Is this normal?

WiseOwl00

Hi everyone,

I was just wanting some advice on my house-buying situation. Me and my partner are both in the process of buying our first home and had an offer accepted on the 27th of July. There has been very little progress made regarding the sale and I'm starting to worry that it's not normal. First of all, we have had major delays with our mortgage application. We applied via a mortgage advisor with a 10% deposit on the 30th of July (9 weeks ago) and are yet to even move past the first step. I understand that the banks are very busy at the moment and that offers are taking a long time. However, our application is not even past the checking the documents stage yet as we have been asked for further documents three times, each with at least a two week gap between requests. Our application still needs to go the underwriters and a valuation is yet to be done. 

On top of that, the seller hasn't even instructed their solicitor yet. The seller specifically asked for first-time buyers so that they don't have a chain lower down, for a quicker sale. They even accepted our offer, which was lower than the highest bid, as we are first-time buyers with no chain. I've been requesting updates fortnightly from the estate agent with each one suggesting imminent progress. At the start of the process, apparently the seller hadn't instructed their solicitor as they didn't know how to complete the seller's form correctly and were waiting on information about the house. A few weeks later, they hadn't done it because they were waiting for something to happen with the house they are buying (unsure what). A few weeks later (about 3 weeks ago), the estate agent said that the seller had finally instructed their solicitor and that our solicitor should receive the contract in a few days. Last week I emailed the solicitor to double check and apparently they still haven't received anything. I asked the estate agent for an update at the start of this week, apparently they didn't know that the seller hadn't handed in the contract pack in. They said they would find out what was happening and let me know. I rang them today, after not hearing from them, and they said that the seller hasn't had confirmation that they can buy the house they're buying yet(?). Apparently the seller was due to hear back today and were to update the estate agent, and then the estate agent would ring me. The estate agent hasn't rang me and to be honest I have no idea what is going on. The estate agent said that they are still building their contract pack whilst waiting to hear back from the house they're buying, but also said, completely randomly, that it's up to us if we find another house??

I understand that delays are common in house buying, and we've been incredibly patient thus far, but is it normal to still have zero progress after 2 months? It seems like they have a problem with the upward chain but I have no idea what sort of problem as the estate agents are giving me varied answers. Would it be reasonable to ask the estate agents to find out exactly where they are at with their house buying process so that I can have an idea of how long this is likely to take and whether they are actually selling? I'm assuming this is not allowed, but is it possible to speak to the sellers directly? There's such a lack of communication from the estate agents. My boyfriend would like to just wait and see what happens and says we're not in a position to demand progress given the delays in our mortgage application. I'm starting to feel more pessimistic, and getting a bit frustrated about the conflicting information I keep getting from the estate agents. What would people advise at this point? I'm unsure what it's best to do. 

tacpot12

It isn't reasonable for there have to have been zero progress in 2 months, but estate agents, solicitors, buyers and sellers can be very unclear about what has happened and why things have not happened, so it may be that there is more progress that you are being told there is. 

It would not be reasonable to ask their vendors estate agents where they are at with their house buying process. You can talk to the vendors directly, although the estate agents are unlikely to facilitate this; they might if you ask nicely. You might find an alternative way to contact them, e.g. via social media. 

I would let them know that unless there is meaningful progress within the next week, you are going to start looking at other properties. I would not mention that you will withdraw your offer. I would withdraw your offer when you find another property you like and need to start paying for surveys and the like. They can't say they weren't warned. 

eddddy

WiseOwl00 said:

The estate agent said that they are still building their contract pack whilst waiting to hear back from the house they're buying, but also said, completely randomly, that it's up to us if we find another house??
 

I guess it depends on the context of that comment, but...

If the EA is starting to suggest that you should look for another house, that's not a good sign. It suggests that the EA is not very confident about the sale proceeding.

Or was it more of a frustrated response to you being a bit aggressive?