Buying a home and don't know how anything works

[hash tag]

Back to tedious waiting again now, as the seller's solicitors haven't been responding. Again. Seems pretty clear now that the majority of the issues with this sale have been as a result of them. I really don't know what I can do at this stage - having contacted my solicitor and the estate agent, who have both said they will be in touch as soon as they get what it is they are waiting for.

That's what's someone has been telling you and you believed them all hope is not yet gone for this week, well not quite.

 

[miss direct]

Well, perhaps, but I have heard negative feedback about the seller's solicitors from: my solicitor, the estate agent AND the seller themselves (on behalf of their family member who I met on second viewing).

At what point can I just call the seller's solicitor myself, now I know who they are?

 

[platinumsage]

Ok, panic over re the money. Will send today's amount now, and then continue to chase everyone and everything for a bloody completion date.

That's why solicitors like to complete on Fridays, there's a whole working week to sort out issues beforehand and get everything in place.

 

[miss direct]

That's why solicitors like to complete on Fridays, there's a whole working week to sort out issues beforehand at get everything in place.

I thought it was buyers who liked Fridays due to moving. Anyway, I'd take this Friday. I just want to know, so I can organise my life.

 

[equationgirl]

Hang in there miss direct my fingers are crossed for you.

 

[prunus]

At what point can I just call the seller's solicitor myself, now I know who they are?

Whenever you like. I called the other side's solicitor repeatedly during our last purchase. They may well not speak to you, but if you are polite and frame it right "it seems to be sticking and I can't work out why, can I do anything to help?" they might engage and you might find out something useful.

When I did it I didn't get anything useful I don't think, but I kept doing it (and being polite) on the basis that it might encourage them to make sure this pestering pest went away.

Give them a ring. Can't hurt.

 

[WouldBe]

Sellers solicitors may be waiting for a settlement amount from the plumbing company but that shouldn't stop them completing and exchanging so you can move and holding on to the money until they know how to divy it up between seller and plumber.

 

[prunus]

Sellers solicitors may be waiting for a settlement amount from the plumbing company but that shouldn't stop them completing and exchanging so you can move and holding on to the money until they know how to divy it up between seller and plumber.

I believe (though memory is fuzzy) that the plumbing debt is secured by a restriction on title, meaning it needs to be sorted out (at least to the level of amount and undertaking to pay that amount post completion) before exchange can take place - otherwise the sellers could find themselves unable to fulfil the contract.

 

[WouldBe]

I believe (though memory is fuzzy) that the plumbing debt is secured by a restriction on title, meaning it needs to be sorted out (at least to the level of amount and undertaking to pay that amount post completion) before exchange can take place - otherwise the sellers could find themselves unable to fulfil the contract.

Yeah but surely it's just a matter of the solicitors paying it off out of the money from missD and then paying what's left over to the sellers?

 

[miss direct]

The boiler thing was dealt with (or so I have been told). I understand that the current hold up is apportionments (?) of things like the service charge/ground rent and that I'll have some extra bits to pay on completion. In which case, the hold up is even more bloody ridiculous. Completing on the 30th June means a moron could work out who owes what.

 

[prunus]

Yeah but surely it's just a matter of the solicitors paying it off out of the money from missD and then paying what's left over to the sellers?

It is, but the way it works is that in order to be able register the change in title there needs to be an undertaking from the plumbers [lawyer] that on receipt of £x they will provide a signed form to MissD’s sellers’ solicitor to enable the restriction to be removed, and possibly (though this isn’t strictly required, just usual) an undertaking from MissD’s sellers’ solicitor that on receipt of the completion monies they will send £x to the plumbers.

These cannot be done without £x being specified, so it is needed.

Without the first of the above undertakings MissD’s sellers’ solicitors cannot (be sure that they will be able to) register the change of title (ie fulfill the contract), so they cannot exchange (or at least sign, which is what exchange means in practical terms).

Edit: it’s not that anyway! (See above). But that’s how it would work

 

[WouldBe]

The boiler thing was dealt with (or so I have been told). I understand that the current hold up is apportionments (?) of things like the service charge/ground rent and that I'll have some extra bits to pay on completion. In which case, the hold up is even more bloody ridiculous. Completing on the 30th June means a moron could work out who owes what.

That should be separate to the actual exchange of contract. You don't have to work out who owes what and how much the buyer is going to pay for water / electric / gas or council tax etc.

 

[WouldBe]

It is, but the way it works is that in order to be able register the change in title there needs to be an undertaking from the plumbers [lawyer] that on receipt of £x they will provide a signed form to MissD’s sellers’ solicitor to enable the restriction to be removed, and possibly (though this isn’t strictly required, just usual) an undertaking from MissD’s sellers’ solicitor that on receipt of the completion monies they will send £x to the plumbers.

These cannot be done without £x being specified, so it is needed.

Without the first of the above undertakings MissD’s sellers’ solicitors cannot (be sure that they will be able to) register the change of title (ie fulfill the contract), so they cannot exchange (or at least sign, which is what exchange means in practical terms).

Edit: it’s not that anyway! (See above). But that’s how it would work

That's daft then.

 

[miss direct]

Every time I get an email I get a bit excited. Just got one and it was from my solicitor. Informing me that they are still waiting for the figures

In the meantime, I am back to looking up hotels for next week I really didn't want to be returning to Sheffield without knowing what was going on, and yet here I am.

 

[hash tag]

The sellers solicitor is employed by the sellers. They are under no obligation to take your calls, emails. Etc.

 

[prunus]

The sellers solicitor is employed by the sellers. They are under no obligation to take your calls, emails. Etc.

This is of course true; but they’re also human beings, people who generally want to help, and it’s worth trying to talk to them.

 

[hash tag]

Don't forget it's solicitors we are talking about. The ones in question appear to have already dragged their feet

 

[bellaozzydog]

So no news today other than solicitor waiting for lenders money to arrive…

tomorrow is last call

 

[miss direct]

Just woken up by a phone call from solicitor, who said other solicitor are just not replying. Need to hear by lunchtime today to complete tomorrow. Which clearly isn't going to happen.

 

[miss direct]

Not really bothered about completing tomorrow actually. But by the end of the week would be good.

Wtf are the sellers solicitors doing? They're being chased by my solicitors and the estate agent.

 

[cybershot]

May be a case of phone them yourself and get it from the horses mouth! I suspect they have took on too much work and can't cope with the amount of people wanting to complete by the 30th, and as yours doesn't necessarily need to beat the stamp duty deadline you're not being given priority. If you can accept after the 30th it might be worth trying to settle on a date after the 30th to give everyone some breathing room. However you're probably also not going to get an answer to that until after the 30th either if you're not a 'need to get done on the 30th' case.

 

[miss direct]

They've been like this all the way along though.

There are other charges on the property too which I never got any details of.

I haven't heard anything from my current landlord. If things aren't any more certain by the end of Friday I'll have to contact him and ask about possibly staying on a bit longer. Hopefully noone is about to move in.

Feel really quite calm about it. I was dreading coming back to the shared house but (so far), it's not that bad. Just readjusting my expectations a little. These solicitors can't just ignore everyone forever, can they?

So let's say by Friday I should have a date or at least an idea of what is going on....then I can either be packing (not much to pack really as basically living out of suitcases and boxes anyway) or talking to my current landlord to (ugh) extend my stay a little.

 

[cybershot]

Unfortunately you can only move as fast as the slowest piece, and if the sellers aren't willing to put pressure on the solicitor you lose momentum. They probably are not aware of your situation and from what you've previously said seem pretty clueless.

For anyone using this thread as a reference, get an email address or something of your seller when you do your second visit so you can cut out the bullshit of solicitors/agents and both have a clear picture of what your solicitors are telling each other. Of course if your seller/buyer is a bit of a ‘go with the flow’ type person you might not get anywhere any quicker either. As I said. Only as fast as the slowest moving part.

 

[miss direct]

Yes am really kicking myself for not getting contact details. But not entirely sure that would help. They are clearly even more clueless than me and hopeless with money. You'd think they'd want to hurry things along so they could get their hands on the money from the sale though.

 

[baldrick]

I think the first time you buy somewhere is a series of lessons about what to do/not do!

 

[miss direct]

My solicitor is on the ball today. Just called me again and talked me through a lot of things. It's not going to fall through, they are waiting for one redemption figure and this is all to protect me from taking on a property with multiple charges on it. Sellers haven't been paying various things so it's "non standard."

 

[equationgirl]

My solicitor is on the ball today. Just called me again and talked me through a lot of things. It's not going to fall through, they are waiting for one redemption figure and this is all to protect me from taking on a property with multiple charges on it. Sellers haven't been paying various things so it's "non standard."

To be fair I think your solicitors are doing their best to make sure none of those charges fall on you, which is good. Seller's solicitors are probably on a fixed fee and underestimated the amount of work involved given the non standard charges. In most cases it's the mortgage company only.

Makes you wonder what they've been avoiding paying.

 

[platinumsage]

To be fair I think your solicitors are doing their best to make sure none of those charges fall on you, which is good.

That is the bare minimum any conveyancing solicitor ought to do to avoid their client suing them.

 

[hash tag]

Sounding like the sellers had cash problems which could explain why they suddenly moved out..they went before they were repossessed possibly

 

[equationgirl]

That is the bare minimum any conveyancing solicitor ought to do to avoid their client suing them.

You'd be surprised how little they do sometimes.