Conflicting messages from estate agent and solicitors

W0rryW4rt

In the process of selling. The offer was accepted at the end of July and things have been moving slowly due in large part to the buyers’ funds coming from multiple places (gifting/ inheritance/ mortgage). A few weeks ago, the estate agent emailed to say the buyer’s solicitor had mentioned they were almost ready to start getting completion dates in place.
Since then the messages have been slow and just all over the place. On 17th Nov they put forward 21st as a completion date (on the phone to estate agent- not to my solicitor). I suggested 1st December to which there was no reply.
i have chased again today and the estate agent told me he had spoken to the buyer’s solicitor who mentioned 26th November (2 days!). 

I called my solicitor to see if this has been proposed to her and she had nothing from them regarding completion dates. As we were on the phone, she got an email from them with further enquiries.
Is this normal? I am losing my mind!

Bigphil1474

Is it normal that confusion reigns? Yes. You are best just listening to your solicitor. It's them who will be writing the contract that is exchanged. If the buyer still has queries then they aren't ready to complete. Normally you would have some time between exchange and completion unless you don't have an onward purchase. Either way, giving you 2 days notice for completion isn't normal. We had 2 weeks notice of completion date, and exchanged the week before.

W0rryW4rt

Thank you. I will stick with only trusting what I hear from my solicitor from now on. I am not sure why the messages have been so mixed so far but it has made everything even more of a rollercoaster, thinking we were ready to set dates when we clearly aren’t.

Grumpy_chap

W0rryW4rt said:

In the process of selling. The offer was accepted at the end of July and things have been moving slowly due in large part to the buyers’ funds coming from multiple places (gifting/ inheritance/ mortgage). A few weeks ago, the estate agent emailed to say the buyer’s solicitor had mentioned they were almost ready to start getting completion dates in place.
Since then the messages have been slow and just all over the place. On 17th Nov they put forward 21st as a completion date (on the phone to estate agent- not to my solicitor). I suggested 1st December to which there was no reply.
i have chased again today and the estate agent told me he had spoken to the buyer’s solicitor who mentioned 26th November (2 days!). 

I called my solicitor to see if this has been proposed to her and she had nothing from them regarding completion dates. As we were on the phone, she got an email from them with further enquiries.
Is this normal? I am losing my mind!

Ignore anything the EA says - if the EA contacts you simply say that all communications will be via the Solicitor.
Only give any value to what you hear from the Solicitor.

W0rryW4rt

Thank you. The irony is that when I was chasing my solicitor last week, I was told that I can also chase information via my estate agent…by the solicitor’s office. 

Tiglet2

W0rryW4rt said:

Thank you. The irony is that when I was chasing my solicitor last week, I was told that I can also chase information via my estate agent…by the solicitor’s office. 

Yes, the solicitor will advise that because they don't want you phoning them all the time with basic queries.  The estate agent can speak to all parties to try and find out what's going on, who needs to do something, who is waiting for something etc. and to update you with what they've been told.   But what the estate agent cannot do is arrange completion dates.

EssexHebridean

Normal that Estate agents often literally make things up? Sadly yes - and it's incredibly frustrating. You absolutely CAN use a good agent to assist with chasing, moving things forward etc, but unfortunately with a less than good one it's pretty pointless. 

saajan_12

Has to be a balance.. agents will phone eachother and can be useful in getting people going faster. Solicitors will have the more accurate information. 

So I would keep some contact with the agent, no need to go overly formal and insist on solicitor only. BUT don't believe everything the agent says, take it with a pinch of salt. So if the solicitor has said they're still looking at some enquiries, then give it a few days and then check in, meanwhile ignore if the agent wants everyone going in circles. End of the week, see where your solicitor is with the enquiries and if all complete then check in with the agent re dates. Then informally agree dates with the agent before confirming with the solicitor. 

W0rryW4rt

Thank you all. I do think the estate agent was relaying a genuine conversation they had with either the buyer or the buyer’s solicitor but feel the lesson for me here is to take everything that anyone other than my solicitor tells me with a pinch of salt. 

I will struggle to get my head around the need for all of this playing around.

Albermarle

W0rryW4rt said:

Thank you all. I do think the estate agent was relaying a genuine conversation they had with either the buyer or the buyer’s solicitor but feel the lesson for me here is to take everything that anyone other than my solicitor tells me with a pinch of salt. 

I will struggle to get my head around the need for all of this playing around.

You are having to deal with other people. Sometimes they may act strangely, or they may just have a lot of other issues to deal with. They may be very disorganised, or a couple at each other throats, or anything really.

EssexHebridean

It's not really playing around. Thing about it this way.

Estate agents buy and sell properties - it's what they do, and where their expertise lies. Solicitors do NOT buy and sell properties. For the actual buying/selling part - you liaise with the estate agents. 

Solicitors deal with the legal work - it's what their qualifications are in, and where their expertise lies. Estate agents have no qualifications in law whatsoever and should not be getting involved in anything to do with the legalities. once the legal side is underway - you liaise with the Solicitors.

An Estate agent isn't qualified to say whether someone is "ready to exchange" or if "a completion date can now be set" - they simply don't know if that is the case or not - the people who DO know are the solicitors on each side. When it comes to setting dates, you are best off dealing through your solicitor only - as getting agents involved at that stage can simply cause confusion and end up slowing things down.