Silence is....normal?

Poor_Leno

So, I had an offer accepted on a 2 bed flat on 2nd feb.  Really chuffed with that.  Solicitors instructed, mortgage offer confirmed and Memorandum of Sale was issued a week Wednesday back (10 days or so).  Since then I've had to complete a client inforamtion pack with copies of IDs, proof of funds, estate agents details and a down payment for local searches.  That all confirmed as received Friday before last.  Is it normal for things to go quiet at this stage?  Solicitor has not asked for anything else and was happy with everything provided, so I assume they are getting on with things between themselves and the seller's solicitors and whatever else that gets done in the background.  Someone has told me that searches themselves can take 2-3 weeks depending on the authority.  Should I be calling my solicitor this week for an update?  I don't want them to get annoyed with me contacting all the time and to this point (and literally only 2 weeks into the process so it is the very early stages) i've been waiting for responses and dealing with things as and when either the EA or solicitor asks. Just that my paranoia is kicking in and i'm wondering if I should ring and ask for an update this week. 

Also, I've just this weekend booked a local surveyor to get a homebuyer survey done for me and that's being done at the end of next week.  Once that report reaches me should I send a copy to the solicitor?  Its just that, I had to sign a declaration that the information he (the surveyor) provides should not be be passed on to any other party as the contractual relationship is between me and him.  A friend of mine said they had to send a copy of their survey to their solicitor for it to be passed on to the lender, so am a bit confused as to whether I need to do that (lmy lender has already conducted its own valuation survey).

notrouble

If the survey was a valution survey arranged by the mortgage lender, it will go to the lender.

If you arranged a proper survey for your own benefit there are pros and cons to passing it to your solicitor

* if it raises any legal issues, best for your solicitor to see it

* but if it highlights issues (eg structural) and you pass it to your solicitor, he'll have to pass it to your lender (as he acts for them too) and it might affect your mortgage. Sometimes a homebuyers /structural survey spots things that the lender's valuation survey missed.

So read it first and then decide!

Thrugelmir

What position are your vendors in? Good idea to maintain dialogue with the EA. As they are the ones that should know what is happening in the chain and keep everyone informed. 

Moneyminded

Yes it is perfectly normal for things to go quiet for a bit. Your solicitor will get back in touch with you when the searches come back to go through the findings with you. 
When you get your survey report back that is just for you although it can be a very handy negotiating tool if there are things you weren't expecting that crop up. 
Good luck with your purchase

[Deleted User]

You've done all your stuff buts it's possible the vendors haven't.  Without the draft contract pack from the sellers solicitor, yours can't start work on anything. 

Estate agents should be able to update you as well

Poor_Leno

Thanks everyone. This is my first property purchase , hence feeling somewhat like  being sat in a doctor's waiting room!  I will ask the solicitor this week if they've received the draft contract and after that prod the estate agent about it if they havn't. Have to say, I've felt quite stressed out the last 2 weeks, and only now I feel like I'm waiting for somebody else to move things forward, as I feel I've been doing my end of the bargain as swiftly as possible. 

@Thrugelmir, vendor is not buying another property, he is selling several properties like mine because he took out interest only mortgages on several properties some years ago that hes been advised to sell as he owes capital on them. It's really the only reason I've been able to afford a 2 bed place, sad as it sounds , I am quite satisfied with how I handled things so far, just feel strangely anxious all the time. Barely sleeping lately.

AnotherJoe

House buying and selling,  is like war, long periods of boredom interspersed with moments of terror and fear. 

Flugelhorn

Poor_Leno said:

Thanks everyone. This is my first property purchase , hence feeling somewhat like  being sat in a doctor's waiting room!  I will ask the solicitor this week if they've received the draft contract and after that prod the estate agent about it if they havn't. Have to say, I've felt quite stressed out the last 2 weeks, and only now I feel like I'm waiting for somebody else to move things forward, as I feel I've been doing my end of the bargain as swiftly as possible. 

@Thrugelmir, vendor is not buying another property, he is selling several properties like mine because he took out interest only mortgages on several properties some years ago that hes been advised to sell as he owes capital on them. It's really the only reason I've been able to afford a 2 bed place, sad as it sounds , I am quite satisfied with how I handled things so far, just feel strangely anxious all the time. Barely sleeping lately.

Best to set yourself a target of say 3-4 weeks and if nothing has happened in that time then chase things up. I had a cash offer accepted at the end of October and ....well bits of paper are still flying around the system.. last had an update from solicitor 2 weeks ago and I'll chase again at the end of this week. 

iampetesmith

It will be quiet for quite long periods as various things are going on. From what I remember, I had a scheduled call with my solicitor every 2 weeks for updates on the proceedings and didn't usually have any news in between then. Does your solicitor have an app or online portal so that you can check progress? We used Premier Property Lawyers and their eWay app was good for checking what was going on.

A call to your solicitor every week or 2 won't hurt if they haven't scheduled a regular one, you only really need to chase if you know there is something that needs to be done on your side but they're taking ages to do it. As long as you fill in and return all your paperwork as soon as you get it, then it really is just a waiting game. Then you'll find out just how much other people can hold things up and spoil all the fun.

PasturesNew

I'd expect a mad flurry at the start.... followed by 8 weeks of absolutely nothing .... then a mad panic. 

seradane

I found it useful to get in touch with the solicitor at that stage to ask what sort of timeframes were expected from here... so then they'll tell you what they're waiting on or how long it will be roughly until they get stuff back.