Help calm me. House buying and selling stress

kissngate as your solicitor is getting no where with the sellers. Please think about pulling out. When was the last time you viewed the house ? If it was months ago I would view again as I have an awful feeling something may have happened in the property . Burst pipe or tiles off the roof etc. Don't want to alarm you but if I was in your position my warning bells would be ringing. You would have thought they would want the money from the sale.

Whiff - I don't need think they need the money. The 3b house we are buying is the smallest fish in a large pond and that's the problem.

Shandy - I do think the house has risen in value since we agreed to purchase probably around 10k. It's not easy to compare with others in the same area as they are a mixture of styles not built at the same time. It isn't on an estate but a semi rural lane.

If that's the case kissngate, could you put that to your husband that you are already £10K up and could afford to rent somewhere?

And talking rurally, do any of the latest changes affect you?
Like the new regulations about woodburners? I had two at the station, I was surprised to see the latest regulations. I'm not sure what some of my neighbour's burned, but sometimes it smelled horrible. Our local supplier couldn't keep up with the demand for kiln dried wood, I had to buy seasoned sometimes and it didn't burn as well. So glad I don't have to lug those shoulder bruising weight bags of wood upstairs anymore!

Various sweary words!!!!!

My target moving date - 12/11 has just been pushed back to 3/12 (and no guarantee that that will be THE DAY), due to a problem with the final buyers in the chain struggling to secure a mortgage. So an extra month of living here with nearly everything packed ready to go, a near empty freezer and run out of firewood., logs and stock of patience.

So sorry to read this Granny23, such unwanted stress with winter coming too. I wonder if their AIP had run out. I hope you can get a yellow sticker bargain and do a bulk cook and fill your freezer again, and get some of those fake logs from Homebase to tide you over.

Granny23 that's so annoying. Why didn't they secure the mortgage before they went house hunting or do mortgages work differently today. I didn't need a mortgage for my bungalow. But when we first brought in 1980 and again 1985 we had the mortgage ready before we looked at houses and knew how much we could afford.

Will they be able to get a mortgage or will they collapse the chain? I don't be want be the voice of doom but can you still buy if they pull out? I am sure this has already crossed your mind.

kissngate

Whiff - our solicitor isn't getting any response from theirs. The EA has been asking questions but the family haven't replied. She did ask a few weeks ago if they were continuing with the sale and they said yes. When we asked for a reduction they were quick to say no but since then silence. Our solicitor did ask if we were looking at other houses! but oh said no.

I waited 6.5months for my property purchase, finally they put in the last piece of documentation, only to then turn round and say We've decided not to sell after all That was an empty inherited property too.

I wish you luck. I think a lot of luck is needed with this buying & selling nightmare!

I was wondering what had happened to you Yogi, so sorry. Have you decided to stay put?

My friend also waited over six months for her vendor to find somewhere, because of the long wait she lost her buyer and had to remarket. She had a few viewings and decided to come off the market last month, she had come to the end of her tether with the silly feedback. When she rang the vendor's estate agent to let them know she was going to have to withdraw, she discovered her vendor had also phoned to say she had decided not to sell after all. The English system needs a radical change, it doesn't work, and has been an even more dreadful experience with lockdown.

Yogi - you could be right some of the family may not want to sell (to us). I did wonder if they were holding back intentionally hoping we will pull out so they could sell to a higher bidder possibly family friend. When we last visited two months ago it was still fully furnished. Our Solicitor has checked and they have probate so nothing should be holding it up. We found out they've sold two other properties under probate and land with permission for housing . The family solicitors handling this are a very small practice and it could be all too much for them to deal with at the same time (well that's what I'm hoping).

kissngate it's time to pester your solicitor and the estate agent daily. As you saw the house 2 months ago I wonder if they have decided to let it out as furnished instead of selling to you. Because by now the house should have been cleared of all the previous owners property.

I hope you hear some good news some or at least know if they are pulling out of the sale.

Please don't make excuses for solicitors . They make an awful lot of money from buyers and sellers. And most of what they do is all on line and only needs a few buttons pressing. Plus they have assistants to do the day to day work.

Hi Shandy

Would pull out if it wasn't for my mortgage term being at the end and having 140K to repay. Had the same misfortune with second purchase; problems with obscure lease and property management company looking like the Eastend Cray twins!

Onto my third purchase, had to pay 10K above the asking price and for a small flat that's a lot! My property has gone up by 10-20K, but my buyers are hanging on, so can't put the price up, so loss, loss situation for me.

Still the same with solicitors being so slow, I now phone the sellers solicitors, which seems to do the trick, will phone them today as nothing happening again Just been in limbo since I first sold my house on the 1st Dec 2020.

Kissngate It was 3 siblings with my first 6.5mnths property purchase effort. It was empty when I first viewed and put an offer on it, when I went back to do some measuring up, 6mnths in, the brother had moved in, fish tank and all and the summerhouse was full of his furniture. I did say to the EA it looked odd, but he assured me all was well,.. ya right!

Whiff, your final paragraph shows you have very little idea of what solicitors do. If it were as easy and lucrative as you suggest my working life would have been a doddle and I would have made ‘an awful lot of money’.

Do not think that the fact that the property is still fully furnished is a cause of concern. When I purchased this flat, I did the final viewing just a few weeks before the actual removal - so I could measure up and make a map as to how furniture etc was to be placed in it. The flat was still exactly as I had seen it in the original viewings.
This was also not being lived in, an being sold by the children following probate. They waited until Contracts were all signed, then over jus a few days brough in companies (A) to take out all the existing furniture and (B) to give it all a very thorough clean. Would think it is normal to keep furniture in place until the sale is pretty definite.

Today, I have sold my car and it is not being replaced . I will be reliant on public transport (and my local daughter and Son in law). No nostalgia - actually have a feeling of relief. Another part of my life behind me. Have also joined the Community Transport scheme.

Whiff - we have been chasing but there's not a lot the Solicitor can do when no-one replies.

Yogi - it's 5 siblings in our case. Got the impression from Executors they all don't get on.

Franbern- not worried about the furniture. Some items looked expensive/ antique no doubt part of probate. Good for you selling the car one less expense to worry about.

Germanshephardsmum you may be a good solicitor. But the one my buyers used was a nightmare. The estate agent warned them against using her but they still did. She refused to speak to my solicitor for 10 days also the buyer of my buyers solicitor. What should have been a move for everyone in May because of her it was August. Both my solicitor and the other solicitor had a constant battle with her.

I spoke from my own experience. My own solicitor was brilliant and the solicitor the vendors of the bungalow I brought used . In fact when I moved here I use them to redo my will and powers of attorney.

Just popping in to say good afternoon, it's raining cats and dogs here. I'm off to the beach for another soaking wet dog walk soon.

Good luck Yogi, I'm so sorry it is all so stressful and I wish you all the best going forward. I have already posted about my friend who started her selling journey four years ago. I was envious she sold immediately but then she was messed about multiple times and is now staying put.

And good luck to you too kissngate, I hope you have good news soon, keep us updated.

I remember the anxious wait for my solicitor to receive the draft contracts for my purchase, he wrote to me after five weeks to say he'd not had any contact from the vendor's solicitor. I rang the vendor's EA and asked them to chase. My vendor didn't ever respond quickly to requests, and a week later she contacted the EA to let them know her solicitor had contracted Covid, and the file hadn't been touched. Her new solicitor was assigned in December, it took months from then to exchange/complete and involved me in an unexpected extra month of rent and bills.

My daughter is twenty five and has just told me she wants to buy a house with her boyfriend next year, she is so excited. I have sent her the book I bought 'Help Me I'm Buying a House' and am glad I can help her with my recent experience. They have a website with updates to the book if anyone else you know would like help with the process -

www.helpmeimbuyingahouse.co.uk/

I'm glad you are happy to have sold your car Franbern. I really dislike driving and think I'll be giving mine up a lot sooner than you, very luckily the single decker that passes the bungalow goes to the local supermarket. I've just had to pay £200 for a new part for my car door, I bashed it off on the trolley park at the supermarket car park.

Happy Halloween!

Glad you had a good solicitor Whiff. I know some - and often they’re not qualified solicitors - are dire. I’ve come across some in my time and in my experience those recommended by agents are the last anyone should go to. They are only recommended because they pay the agent for the recommendation which I think is appalling and unethical but it is allowed nowadays. Ditto solicitors builders ‘recommend’ if they pay buyers’ legal costs, who of course want to keep the builder happy. Seen a good few of those too. My point was just that there’s more to it than finding things online and pressing buttons!

Shandy good to hear that your daughter is so happily settled with her boyfriend. However, I have always felt that purchasing a property with someone else is actually a greater committment than going through a marriage cermony, and much more involved and difficulty if it goes wrong in the future.
Many years ago my eldest daughter did this with her partner, using the money made from the sale of her own little flat as the deposit, then a shared mortgage committment.

Both her Dad and myself tried to get her to get in writing some sort of arrangment acknowldging the fact that she had put in more than he had, but she dismissed us telling us she knew what she was doing.

Several years later, when it did all go very wrong and they finally separated, he was unemployed and not really looking for work, she found that he had been using his half of the property as collateral for taking out high interest loans. Bailiffs kept turningup at the house. Took a long time, and a very large loan from my ex-husband for her to be able to sort out this and buy him out of his half ownership, even though he only paid his half of the mortgage for about the first couple of years. My daughter was very intent not to fall out with him as they had a young daughter and she was determined that she should have her Dad.

Morning Franbern and thanks for sharing, I'm sorry your daughter went through this but glad you were able to help her. I have told my daughter I am going to get our solicitor to put the gifted deposit into a trust for her in the sad event of them breaking up.

I've just come on because I've woken up to wet dripping windows on the inside. I left the heating on automatic by mistake last night. I feel really p'd off, I thought I'd left dripping windows behind at the station with its single glazing. Worse in the bay windows at the front. What a bore

Have a good day everyone

Hope everyone is enjoying this November sunshine today!

Just had a bit of a shock. The curtain lady came with her assistant to put up the curtain rails, and for the first time, I moved the huge and heavy wicker chair the vendor left me from the bay window area. My dog sits in it to see out of the window.

The assistant walked into the room and walked into the bay and the floorboards cracked ... he said he wasn't happy to continue without investigating as he didn't like the sound of it. I agreed he could lift the carpet - no underlay - and the boards are rotten.

So disappointed in the vendor, the chair wasn't in this position in the details so had been strategically placed. My surveyor wouldn't have known as they don't lift carpets or furniture.

Can only say let's hope the saying 'what goes around comes around' is true!

If the curtain people heard the floor creaking without lifting the carpet Shandy your surveyor could have done likewise!

Shandy, such a shame you found out a problem in this manner. You will be best to get a floor cmpany to come and check to find out exactly what is causing the problem. Could be just those few boards, which will be easy toi have repoalced. Or wet rot, and you will need to see how far it has spread. Obviously, worst of all is dry rot - but unlikely to be that.

When we first married and we purchased a victoria house, could not afford sukch things as our own survey. Day after our wedding, put up a lampshade in one room and allthe lights went out!! Turned out we had to have the whole house re-wired. Each room had appeared to have power points in the walls, turned out these were all (except two in front room) were rukn from lighting circuit!!!
Then second dayj there, we were going out, very narrow hall - and hubbie's foot and lower leg went through the floorboards - Yes, the whole of the ground floor had wet rot.

We were the first people in both our famiolies to purchase our own home, and it was a very steep learning curve.

Germanshepherdsmum, this big chair was covering the area of the 'creak', it's the first time I've moved the chair since I moved in. I hadn't walked there because I had to do a very inelegant backward waddle to place it elsewhere.

Thank you for sharing Franbern, it is simply 'caveat emptor' isn't it, it's just having left the worries of the station I wasn't expecting them here.

However, I am counting my blessings tonight. I've just watched Children in Need and cried, some people's suffering is unbelievable and they still volunteer to cycle 30 miles! Bit low this week after having both wisdom teeth out, promise no more moaning.

Sorry to hear about the floorboards Shandy. Try not to let it spoil your happiness, hopefully it will get sorted easily enough.
Why do all dogs like to sit in window chairs to look out?