How to move - buying and selling in a chain

svensha

Hi, this will be our first time selling a property and buying and moving into a new one. I am worried about how to handle the move - in the past we stayed in our rented place for a week longer after we bought our new house while we redecorated etc. But in our current situation, we have to vacate the current property on completion date.

How does everyone usually handle such a move? We'd like to put new carpeting in our new place and also build a wardrobe while it's still empty. Is the only option to rent an intermediate place and rent a storage unit? The new place we'd be moving into will be empty as it was rented out - is it likely the landlord will let us re-carpet/install a wardrobe in between exchange of contracts and completion?

Would be great to hear your experiences as this must be quite common!

babyblade41

You may get  a key undertaking in-between exchange & completion but this is down to the seller agreeing 

You would have to arrange trades people to come on a specific date but that date can't be confirmed until exchange has actually happened 

It also depends on others in the chain deciding if some will want exchange & completion  on the same day ,some might only want a few days .

Realistically wait until completion and keep most of your belongings in storage until you have done all you want to do 

Jox

You'll probably get the keys to the property on the day of completion and then will move in to the empty property. You probably won't be able to re-carpet or install a wardrobe until you have completed. Can you put furniture in one room while you decorate another empty room?

TheJP

When do you think you will exchange and when do you think you will complete. I wouldn't want to take the risk of carpeting a property i don't yet own in case something were to happen/carpets could get damaged if the seller went back into the property. You may also struggle to get the trade to be able to do the work in the window you want them to.

pinkshoes

svensha said:

Hi, this will be our first time selling a property and buying and moving into a new one. I am worried about how to handle the move - in the past we stayed in our rented place for a week longer after we bought our new house while we redecorated etc. But in our current situation, we have to vacate the current property on completion date.

How does everyone usually handle such a move? We'd like to put new carpeting in our new place and also build a wardrobe while it's still empty. Is the only option to rent an intermediate place and rent a storage unit? The new place we'd be moving into will be empty as it was rented out - is it likely the landlord will let us re-carpet/install a wardrobe in between exchange of contracts and completion?

Would be great to hear your experiences as this must be quite common!

You just shove all your stuff into one room then get carpets fitted and redecorate.

You then do the room with the stuff in last.

(although we have now been here 7 years and still have the original carpet in the lounge!)

GixerKate

Being able to 'overlap' is a luxury many don't have.  The usual process is that on completion day you get all packed up and all your stuff out of your existing place and wait until you get the nod from your solicitor that the selling part has taken place and then you leave your house and hand in the keys at the estate agent.  

You then get over to the new place and sit in your car/van/wherever you have your belongings until you get the nod to say that you now own a new house and then you get all your stuff into the new house.

If you want to build a wardrobe before you set up the bedroom you just sleep in a different room until you have the bedroom how you want it and ditto for any other rooms.

In my opinion it is very unlikely that you can do anything to the house before completion.  As someone who has moved several times there is no way I would agree to it.