Any chance of exchange today or tomorrow?

Jd843

Hi
My solicitor is pretty much ready to exchange contracts, but the two sellers up the chain and their solicitors are not responding to any queries.  

My seller won't chase their solicitor - basically they're afraid of being annoying.  I'm getting really fed up of the seller's laid back attitude to all this, as it's undoubtedly slowed things down.  I feel like they're taking me, as their buyer, for granted, assuming I will wait forever and there's no need to rush, even though I am clearly keen to exchange and get a date agreed.  

I'm wondering if I just need to give up, save myself some stress and stop hoping for exchange before Christmas.  It seems pointless threatening to pull out in an attempt to hurry them up - I feel like at this late stage, they'll know I am bluffing (I would be - there's nothing else decent on the market anyway). 

I just get a horrible feeling that something is going to go wrong over Christmas if we don't exchange before e.g. our buyer will change their mind and decide not to sell.  Not sure if I am being paranoid.  

More of a rant than anything, but would appreciate any advice as it feels like we are in deadlock!

[Deleted User]

You're in the situation all of us get in at that particular stage, unlikely you'll exchange 2 days so change the way you're seeing this and accept that it will most likely be 2 weeks from now when the ball will start rolling again.

None of us can hurry the buying and selling process and the more times you move the more laid back you'll get.

hazyjo

Most of the offices will be closed from tomorrow (or a day either side).

Honestly, just try not to stress or rush. Enjoy Christmas wherever you are currently. It's a nightmare trying to move around Christmas at the best of times.

HobgoblinBT

Call your estate agent and get their expediter to chase. They won’t be afraid of appearing to be pushy.

Jd843

HobgoblinBT said:

Call your estate agent and get their expediter to chase. They won’t be afraid of appearing to be pushy.

I speak to the estate agent at least twice a day, every day.  They can't get through to our seller's solicitor, not even the secretary. It was the estate agent who told me that the seller doesn't want to chase the solicitor, and I just did not know how to respond to that...!

youth_leader

I understand your frustration but it's lockdown, I'm learning to recite 'what will be, will be'. when I feel like tearing my hair out at the lack of communication.  My solicitor contacted me to say he hadn't had any contact - at all - with my vendor's solicitor for the five weeks since instruction.  It took the EA  two weeks to update me - the solicitor had tested positive for the virus.  Vendor has now been assigned a new solicitor within the practice, file passed over on 3 December, eight weeks in.  Has cost me another month's rent, also might miss stamp duty holiday, but very glad delay isn't due to seller withdrawing.

Jd843

youth_leader said:

I understand your frustration but it's lockdown, I'm learning to recite 'what will be, will be'. when I feel like tearing my hair out at the lack of communication.  My solicitor contacted me to say he hadn't had any contact - at all - with my vendor's solicitor for the five weeks since instruction.  It took the EA  two weeks to update me - the solicitor had tested positive for the virus.  Vendor has now been assigned a new solicitor within the practice, file passed over on 3 December, eight weeks in.  Has cost me another month's rent, also might miss stamp duty holiday, but very glad delay isn't due to seller withdrawing.

Only in London and the south-east! 

eddddy

Jd843 said:

HobgoblinBT said:

Call your estate agent and get their expediter to chase. They won’t be afraid of appearing to be pushy.

I speak to the estate agent at least twice a day, every day.  They can't get through to our seller's solicitor, not even the secretary. It was the estate agent who told me that the seller doesn't want to chase the solicitor, and I just did not know how to respond to that...!

If the seller doesn't want to chase their solicitor, presumably they are not bothered about exchanging contracts today or tomorrow - or maybe they specifically don't want to exchange contracts today or tomorrow.


Anyway, it's the others in the chain that you have to chase - rather than chasing your solicitor. It's for them to instruct their solicitors to exchange contracts, if that's what they want to do.

RelievedSheff

Why the rush to exchange before Christmas anyway?

tigerlily74

You sound like my buyer. She always says her solicitor is ‘pretty much ready’ so we chase ours and in fact her solicitor still has things outstanding. Maybe wait till your solicitor is actually ready then have them contact your seller’s solicitor with a proposed date. That ought to push things along.

Thrugelmir

Given the fluid situation there's no point in exchanging contracts until a completion date can be finalised. No one is going to do anything now until the New Year. Two weeks is a long time, anything could happen............