Help calm me. House buying and selling stress

Pittcity book that shed soon, there is a 5 month waiting list on lots of them.
We are still trying to get our bathroom sorted since the first lockdown, builders and tradesmen are like hens teeth around here, they are all cosy building their new housing estates. We had some outdoor work done last Summer, but the chap travelled over an hour to get here each day, I think we will have to look further afield for our tradesmen in future.
We too are trying to sort this place out by Christmas, I think the carpeting will be first to be done, even though we haven’t even started looking yet!

I'm still waiting for the gutter man, he said he'd be here by the end of the month. The window lock man is coming today at 12, I think I've waited two weeks for him.

Now I've got my floor plan and measurements I feel a lot happier, I can plan my storage.

I've got 8 locking windows, yay! Was £10 per window handle replacement, and £59 to fit - but as I had £100 cash he has given me a discount. He also confirmed the front door and patio doors are secure. I feel so much better

Now for a dog walk, dodging the hailstones - we have the lightning here too.

Nightmare

6.5months into trying to purchase a place by the sea, one purchaser of my property pulling out because of long wait for me to complete on my purchase, got another buyer, still waiting for my completion and Wham got a call from their solicitors saying they have decided not to sell after all!!!!!!

My son and I spent a lovely 3hrs down on the beach where we were to move to, talking about how lovely it will be to walk to the beach and have a swim [lots of swimmers in the sea] Only to get home to the above call!

I was up at 5am scrolling through the house market, only one caught my eye, but it was on a B road, so couldn't park outside house, also it was being sold by 'new auction' meaning you have to put a minimum of £6.000 before actually buying, which frightens me!

Now I have the fear of my now buyers pulling out, when they hear I have lost my house buy. Also I was charged £200 when my buyers pulled out, so am expected another £200 bill for my purchase falling through! So unfair!!

Oh dear Yogi, I am so sorry. My friend is waiting for her seller to find somewhere and is feeling increasingly anxious as time ticks on. My friend's buyer is now 'waiting' in an Airbnb.

Will you consider breaking the chain by moving into rented, to keep your buyer?

Yogi so sorry to hear your bad news. There are so many times in this whole selling/buying system, when it seems that the odds are just stacked up against us. Just the positive point that you are now an ideal purchaser, as you are already so far along the selling of your existing property process.

Keep looking, new properties come on the market daily. Re-visit all the EA in the area to which you hope to move.

Hopefully, you will next be able to come on here with a good news story

Thank you Shandy When My first buyers said they were pulling out I did say I would move out to let the sale go through. My solicitors said they wouldn't hear of it, she said she makes it sound like she is doing you a favour which as it turns out she did!

It would solve the situation if I did move out, but the thought of it now, after what's just happened, is quite frightening! I'll keep looking and hope something comes up soon. My buyers are about midway through the completion process.

I just want to stop, but I have to sell as I have to pay off my mortgage which is at an end.

Thank you Franbern

It really is so very stressful Yogi and I'm sorry you returned to such bad news. I was very worried my seller would change her mind too, she was so evasive when I was trying to find out if she had completed the chain and did take a risk having my survey so early. At least your buyer's won't be champing at the bit if they are still conveyancing. Hopefully you may find a new chain free property, but be prepared for the prices to have risen. I did find it stressful moving into rental but once I was there felt relaxed house hunting, I would recommend it if your buyer starts getting tetchy.

I think my friend's seller in Dorset has had to change the area she wants to move to because of rising prices, she had hoped to buy near her son in Bournemouth, but has been priced out - with a budget of £450K. Nearer to the sea the higher the price. Her seller has written to her to reassure her she is doing her very best to find somewhere - my friend did go down this week to look at other properties in the area, but couldn't find anything that compared. I do hope she benefits from the stamp duty, she'll need every penny doing the place up.

Good luck to everyone going through this. I was so lucky the estate agents told me about this place before it was on the market, and I was first to view.

I've just got an invoice for window cleaning at the cottage on 16 April - very nice of Royal Mail to forward it to me, but the new tenants need to pay it! Surprising they didn't pay on the day .... all that glitters isn't gold!

If anyone hears from craftyone I'd be glad to hear how she is

Just watching Nigella - do you swoosh your aubergines about on the baking tray ;)

Since Craftyone one left I PM her every weekend but never had a reply so stopped doing it a couple of weeks ago. I checked with Gransnet they had gone through to her account.

Seeing as the old guard are all around this morning, just to say our family will have completed a hat trick on Monday.
Our move in 2019 when this thread started, our DD's move here from London in 2020 in the pandemic and our DS in 2021.
Anyone on this journey needs to hang in and be pro active. This thread is very supportive and still has value even after the move.

Oh Yogi I do hope something goes right for you very soon.

Yogi I'm sorry to read your troubles.

I hope Craftyone is okay. It is strange that she was so active here with her positive attitude and helpful advice but has disappeared like this.

I know craftyone was considering moving to be closer to her family, I hope she bowls up again one day to surprise us. I don't know how I'd have survived without the support of this thread, it certainly kept me going, and here I am

Congratulations Ellianne, how marvellous, lucky Devon! Christmas will be amazing this year. I am table searching at the moment and occasionally think of your marble table, ha ha! I'm doing an on-line Sophie Robinson course soon, and will be transforming my beige to bright I've had a little dally into Alphons Mucha murals but they are too mass produced nowadays, they've lost the original detail. I saw my old 'seasons' mirrors on ebay - now going for £100 each. I gave mine away twenty years ago. reluctantly!

Time for my dog's second walk, it is just torrential out there. I miss the Aga for drying my coat and warming up, I've started leaving the towel rail on in the bathroom.

Well done Ellianne.

Thank you Elusivebutterfly. The moves weren't without their problems but I am sure everyone on here will agree, well worth the grief.
Shandy yes, this Christmas will see all the family all in one place after nearly 20 years of travels. Devon is heaven!
Your course sounds interesting, so I will look out for some tips on here. If you're serious about marble tables, look at
www.oakfurnituresuperstore.co.uk/
and type in marble. Just remember though, they are impossible to move!

I thought craftyone said she might move to the lakes with her daughter at some point. It would be nice to hear from her again.

Thank you everyone for your kind supportive words & thanks for advise too Shandy

Sunday, so no new properties online today

Ellianne, how lovely to have both your son and daughter close to you now. Must seem a long way from Woodford!!!

My daughter in that area is just waiting to hear from her daughters school when she will no longer have to attend (she is doing her A levels), then they will come down here to stay with me for a week. Sometime in late June. I would love for her to move down here, would be the final cherry on the cake for me, but I do know it is not going to happen. My g.daughter will be going to Norwich for University, and my daughter loves living where she does, easy public transport into Central London, but with Epping Forest so close she goes for her daily walk there.

I have my own room in her house, and am looking forward to being able to go for visits again soon. Seems strange that I could go now and stay in a hotel overnight, but not stay in her house!!!

It does appear as the whole housing market is in total turmoil at present, although I strongly suspect that a lot of people have been lulled into thinking that their properties are worth a lot more than they actually are. Hence sellers, thinking they can just put up the price - must be dreadful to be caught up in this at the moment, but hopefully, it will calm dawn within a few months.

My brother and sister-in-law moved from NE London to a beautiful house in Suffolk some five years ago. Has proved to be a total disaster. House is lovely, but neither have really settled being in a village with no shops or public transport,. They are now seriously considering returning to London, but it is such a tremendous upheaval again and they are both in the mid-late 70's and my SiL is showing the first signs of Dementia. It was their experience that so concerned my eldest daughter regarding my move - but the difference was that I did know the town I was moving to, as my second daughter had been living here for nearly twenty years. For me it has been a total, wonderful success.

Just to pass on best wishes and virtual hugs to all of you who are still caught up in this horrible selling/buying/moving mallarky.

Re Craftyone - no idea why she is just cutting is all dead. Her consideration of moving North was not to be for about seven or eight years and dependent on one of her children moving there first. Just wanting to stay a lady of mystery at present.

Nice to read you Franbern. That will be lovely to have your DD and DGD to stay after the exams. Try finding your GD a nice boyfriend in Weston, then she will be down more often! I hope she has a lovely time at uni in Norwich, nice city.

Talking of property, did you watch Location this week? There was a couple renting a 3 bed semi in Woodford valued around £650,000 (£2,000 month). They wanted to stay I the area, but with only £350,000 to spend, it was impossible! I've looked our old house up to revalue it from 2019 and it has gone up £100,000. Crazy and I thought people were rushing to get OUT of London so prices would drop? Not that I trust those valuation things because they can't compare the properties.

Yes, knowing the area you are moving to helps enormously, or having someone with you who does. I would have enjoyed helping Shandy to get to know East Devon, but it wasn't to be. So pleased everyone is happy in their choices.

Morning everyone, sunny this morning for my dog walk but my one pair of shoes are still soaked, and my wellies are too tight. What a choice.

@Yogi don't lose heart, people are coming onto the market slowly, someone at the end of my road was listed yesterday. How long have your buyers been waiting?

My friend's buyer completed and moved into her daughter's on 9 April, she feels under great pressure as her seller hasn't found anywhere yet. For some reason her buyer has now moved into an Airbnb for a month. Fingers crossed that something you like comes onto the market next week.

My post crossed all of yours - clever thinking to find Franbern's GD a beau Ellianne!

Just watching a film called Ruth and Alex (Diane Keaton and Morgan Freeman) about moving from their apartment and finding another one, makes me never want to move again! Very good film though, ‘ free’ on Amazon Prime .