Help, calm me. House buying and selling stress

petra what a nightmare for you! Our Eastern European removal men hadn't a clue what my beautifully labelled boxes said in English so we are now sitting here surrounded by items in all the wrong rooms. We had a few damages too which was a shame.
sazzl where are you moving to in Devon? Everything goes slowly in the west country!!
mw how are you today? I think your minimalist friend has the right idea, possessions are important but not the be all and end all!!

Ellianne
Some years ago we moved to Bulgaria.
We drove there by car and we were given a date when our goods would be delivered to the port for custom clearance.
On said date no phone call. I phoned delivery company to ask where our lorry was.
The agent said "will get back to you" ?
The news wasn't good: the Turkish driver had abandoned the lorry in Hungary and gone home!!!
That meant we had to find an independent customs agent who then had to take a lorry driver from Bulgaria to Hungary and finally bring our goods into Bulgaria ?

Good luck sazzl. I am waiting for the solicitors to respond to my request for a date ...

sazzl, it took my recommended surveyor three weeks before he could do the survey, I pulled out when I received it. Getting through a survey does give sellers and buyers peace of mind. I did have the appointment quite quickly ie the seller knew the date after a few days. Unless you are selling a new house then the survey should at least be booked

My last sale was different as my buyer knew that my husband had been a structural engineer, I guess that gave her some feeling of security. The mortgage survey took place after 11 weeks

Good luck and welcome

Good luck sazzl! Have your buyers requested a survey yet?

Well we're 2 weeks since we accepted an offer on our house and this weekend we found a house we want in Devon. Put in an offer and it was accepted. Filled out forms for solicitors (so many questions) so hoping it all goes smoothly. Reading this thread though maybe that's a dream but you all seem to get there in the end. Glad we've found somewhere as winter in the caravan could be a bit chilly

I am very sorry Ellianne, I hope you found a nice B&B? Poor man, I scalded my daughter with a hot chocolate once, I hope he doesn't need a graft. I hope the new crew turn up bright and early today

My friend here moved up from London with their small children and their lorry was stolen with their life possessions twenty years ago - I have no idea how a removal lorry can be stolen, but there wasn't as much CCTV then and it was never found. She managed to get copies of photos of her children from family, and from that day forward, became a minimalist, they hardly have anything in their house.

Wishing everyone a good day - I'm off to the beach then going to try and negotiate flooded roads to take my dog to the kennels. Feeling really nervous, but I'm sure I'll make it, a family got stuck in the water I was scared in yesterday, avoiding that route.

Oh no Ellianne, that does not bear thinking about. At least now the long difficult night will be over and hopefully they have a driver for today. Poor man, brings home what a boiling hot drink can do to skin

Nannytopsy, far too slow, I count myself extremely lucky, I always had a reply by return. There might be solicitor reviews somewhere, that would soon concentrate their minds. Maybe there is a code of conduct for conveyancing

Can’t not can!

Ellieanne I can imagine how you have coped! Good luck that they arrive tomorrow.
I am so fed up with the solicitors involved on our move - 10 days to answer emails?! On Friday we rang round and told everyone that the target date is Wednesday 28 or else we are on holiday and it will be third week in September. I hope that concentrates a few minds.

Nightmare!! BOur furniture was meant to arrive from London this morning but apparently the driver of the lorry spilt coffee down himself and had to go to A & E. They couldn't get a new driver to bring it down to us, so we have a new house with only 2 camping chairs from the boot of the car. Even the kettle is on the lorry! No bed, no TV, no fridge, nothing!! A move to remember ....... NOT.

scary mosaics, sounds like a small brandy would be good.

I was friends with a local farmer when I lived in s wales in a small village and he taught me some important things when I was driving a land rover then. He said that when going through flood water, to keep the revs high as it blows out the water from the exhaust, so first gear was good and foot down hard. Just as you did, well done you

This week, everything crossed

Just coming on to tell you that I'm so glad I'm home in one piece - I've always been scared of driving through flood water, but have just had to. The small stream near the farm has overflowed all over the road, but it's so narrow there I couldn't turn around and come back. Went through in first gear and half way through the car started faltering ... I almost felt I was floating .... I thought I'd hydraulicked my engine but luckily it kept going. Tested the brakes when i got through and too wet to work, kept testing gently on the way home and they seem to be OK now. Shaking like a leaf.

All this because the house has been put into 'The Week' magazine - W H Smiths would only keep it for me today. Not sure how it was chosen to go in, but has a huge and exclusive readership - apparently!

A good viewing today according to the viewing agent ... but a very young couple who were going home to 'crunch their numbers'.

Onwards and upwards, another viewing on Tuesday! Hope the weather improves, this electric storm is really upsetting my dog. When we first moved here in 1999 we had a similarly impressive electric storm - hit the telephone line and burnt out my computer! I've got the torch next to me in case the power goes

That's good time! I think you deserve a cream tea as the chain solicitor has disappointed you. Sorry the keys are so late, thanks for the 'late key' tip. Glad it's not dark until 9 pm ish so at least you'll still have daylight. Wishing you every happiness in your new home. I'm keeping my fingers crossed it's clean for you.

My new small and cosy home is still a long way off ... yet another feedback from Wednesday's viewing, 'too much work' - this person wanted to make it into a hotel. Off to coax the logburner, think the air is too heavy with all this humidity/rain.

Made it to Devon in atrocious weather but true to form the solicitor at the bottom is dragging his heels and hasn't yet transferred the funds up the chain. It's actually a good job our furniture isn't arriving today because it might be 4 PM before we get the keys. *Note to all movers - take out the late key insurance.
Going to get a coffee somewhere and sit in the car with all the pets!!

Woken up by the torrential rain - it's like autumn out there. So thankful the roofer came yesterday, the platform is dry.

Thanks for the good wishes Ellianne, I am feeling very panicky about the repairs needed here and have already spent so much this year, I am scared to look at my savings today. I just have to brave it out and wait.

Hope your DH travels safely with your pets, and you have a pleasant train journey. When do you get the keys for your new house?

Good luck for your viewing mw, hope the weather isn't too bad your way. Apparently it's atrocious where I'm heading (south west), but luckily I'm going by train. DH set off at 5 am with the pets!

Sorry Craftyone, what a waste of your time, I hate updates. I updated my printer, and it was completely knacked as it was too old for the software and it just killed it Had to buy a new one, tried to shop smart by looking at 'Which' and now have the slowest printer in the world - and no scanner I also lost all my photos on my mac when I updated from Sierra to Yosemite. I'm on my daughter's old Uni Samsung now, it's on its last legs, when I sell the house I'll treat myself.

Nice roofer came today and fixed the platform roof - I hope. I think he is marvellous but watch this space to see if the torrential rain that's coming this weekend does come through and drip onto the boiler electrics! I hope not, I'll have such a miserable winter if the boiler blows. He gave me the address of the man that makes wooden sash windows, I think I am going to have to bite the bullet and spend out on the landing windows. This man doesn't advertise anywhere, it's all word of mouth, so I'm going down to his workshop tomorrow. I do so wish Steve was here to discuss this with -
saying that, he did hide the original survey when we bought the house, he really didn't want to know about its multiple problems.

Have a good evening all - feeling a bit blase about tomorrow's viewing, house is still sparkly from Wednesday so just going to polish. I do suspect a lot of the viewings are just curiosity, I might end up at auction after all.

Its a sensitive time for many ie on the computer, needing access to banks and this n that. Don`t for heavens sake download the windows 10 update that came to me today, it was utterly horrendous, would not allow me access without a password that I put somewhere many months ago. It took me around in many circles and I could not get on to access anything because even the taskbar vanished and there was bothing to click on . Once I managed to get tha password it took me into a completely different windows desktop, edge I think. No e mail access, nothing. It was really awful, I was thinking that I would have to go to an IT person in the town

I managed to get to undo that windows download, don`t know how I did it. It would not let me do system restore or anything, I was nearly crying. Pity help those who aren`t used to computers, I was used to computers but they are now leaving me behind when they play such nasty tricks

Thanks mw. We've decided to split it one night in London and one night at our son's in Devon. At least we won't get either place too dirty, I can't face any more cleaning.
Movers .... remember to check the backs of doors, I've just retrieved 2 dressing gowns we forgot from different bedrooms.

Hope all has gone well for you today Whiff?

Glad you are ready to go Ellianne - I thought you were staying at your daughter's house for longer, just one night? Wishing you a good journey tomorrow, hope the roads are clear for you.

No worries craftyone I realised that. Off out to eat in a bit then 5 am start on m25.

Ellianne I meant to address my last post to you. I am glad all is well so far and some of the stress is over with

They'd finished by 1.45 PM despite their detour half way through the loading. We gave them a good tip, they're probably working for a pittance. I'm going to give the house a quick clean then leave it for the cleaner to work her magic. Exhausted. The moving out is worse than the moving in because it's our responsibility to hand the house over properly.
I wonder whether our new place will be clean?