Buying causing stress & options?

shorty1988m

Generally I’m someone who suffers anxiety and going through a house purchase is putting that into turbo mode so I was hoping someone had some advice or options that can help. 

So, FTB currently waiting for searches back to proceed in buying the house. It’s taken a long time to get to this point and it’s caused me to run into some problems. 

I work at sea and get 3 months off between trips at sea and I’m currently scheduled to go back on the 23rd October with the ship scheduled to be at sea for large portions of this time. I’ve been informed by my solicitor that there are documents that will definitely require a wet signature so I’m going to be unable to receive post like a regular person. I’ve talked to work to try and get some sort of workaround by going to another ship or working from home for a time but as my job is in demand (actually asking me to go back a level up) I’m not getting much back from them. It’s worth noting that they currently have people in other roles working from home to allow house purchases to go through. 

This is causing massive amounts of stress and anxiety. From pulling out meaning I lose all of the fees I’ve paid so far plus not being able to buy a house due to rates going up but also not ever being able to buy due to the max amount of time I have being 3 months. 

If I plow ahead with this and get to the point of exchange something could change and completion could come into jeopardy and result in losing a £65k deposit plus fees. 

The fees just keep rising as the process goes on and I’m basically stuck. 

I’m very close to going to the doctor about stress but worried it will affect my mortgage offer and surely they’ll just say pull out of the sale if that’s the cause of stress. 

Anyone had anything similar to this and what did you do??

Sarah1Mitty2

How would you lose the deposit?

user1977

You can grant your solicitor (or somebody else onshore) power of attorney to sign things in your absence - not sure why your solicitor hasn't suggested that?

Flugelhorn

Have you explained this to the solicitor - can you get an ordinary power of attorney for them to the signing (after discussing with you etc) 

https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/topics/private-client/ordinary-powers-of-attorney

jj_43

The obvious choices are you sign the documents when you are physically available, press the solicitor on the need for a wet signature, ask for other options. 

ironlady2022

Deposit is only put down once yo agree an exchange date

Doozergirl

As above, power of attorney is an option for you.  

TBagpuss

Options would be
1. Power of Attorney to allow someone else to sign for you 
2. Ask your solicitor whether it is possible to pre-sign and for them to hold the documents (onky works if they are able t draft them in advance, of course) 

user1977

TBagpuss said:

Options would be
1. Power of Attorney to allow someone else to sign for you 
2. Ask your solicitor whether it is possible to pre-sign and for them to hold the documents (onky works if they are able t draft them in advance, of course) 

A power of attorney is always safer anyway, in case something unexpected crops up while the OP is in the middle of the Pacific or wherever.

RM_2013

I understand on the anxiety front.  I’ve suffered with anxiety over the last few years mostly related to my job but buying and selling has been really stressful. 

Speak to your solicitor about your options - they have surely encountered these obstacles before.  As others have suggested power of attorney may be possible.

good luck with your purchase 

shorty1988m

Thanks for all the advice. 

Power of attorney sounds like a good option I’ll broach that with the solicitor and see what they say and try and get my mum to sign things for me. 

I’m not worried about losing my deposit now but the nature of sea being very unpredictable I worry about organising a completion date and then being unable to follow through

I’ve managed to delay going back to sea until the 20th November so hopefully it will work out but I had to take a very unwanted temporary promotion for that.