[Closed] Moving house issues

There is nothing you can do except pass the pressure down the chain, whilst reminding them further up the chain that if they pull out they will have to start the whole process from scratch again!

Who's being slow , estate agents , solicitor or owners ?

we rented somewhere so we could complete on our sale, rented for 3 months... then moved.

What cheezey said is usually the position that you'll find yourself stuck in currently.

Solicitor would be my guess or agents wanting more more more

It's the actual buyers. We were supposed to move today, but at the last minute they decided to delay. They're currently reading the titles.

It's insane. We've had to have all our stuff moved into storage.

Might be a delay in getting searches back or items picked up in them like planning etc. Could be problems for the buyer getting the funds together or a lender holding bits up. Hassle the estate agent - that's what they earn their money for.

Theres a worldwide pandemic - sh*t happens.

We're in the same situation. Small chain but the elderly couple at the top were always planning on moving in with family for a short while before their new build was completed. Thats not now possible due to local restrictions where they live and their family in Wales.

Things are going to have to be delayed by a couple of weeks. If anyone wants to break the chain now when we're nearly 3 months down, its going to take a fair while to get back to this position.

I'm in exactly the same position.

It's massively unlikely that you're going to lose the purchase. You have, presumably, got everything else sorted: mortgage in place, surveys and searches done, buyer lined up for yours etc.? No-one in their right mind is going to pull out of that in favour of starting again from scratch.

My first buyer pulled out at the 11th hour, the vendor decided to give me a few few weeks to resell as even without a buyer lined up I was still closer to completion with them than anyone else would be if they were to put it back on the market and start again.

Two things you can do.

1) The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Lean on your solicitor to chase them, none of them will talk to each other proactively. What does "the buyer is being slow" even mean, who and what are you waiting on exactly? Find that out, relay it back to the seller's estate agent. 'We're waiting on the flood risk survey to be completed' is a better response than 'dunno, haven't heard anything for a fortnight, they're really slow.'

2) Manage expectations. These things take time and just when you think you're getting somewhere there's another form to fill in. Plus, y'know, coronavirus, these are atypical times and everything is taking longer than normal. 'Getting annoyed' isn't going to change anything, let them get annoyed, so what? It's a frustrating process for all concerned. Their estate agent should be telling them this.

Sorry, a few posts came in whilst I was writing that.

We were supposed to move today, but at the last minute they decided to delay.

Suggest to your solicitor that they're in breach of contract, see if that gets them moving.

Thanks Cougar - you've actually made me feel less stressed!

We're all ready to go, everything is in place our end - if they asked to go today, we could do it.

I think it's the reviewing of the title deeds and the alterations/certificates they are doing before signing.

I've spoken to our solicitor and estate agent, to reassure them that we're totally ready to go, and so is our buyer. Thanks for the advice on speaking to our estate agent, he was really nice and reassuring.

We bought 4 houses, and this is the first time we've been in a chain!

Every time we've bought, the experience has got worse mainly seemingly due to solicitors getting worse and worse. We got given access to an app this time where we can see live updates of whats going on, whats outstanding etc. Brilliant we thought. In reality it doesn't get updated at all unless you chase them. Utterly useless. Once they've done the work and got us moved, the partners are going to be getting a pretty scathing letter which will be copied to the estate agents who reccommended them. Yes, CV19 has affected things but throughout the process, us, our buyers, our estate agents and our vendors agents have all known more about whats going on that our solicitors...

For a typical conveyancing solicitor even the word mañana has a ring of catastrophic urgency.

We completed yesterday after six long months of stress while our buyer sorted out insurance and surveys for our house, which has a brook running underneath it and is now considered at risk of flooding. Three months ago we moved into temporary here in Scotland while our new build is completed. The first seasonal invasion of mice is now poisoned and rotting beneath the floorboards and the cottage stinks. Roll on December.

But it's a relief to get shot of the house with the ever-present worry about flooding and the slightly iffy roof and the new neighbours who were busy converting house and garden into a party venue for their extended family.

Theres a worldwide pandemic – sh*t happens.

Oh yeah because pre-covid house moves progressed so smoothly without a hitch and it wasn't the single most stressful thing you can do in life!

Don't under-estimate how many clients your conveyancer is likely to be managing. Daughter is one, she works extremely hard but it doesn't help when clients keep phoning to chase and assuming that they're the only client. Due to new government stamp duty rules half the world and his dog seem to have decided to move in the area she works. Would also say that solicitors don't seem to make the best employers either.

Thanks Cougar – you’ve actually made me feel less stressed!

Good.

Everything was going so well for us right up until That phone call, "I'm afraid we've got some bad news..." and it properly broadsided me. My girlfriend was already just waiting for something to go wrong anyway so pretty much gave up, "what's the point?" I was trying to keep morale up in both of us.

I went through the same thought process as you, "the vendor's going to think we're taking the piss and tell us to jog on, someone else will buy it in the interim, we'll lose our dream home and I'll be starting again from scratch, I'll probably wind up stuck in this shithole for the rest of my life only several grand poorer..."

The vendor's estate agent came back to me 15 minutes later saying he'd offered to do nothing for three weeks and then see where we were at (NB not just automatically 'relist it'); I pulled the SOLD boards down from the For Sale sign; I had someone knocking on my door the same day and it'd sold again STC inside of two weeks.

Don’t under-estimate how many clients your conveyancer is likely to be managing.

A company's failure to employ sufficient staff is not the customer's concern.

I know where you're coming from and to an extent I agree. Back in a past life when I was in Infrastructure Support and something big went down the phone would ring constantly with people chasing for updates. "If it fixed yet?" If it was, why would you be ringing me? "How long will it take?" Well, that rather depends on how long you keep me on the phone not working on the problem, doesn't it.

But, anecdotally, no-one talks to each other. A few weeks back the vendor's estate agent was ringing me to see if there was any news. Like, sure, there's loads, it's just that it's a secret. Why are you ringing me, is this not what your solicitors are for? So I played go-between, not necessarily to be a pest but just to facilitate communication. The seller is currently happy because he knows that we're just waiting on our buyer's search reports to come back and then we're good to go, but the only reason this is the case is because I made eleventy phone calls and emails to move information around between half a dozen interested parties.

And anyway. For the prices they charge, I've paid my Pain In The Arse tax so they can lump it. (-:

Try going into temporary to escape neighbours from hell, selling the house, which also has a flood risk, moving to a wet country, leaving a job you've enjoyed for 31 years, trying to oversee the new build while paralysed by anxiety and stress, lying awake all night, getting up to piss every hour then dealing with the dribble, all while trying to ignore the sound of mice in the roof and the stink of their dead friends, the news about CV, Trump, Brexit and trying not to worry about your son just settled in 4th year at MMU where his first and second year halls are locked down.

Thanks for the advice on speaking to our estate agent, he was really nice and reassuring.

Yeah, to your face no doubt, but once you are out the door / off the phone they really couldn't GAS about you *

* from my experience cash buying off someone who had moved into a carehome. Should have been a quick simple transaction, totally ruined by weasely estate agents and the totally shite conveyancing firm they recommended

We started with an estate agent that seemed to be run by kids, the draft property details they sent were written by a child. We sacked them and went with another local firm who were excellent, the negotiator was a woman with long experience, not an illiterate school leaver.

If it makes you feel any better (and it probably doesn't) I've had most of my stuff in storage since Feb, waiting to move.
Original buyer pulled out in march.
Got another buyer in June.
Their buyer ****ed around for 6 weeks before applying for searches then pulled out.
They had a backup buyer, who bought the searches, and started to progress in July.
Only it turned out in ****ing SEPTEMBER that no one had actually checked, and original buyer never bothered actually getting any searches done.
Which brings us to last week, when in full knowledge of delaying the whole ****ing circus for another month, these buyers suddenly decided they needed a survey done. Which we have to wait 3 weeks for. And they won't go with the EA in house surveyor, which would be quicker.

Caaaaaaaaaaaants.

There is a shortage of capacity in the industry. Not restricted to conveyancers, lenders are struggling to process the sheer volume of mortgage requests.

No-one in their right mind is going to pull out of that in favour of starting again from scratch.

In my experience, vendors and buyers can be utterly nuts and don't make decisions based on reality.

I hope you get it sorted OP.

Surely if you were due to actually move house then you must have exchanged contracts and as Cougar suggests the buyers are in breach and you could sue. Appreciate that’s probably not something you have in mind but is that correct - you have exchanged?

Maybe I missed it but have you exchanged contracts and there, legally, tied in with a penalty?
If not then insist on exchange ASAP to lock everyone in.
If you have then it’s a waiting game.
I’m not a fan of exchange and complete on the same day as it gives too much opportunity for people to be awkward.

As Hamish what is your actual stage. What does 'We were supposed to move today' actually mean? Was it a date touted around by the agents or have you actually exchanged?

If you haven't exchanged you were never going to move on that day. If you have exchanged and that was the contracted date then they and you are now in breach of contract (you would be in breach on your purchase as you wouldn't have completed). I presuming the formed as the later would be less likely.

IME (3 house purchases - including one completing this week) exchange and completion have always been on the same day. Makes it a very nerve wracking experience!

We've also done 3, never had both events on the same day.