House buying stress (10th of these threads)

Bumping this thread because it's so helpful!

I'm viewing houses and flats again as I didn't get planning permission to build. I may appeal but in the mean time I'm window shopping.

Well we have finally exchanged contracts. and will complete on 20th August.

As to what what we where doing to make our properties our homes. Where do I start? We have bought another listed building and this one needs renovation. We will start by sorting out the heating system (see above), sort out the wiring, eventually, probably full rewiring.

DH is busy preparing the Listed Building documents needed for LB consent to take out a 1930s wall that forms a large cupboard in the current boot room, in order to make a nic large room for a new kitchen, while the existing kitchen becomes a utility room and downstairs cloakroom. The house will need complete redecoration. We will also install a new staircase. The house is also completely uninsulated and the only way the roof can be insulated is by removing the roof, putting in the insulation, then reroofing!! These are the necessary works.

From there there are also the optional things we want to do, like move the front door back to the front of the house rather than the side, where it is now, turn what was large double doors giving access to a workshop into french windows, sort the garden etc etc. The work will all be done by others.

It will give DH a new lease of life. We were about to have an extension built when he had his heart attack. After he came out of hospital, his best rehabilitiation was project managing the building work and installing all the guttering.

Bumping this up as people on Ask gran forum need this instead of posting there. It was a life line for me from March 2019 . It was started by Karmalady under her old name. It helped a lot of use moving 2019/2020.. And keep going as we talked about what we where doing to make our properties our homes.

Our buyers were fabulous, no lying and everything has gone well. The sale completed 2 weeks ago and we are currently sofa surfing at DD's because, in our case, it is our vendor who is driving us nuts.

We have been on the verge of exchange for the last three weeks, but getting documents out of our vendor is like drawing hen's teeth. There is a family member over 17 living in the house, who is reluctant to move. mainly I think, because she is totally overwhelmed by the extent of her piled up possesssions. I do not think she is a hoarder, but I would say she is inclined that way. They want six weeks between exchange and completion. This lady needs to sign a document that she has been sitting on for 6 weeks.

However we had a stroke of luck last week. Our solicitor insisted on seeing evidence that the boiler had been serviced. We said we could not see the point as we intended to replace the boiler, if not the whole heating system. She insisted, the service took place - and the boiler was condemned and disconnected.

This means the current occupier has hot water, unfortunately there is an immersion heater in the water tank, but come the colder weather, she will have no heating and is living in an uninsulated house. Having no hot water might have galvanised her even more.

Anyway for the 4th Monday running, it is agreed that we should exchange contracts this week. We will see what happens.

Sago

BUYERS ARE LIARS!

I am beyond angry, I am surrounded by packing boxes, I’ve had many sleepless nights, we had a potential moving date end of Feb, then middle of March.

Today I learn our buyers who were cash buyers and had sold a London property, they haven’t sold it is still going through!

Our EA has not done due diligence our buyers solicitors has been deliberately evasive.

I feel sick, anything could go wrong.

Since writing that post we are now 7 weeks in our new home.

The stress was off the scale and we ended up moving out and having 8 weeks of living between our daughter, friends and our holiday let.

There was a probate problem with the property our sellers were buying so once our end was sorted we then had to wait for theirs to be agreed with solicitors.

Thankfully our sellers were committed and kept us up to date.

We are very happy indeed in our new home, the stress is a distant memory, it was all worth it.

Thanks Whiff, just when I had plucked up the courage to put mine on the market this house has decided to fight back, it looks as if I have two big orobkems that could be very expensive to fix. I will be ringing round today to get three quotes for each of them. It's because I've spent so much time
not doing preventative jobs as I was going to move that they have got big, dread the expense.

Bumping this thread up to help a friend . As I first used it in March 2019 and the help I got was invaluable. As my house sale fell through twice . I found friends and I wasn't alone. .

Barleyfields

Your EA should have enquired properly about their circumstances and asked to see evidence that the purchase price was held in cash.

That is how it came to light, through the EA. House sold within 7 days, the 'cash' offer was the highest of three - it was the EA's follow up on the offer that revealed the purchasers' definition of 'cash' buyer. When l understood they hadn't meant to mislead anyone l accepted their offer. They already had a private sale progressing. We exchanged within weeks.

I was a cash buyer too, my solicitor wanted to see proof of cash and the estate agent selling to me wanted proof, so I gave her a copy of the statement from my own solicitor. I was also a genuine cash buyer and they were diligent professionals who did their jobs

When I was selling, my buyer said she was a cash buyer but in actual fact she decided to get a late-stage small mortgage and that held my sale up and caused me frustrations. She was one of those liars who had sold but did not have actual cash

The selling form is very specific, I had to detail any works done and we had extra sockets put into the garage, I was very truthful. We used an electrician who did not leave a certificate. No certificate meant we had to pay for an indemnity insurance for the buyer. I was fuming so I kept things I would have left for free, including my very good new whirly washing line and extra bits for my almost-new miele singing dancing oven

I repaired every hanging hole in every wall, you could not tell where they were after that. Here I have thermal blocks on the inside wall and they needed very specific screws and rawlplugs. If I ever sell here, I would not take any of these out, I fixed them properly and they would take me days to remove. I would have to state that fact on the form

Time is a healer, soon you `forget` the awful stresses of selling and buying. Hang in there, one day it will be over

As I said Whiff it’s the fault of the Estate Agents who should check that the cash is there. The first thing we had to do before the Agent accepted our offer was to provide proof of funds, easily done.
If the buyer can’t provide this then the Vendor should be told straight away by the Agent.

Oops I was a cash buyer I meant people who put in offers for your property which say they are cash buyers but they aren't. I was a fool and thought cash buyers where genuine turned out they all needed mortgages. The couple who brought my house told me they needed a mortgage and then let me know when it had been approved.
My old house mortgage free after my husband died the endowment mortgage we had paid what bit we owed. But because it didn't reach maturity the pay out was lot less as death benefit didn't pay out so much. Infact £10,000 less only had 4 years to reach maturity. But endowment mortgages where all the rage in the early 80's and didn't expect either of us would die young. My husband was 47 when he died.

Whiff not all cash buyers are liars, we weren’t, however the Estate Agents are the ones to blame for not checking that the ‘cash’ buyers don’t actually have the money in the bank.

They let the buyers get away with it just to get the sale moving and then just hope that the funds will soon appear. They know exactly what position the potential buyers are in.

Reported

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I want to tell you what happened with DD1’s move. She lived in a new build town house, still under NHBC guarantee - perfect for her and her DH, but not when DGS1 came along. One day, just browsing the internet, she saw a house (no board outside) just around the corner for sale (still in school catchment area) and rang the EA. Sadly, the house was SSTC, but the EA ‘wangled’ a viewing for them with the owners, as it was a particular style which she was keen to view. It was perfect, but sadly they were too late. However, no funds had been transferred, despite the buyer saying he was expecting funds from another country.
Well, the 4pm deadline approached and passed without any sign of the money, the EA declared the sale had fallen through, so DD1’s offer of the full asking price was accepted.
Her house went on the market the following day and was sold in 24 hours to a Mum and daughter with an inheritance, as a buy to let.
Everyone pulled out all the plugs and contracts were exchanged in 25 days during the Stamp Duty holiday.
They were so lucky and love the house. I’d move tomorrow, if I thought I’d be as fortunate!

Thank you Whiff

Sago yes all cash buyers are liar. I accepted an offer on my house June 2018 and we should have exchanged contracts September 2018 on the day her solicitor could not reach her. Found out the next week she moved into rented accommodation on the day we should have exchanged contracts.

Accept another cash buyer should have moved 2019 . 4 days before exchange she changed her mind. Found another buyer a week later selling their house and having a mortgage . Their buyer was renting so was wanting everything to go through quickly they said they did and I definitely did. Should have moved May 2019 but their nightmare of a solicitor nit picked everything. My solicitor threatened to report her to the bar association and magically contracts exchanged 3 days before completion. So I finally moved August 2019. But I was very lucky the executors kept the bungalow for me .

Would have broken me if I had lost it . But I am so happy here my whole life changed . I no longer exist like I did after my husband died. But live my life to the full here .

I hope things get better for you and everyone buying and selling . 😊

We finally moved last Oct. Sold our house last May and were given 4 exchange dates by our buyer which came and went as he had disappeared abroad (allegedly) no one could get hold of him, inc his solicitor and estate agent, until he resurfaced each time with a new exchange date.

Finally exchanged beginning of Oct with a completion date agreed by all parties.

This completion date was breached by our buyer. Almost unheard of in conveyancing apparently. Most solicitors/estate agents only come across it once in their working lives, if that.

Our buyer had to pay all our legal fees plus the storage of our furniture as we'd moved some distance and removals had had to empty our house on completion moving day.

Finally completed 2 weeks later after living with our daughter and untold stress which made me quite unwell.

I'd like my old house to fall down around our buyers ears. Serve him right.

Sago you must incandescent with rage. I do hope things improve rapidly.

Sorry, Sago, not Sage

Sago

BUYERS ARE LIARS!

I am beyond angry, I am surrounded by packing boxes, I’ve had many sleepless nights, we had a potential moving date end of Feb, then middle of March.

Today I learn our buyers who were cash buyers and had sold a London property, they haven’t sold it is still going through!

Our EA has not done due diligence our buyers solicitors has been deliberately evasive.

I feel sick, anything could go wrong.

Oh no, Sage, I'm sorry. I've been reading your story with interest on the other house-moving thread. In fact, I envied you as you seemed to be at the ready-to-go stage.

We were led to believe everybody in the chain would be ready to move before Christmas. I laugh to think of it now. There have been nothing but hitches and last-minute queries, so much so that the first-time buyers have had to request a 2-week extension on their mortgage application. And still people are messing about!

So, we may move on the 21st of this month, we may not. We haven't found a removals company because we were advised not to until things were much more definite. So I've no idea (if the 21st is the moving day) whether we'll be able to find a removals company who can do it at such short notice.

My DH's relentless optimism is draining, my negativity is driving him mad. And the state of being in limbo goes on and on.

Good luck, anyway.

The system has to be changed in the UK.

How sensible, FranB. I used to do community care and it never ceased to amaze me why people would buy a nice retirement flat on the first or second floor of a block with NO LIFT!! Of course, ten years down the line, many of them were prisoners in their own homes.

My son is having problems getting his sellers shifted! He put in an offer on their house, they accepted last August. They are buying a new build in another part of Somerset, was supposed to be ready at the end of Sept, and son is first time buyer. First delay was builders not getting their kitchen fitted, so house put back a month to the end Oct which then crept into November. Then they started raising queries about the new house and the site changes made from original plans. This is still ongoing, I think query number 4 at the moment, the last date for proposed completion was the 7th of this month - nothing happened.
The solicitors are chasing, the EA is chasing, according to the sellers friends/family they are living out of boxes as they are all packed up. My son has had to get his mortgage offer extended.

Ridiculous system, there should be time limits or penalties.
But this seems to be getting more and more normal, waiting 6 months seems to be a regular thing and one chap my son was talking to said his purchase wait time is nearing a year as he's caught up in a chain!

Your EA should have enquired properly about their circumstances and asked to see evidence that the purchase price was held in cash.