3 weeks for draft contracts, which delayed our solicitor getting the searches done (they came back on 31/10/19). Mortgage offer also received on 31/10/19. Enquiries went out almost 2 weeks ago, and the estate agent is definitely not on the ball and thinks it happened a good week or so later.

We’re desperate to be in before Christmas, preferably before the end of Nov. Has anyone got any positive stories on how long this could now take?! We’ve seen nothing so far - solicitor is going to send us a “purchase pack” once she has had all enquiries back, and if we’re happy she’ll then request the deposit. Does anyone have any positive timescales to enlighten me with about how it could all just move this week and every hope I have come through?! Patience is not something I do well, and I’ve sat on my hands so much through this process so far to not pester unnecessarily. Our solicitor is fab, she got our house sold in 6 weeks (in a much bigger chain) so I guess I’ve been spoilt!!!

RelievedSheff

We have had both sides a really slow process with the last purchase which should have been simple, no chain, we were FTB seller had another property already. This sale took 16 weeks due to our inept conveyancer.

Latest sale earlier this year went through in 3.5 weeks. Part exed our old house against a completed new build. It could have been quicker but we lost a week due to a mix up with solicitors paperwork!

babyblade41

No rhyme nor reason in it..my last move was 13 weeks with no chain, no mortgage just a Land registry matter as house wasn't registered

On an uncomplicated transaction expect 3 -4 months ..can be quicker but can take an awful lot longer too

Crumble2018

Our purchase completes on Friday - in week 23!
Yours sounds like a dream to me!!

welwynrose

Our sale will have taken 13 weeks from offer to completion

**dancingbutterfly**

I completed yesterday which was 11 weeks from the start.

I am terribly impatient and pushed and pushed for this. My purchase last year was 8 weeks! It can be done but every transaction is different.

Best of luck.

Thrugelmir

Piiiinksocks wrote: »

Mortgage offer also received on 31/10/19.

Seems most of the delay is yours to date. As the vendor I wouldn't be progressing my side until it was confirmed that the mortgage offer was in place.

Piiiinksocks

Yes I’d agree about the mortgage comment (on mobile so I can’t quote, sorry). Although, the estate agent is happily telling me the vendor is getting everything done, his solicitors are just a bit slow. I wish we’d found the house a month earlier, but I was too worried before our sale had gone through because we had a sale fall through last year on a house we loved - I was trying to avoid the heartbreak. I just want to be in this beautiful house for Christmas!!

jjmmww1

We are due to exchange on Monday our offer was accepted on the 17th of July to give you our time scale

SmashedAvacado

Your solicitor did not need to wait for the draft contract to come through to undertake the searches. Many will do as a way of slowing the deal down, but actually there is absolutely no reason why searches cannot be instigated pretty much immediately - once you have confirmed the property you are buying by reference to the title (which costs £6 to get hold of)

Similarly on enquiries - these could have been issued on day one (albeit that follow up enquiries are typically needed to address particular concerns following a review of the title).

Overall your solicitor could work faster - but you should be pressing the agent to check that your seller is also working towards that date and that they have told their solicitor to make this happen also.

maisie_cat

We have been going since Aug/Sep and our buyers have just got their mortgage offer. The estate agent thinks we should be able to exchange next week as all the conveyancing is done. I hope so, hubby is driving me mad moaning about how long it's taking.We expected it to be quicker, buyers are renting and sellers are probate sale