Make compeltion day go smoother??

BWFCdave

Hi
We exchanged contracts on a house sale and purchase a couple of weeks ago, and we are due to complete next Friday (22nd feb).

The buyers of our house - first time buyers - have been quite difficult since they put their offer in November, and getitng to exchange was quite a journey.

Anyway, my question is, in the run up to completion day is there anything I can do to ensure things go smoothly?? I don't want to leave everything in the hands of our buyers and their solicitors, and am happy to get involved to make things go smoothly.

The house we are buying is empty, so we are keen to get the keys ASAP on completion day. What's the process on the day??

Thanks in advance
Dave

PasturesNew

The process on the day is: get all your stuff into the removals van. When you get the call from your solicitor to say the money's been received, take the keys down to the estate agent.

Once your money has been received your solicitor will release the money to the people you are buying from and they should be receiving a similar call about the same time.

If you receive the money, but there is a problem and the owners of the house you are buying don't then you can't sit in your old house. You no longer own it.

Having dropped off the keys at the estate agent, you should then be receiving a call to say where you can pick the keys up from for your new house.

Nobody will release the keys before the money has been received.
Nobody should be in the house once the money is received.

You have to take it on trust that it will all go smoothly. And it usually does.

I'd expect the calls to come between about 1pm and 2pm.

Good luck!

Running_Horse

We split up on completion day. My wife waited outside the house with the removal van waiting for the go ahead to get in with a key held by a neighbour, while I waited near the estate agent for the official key. By the time I got to the house they were already unpacking.

benood

Running_Horse wrote: »

We split up on completion day.

Wow I knew moving house was stressful but this takes the biscuit! Hope that the thought of a new house got you back together quickly.

Running_Horse

Arf. With two sales falling through and months of delays from our vendor (not to mention a new baby and a wedding), it was enough to test the strongest relationship.

Jorgan_2

PasturesNew wrote: »

I'd expect the calls to come between about 1pm and 2pm.

Bear in mind most solicitors close for lunch 1-2, so you can be kicking your heals for an hour if it hasn't completed by 1pm.

scope

Jorgan wrote: »

Bear in mind most solicitors close for lunch 1-2, so you can be kicking your heals for an hour if it hasn't completed by 1pm.

Thats what happened to us, it took a good couple of hours (around lunchtime) from we gave our key away until we got the key for the new house.. We just started unloading the stuff under a gazebo in the garden as the van had to go back (moved myself).. It was a long wait though, atleast it felt like it.

olibrofiz

What PasturesNew has said is it basically, it's sort of out of your hands.

When I moved in June 2007 I had to drop key off at the EA's the nite before, on the day I loaded up the van and waited for the call which came at about 12.00, drove down to the new place and sat outside for an hour cos the EA's hadn't received confirmation my funds had gone through :eek: :eek: Posted my other key through the letterbox.

After my house was emptied, cos my buyer was such a :mad: :mad: I went through it with a camcorder just so I had a record of how I'd left it.

Happy moving

Running_Horse

Oh, and to make things go smoother, pack a separate box containing kettle, cups, tea, coffee, etc.