Buying a home and don't know how anything works

[bimble]

i was thinking of you the other day, what you said about someone damaging your little seedlings in the kitchen.
I would not be surprised if there's an element in the dynamic there in your house that's about jealousy and resentment of the fact that you are buying your own home, outright, and they aren't in that position. Maybe thats going on under the surface.
I would find it incredibly difficult now, to go back to a houseshare situation, hang in there, it will pass.

I did a couple of years in a house with no heating and me and 3 men all of them heavy drinkers and not once, ever, did anyone else buy loo roll or clean anything at all apart from their own rooms / mugs. I look back on that now quite often, whilst sitting in my lovely garden feeling how lucky i am.

 

[miss direct]

Maybe. There's only one person who knows anything personal about me, and that person has all sorts of their own issues going on.

Thankfully all the rooms are en suite, so it's only the kitchen that's shared. And to be fair, my room is nice (and clean!) There's meant to be a cleaner come every week for communal areas, but the landlord said "due to covid" he does it himself - I think he's been once in the almost three months I've been here.


I'll share a pic of my seedlings in a bit! They're back in the kitchen and doing splendidly!

 

[miss direct]

Seedlings. In desperate need of repotting. Wondefully attractive wheely bins in the background...

 

[bimble]

Are they cosmos?

 

[cybershot]

We are first time buyers so nothing below us luckily.
My dad reckons we should start viewing other properties, both to keep our options open and to keep pressure on our sellers to move ASAP. What do you think?
The house opposite our rented home (been here 5 years and like it) has just come on the market so might go and see it.

you’d have to start again and spend money on searches and surveys. If it’s money you can afford to lose then all good. Just the. Hope nothing crops up as otherwise you’re back at stage 1 and having to conduct more searches and surveys again (unless you’re original choice miracously is still available by that point)

it’s your shout though.

 

[miss direct]

I had one pack of cosmos seeds and one of chee grass but now I dont know which is which, and they all look exactly the same. Hope I move before (if!) they flower.

If my sale were to fall through now, I would probably just move back to Turkey...not a horrible idea at all.

 

[miss direct]

Asked solicitor what the enquiries were about, and was told it's standard practice, and also that they haven't received the documents relating to the running of the property and costs involved (don't know what this means - is it related to annual fees/ground rent?) I asked how long this is likely to take once searches are back (just to see what they'd say) and was informed that we are "still in the early stages" and they can't give any advice on dates. How is it still early stages, months on???? /rant over

 

[Epona]

I wish you all the best but I ended up living with my parents for nearly 9 months (the irony of it being the same length as a gestation has not escaped my notice) when I last moved, because it took that fucking long. I had to sell my old place asap because my ex needed his share to move on (which was fine and fair) but the purchase of my new place took forfuckingever.

 

[cybershot]

Asked solicitor what the enquiries were about, and was told it's standard practice, and also that they haven't received the documents relating to the running of the property and costs involved (don't know what this means - is it related to annual fees/ground rent?) I asked how long this is likely to take once searches are back (just to see what they'd say) and was informed that we are "still in the early stages" and they can't give any advice on dates. How is it still early stages, months on???? /rant over

They will have asked to see the last water bill and stuff like that, I've no idea why they do this to be honest. At some point ask to see the enquiries being raised and what hasn't been received (sometimes the seller, just literally doesn't have it, such as a gas safety install cert because they weren't the owners when it was installed and were never provided with it themselves) and things like if there is any rights of way needed for utility companies (e.g. there might be a manhole cover in your garden that the water company may need access too, i know you're a flat so shouldn't have that particular issue its just an example) you can then say proceed without knowing. It's usually all stuff that's nice to know, but not the end of the world.

 

[Boudicca]

Also remember that the estate agent is paid a huge sum of money to do very little, so ask them to contact your sellers solicitor and ask what the hold up is.

 

[miss direct]

Well at the moment there isn't a particular hold up, I suppose, as nothing is going to happen in any case till the searches are back. But yes, EA is also unimpressed at seller's solicitors.

 

[hash tag]

Offer accepted.

No chain (in front or behind); I think I would be chasing now and asking direct questions as to where it has got to and why you haven't exchanged by now.

 

[miss direct]

But I know where it has got to - waiting for searches to come back.

 

[Epona]

Can you at least go and do a 2nd viewing now? That will be something positive I think - just go and measure some stuff and visualise where you want things

 

[tony.c]

they haven't received the documents relating to the running of the property and costs involved (don't know what this means - is it related to annual fees/ground rent?)

I think it includes annual costs of gas, electricity, water and council tax. Also maintenance cost for building, and any proposed building maintenance.

 

[miss direct]

Can you at least go and do a 2nd viewing now? That will be something positive I think - just go and measure some stuff and visualise where you want things

I was hoping to do that, but now I'm going to London for a week or so, it'll have to wait till I'm back. Good timing really.

 

[Cid]

It might be worth using this downtime to write to your solicitor asking if they can send you a brief schedule of what remains to be done, and whose responsibility it is. Doesn’t have to come with dates, just a summary of remaining bits. Then you’ll know when you should be nagging them, or nagging them/EA about seller’s solicitor.

And, as others have mentioned, if you can drop a note through their door or something may help to have direct communication... if their solicitor is shite they might be getting some confusing messages. Cautious approach on that though, don’t want to accidentally give legal advice or something.

 

[miss direct]

I happened to be passing by the new place today, and it appears that it's empty. Curtains closed, ornaments gone from windowsills.

I'm guessing this is good news as when I go for second viewing, it should already be empty so I can start planning furniture etc, and also they'll be wanting to exchange and complete ASAP, like me.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

I happened to be passing by the new place today, and it appears that it's empty. Curtains closed, ornaments gone from windowsills.

and at the whole damn process

i've got what at the moment's a possibility of a new job - i could do it commuting from here, but moving to somewhere closer is more attractive and the longer term aim if it happens.

as i'm on 3 months notice in the current job, i'm pretty sure that selling and buying within 3 months isn't going to happen.

i'm half wondering whether renting somewhere and selling up (so probably being non-chain) might work (although depends on what government does to inflate the property bubble even more) or what. and waiting until i've been in the job 6 months means it would be easier to raise a modest chunk of finance then. although that will probably mean moving twice

i'm conscious that i spent 5 years in previous job (until about 2 years ago) never quite getting as far as moving nearer to it...

i've managed never to do the 'chain' thing - first place i bought, i was renting, and had a bit of an overlap to decorate / sort stuff out. then i sold up and rented for a bit as i moved some distance, then landlord here wanted to sell around the time i was thinking in terms of buying, so i didn't have to move either...

blargh

 

[baldrick]

Asked solicitor what the enquiries were about, and was told it's standard practice, and also that they haven't received the documents relating to the running of the property and costs involved (don't know what this means - is it related to annual fees/ground rent?) I asked how long this is likely to take once searches are back (just to see what they'd say) and was informed that we are "still in the early stages" and they can't give any advice on dates. How is it still early stages, months on???? /rant over

It's all really mundane and annoying. I've just answered queries from our solicitors about whether the driveway was in situ when the house was built, which of the fences belong to the property, and whether we have breached any covenants relating to using the house solely as a place of residence. Who fucking cares how old the driveway is - it's clearly not new, you can use your eyes to determine that - or whether the fence on the left is ours or the neighbours. It's really bizarre to me the stuff people are supposed to care about when it comes to buying a house. And it all takes so much time. I'm sure I'll have another email from the vendors solicitors via mine soon about some other deeply tedious aspect of the house.

 

[cybershot]

It's all really mundane and annoying. I've just answered queries from our solicitors about whether the driveway was in situ when the house was built, which of the fences belong to the property, and whether we have breached any covenants relating to using the house solely as a place of residence. Who fucking cares how old the driveway is - it's clearly not new, you can use your eyes to determine that - or whether the fence on the left is ours or the neighbours. It's really bizarre to me the stuff people are supposed to care about when it comes to buying a house. And it all takes so much time. I'm sure I'll have another email from the vendors solicitors via mine soon about some other deeply tedious aspect of the house.

The annoying thing is they do this shit day in day out. Just provide all the mundane questions and answers to clients in the first place instead of the pointless back and forth. I’m almost sure they do it on purpose as a time delay excuse.

 

[hash tag]

It's all really mundane and annoying. I've just answered queries from our solicitors about whether the driveway was in situ when the house was built, which of the fences belong to the property, and whether we have breached any covenants relating to using the house solely as a place of residence. Who fucking cares how old the driveway is - it's clearly not new, you can use your eyes to determine that - or whether the fence on the left is ours or the neighbours. It's really bizarre to me the stuff people are supposed to care about when it comes to buying a house. And it all takes so much time. I'm sure I'll have another email from the vendors solicitors via mine soon about some other deeply tedious aspect of the house.

There have been many high profile cases involving fences and boundaries leading to all sorts of expensive protracted issues.

 

[bimble]

Here's how its going for my friend (offer accepted jan) who was meant to exchange yesterday, not that this will make you feel any better.

 

[miss direct]

Its so much easier in the digital age to do such things. I can't imagine this happening so much in person.

 

[bellaozzydog]

Nothing heard from my solicitor despite phone messages and email. Patently playing golf

 

[hash tag]

Here's how its going for my friend (offer accepted jan) who was meant to exchange yesterday, not that this will make you feel any better.View attachment 265177

sadly, very typical
How my bestie found and moved in such a short space of time I will never know (and there were 3 properties involved between England and Scotland).

 

[Elpenor]

The thing I learnt a few years ago when I lost two buyers is that the house sale process in England & Wales is based on the ancient and somewhat flawed concept of “an Englishman’s word is their honour”, you make a gentleman’s agreement to buy something and then 3 months later you actually exchange contracts. This concept falls down due to the large number of bad / unreliable actors involved in the process.

Let’s not forget that this is almost always the biggest and most expensive deal you will ever make, and so much of the detail and small print is learnt long after you agree the price.

For example my buyer who, on the agreed day of exchange when she hadn’t sent the money, denied to the estate agent that she was the person buying the house). A barefaced liar! Or the person in the chain who claimed he needed 10 days to transfer his deposit from Ghana due to banking delays, it eventually turned out that there was no money in Ghana after all IIRC. That was as much the fault of the estate agent too I’d say for not conducting proper due diligence.

hope these stories haven’t scared you too much miss direct

 

[Cid]

Miss direct is no chain on either side right? I'm sure it will be fine. Though tbh I just want to add a note of reassurance among all the doom-mongering.

Bought current place no chain, it all went pretty smoothly. Though flats like mine are usually BTL, which probably made things a bit easier too. In the sense of the previous owner being a landlord and presumably just wanting everything done as quickly as possible/not caring about moving stuff out etc.

 

[miss direct]

No Elpenor they haven't scared me as I am the buyer and ready to go. No chain either end and it's just the solicitors/council etc holding things up.

Looks like I won't be in London very long after all, so can get second viewing done soon.

 

[cybershot]

Here's how its going for my friend (offer accepted jan) who was meant to exchange yesterday, not that this will make you feel any better.View attachment 265177

It's this sort of shit as to why I recommend trying your darnest to make contact personally with your buyers/sellers. You can call out solicitors who bullshit that they haven't received something when you can get your solictor to prove they sent it 9 days ago and then forward that comms onto your buyer/seller who can then bash their solictor with an imaginary baseball bat.