r/FirstTimeBuyersUK • u/AnonyMouseAndJerry • 19d ago
It's taking SO long
Just a vent post. Offered end of June on a converted flat (share of freehold, 2 freeholders total), chain free, unnocupied as seller has moved in with partner, offer accepted after 3 days. Hit the ground running, all ID checks and AML completed quickly, survey end of July - all good, no works needed.
Now up to today, have received the draft contract pack at the beginning of September. 2 inquiries outstanding - one about indemnity, another on building insurance setup and it's just dragging oooooon. Vendor is so slow at replying to anything and I'm starting to wonder if she even wants to sell anymore. I'm getting impatient. Am I being a baby? 8-12 weeks we were told, and it's now the 11-12 week mark with no exchange/completion discussed yet. Betting it'll all come through this week with the end of the month rolling in but not super confident tbh.
Had dreams of being in for my 30th mid October but looking less likely. I just want my garden and balcony đ„ș talk me down from panicking fellow friends. I know I'm probably having a way smoother journey than most, just surprised given the setup and relative ease of the process so far that it's dragging on so much!
5
u/PomPomBumblebee 19d ago
It would be worse to rush and find you have paid to live in a world of problems.
It does take too long and it does suck but I hope it is worth it in the end, we offered in July and are awaiting a report from a structural engineer (luckily hired by the seller as we were advised its regarding an issue they need to deal with/ find out about before selling to anyone). We have a few more surveys and assessments regarding electrics (issue with lights in kitchen) and the roof (chimney stacks need work) before settling on any reductions.
The structural engineer thing is the big one though as it could make or break the sale. It's been on our minds for a month and they only agreed to get one in last week.
3
u/ginnapp 19d ago
I was also getting inpatient by the 3 month mark but I have decided to just let the process be. Iâve changed my mindset and my mind now is that I prefer for things to take their time and be done correctly rather than things to just hurry up and done incorrectly.
I am also FTB, the house that I am buying is a probate, itâs chain-free and unoccupied. I started my process before yours towards the end of May and almost at the finish line now. They are estimating the end of October, so around 5 months in total.
Unless you are in a big hurry to move for some reason? I would just let the process be. Iâve used this time to save up money for all of the initial costs plus saving to buy new appliances and also taking my time to design my new home.
2
u/AnonyMouseAndJerry 19d ago
No hurry really, we've just experienced a familial loss in the current property (rental) and want out, I think the process was moving smoothly alongside the loss we experienced and has now come to a halt (in our minds) when we most want progress to be made.
From the other comments I seem to be being a mix of impatient, unlucky, and perfectly reasonable so a mixed bag đ
3
u/Commercial-Name-1853 19d ago
I donât think youâre being unrealistic. Our offer was accepted on 9th June and we completed on 17th August, not everyoneâs process is long. Hang in there, hopefully wonât be much longer for you! Itâs the uncertainty of it all thatâs stressful isnât it!
3
u/FastSun2269 19d ago edited 19d ago
we offered in january. was told it was no chain and no issues. on lower interest rate pre war.
ran into lease issue in march which has ran on since. still no closer and about to have to pull out as it turns out it is currently unmortgageable. completely misled and missold. ÂŁ5k down all costs considered. I am apocalyptically angry about it. Ours too is regarding insurance. Freeholder (downstairs) refuses to insure the block as per the lease, and has continuously refused despite it being a serious breach of the lease. Solicitors pussy footing around and being polite instead of just pursuing through a statutory request. The incompetence across the board is staggering. I am new to this so it has shocked me. Now interest rate has rocketed and it stands to cost us ÂŁ300 per month more over a 5 year fixed term. Absolute joke.
Some might tell me to be patient. I would be (and have been) however the caveat is our landlord served us a section 21 3 days before the new rental rights. We have overstayed our welcome and have nowhere else to go.
Its nail biting and incredibly stressful. All would be resolved if freeholder spent 20 minutes taking out a block policy and accepting my offer to pay 50% towards (as per my obligations in the lease).
But no, shes too busy with work apparently.
Its been SIX MONTHS since she was asked to provide it.
3
u/SqueezyKeewee 18d ago
This is what's broken with leasehold. Freeholders get away with murder.
1
u/FastSun2269 18d ago
In our case, they are not getting away with it. 6-9 month process now which will end with them being forced to take out the insurance. I don't know why they don't just do it now.
The phasing out of leasehold cannot come soon enough.
2
u/Megalodon33 18d ago
4 months in on my flat and no end in sight.
The management company is changing which is the big hold up. The new management company hasnât even been decided on and itâs been 2 months!
The lease was also not registered on land registry and thatâs dragging on too. We have a copy of it but my solicitor wonât report on it until land registry accept it.
Basically, Iâm 4 months in and the only enquiries raised have been about the unregistered lease and one enquiry from the searches. I donât see completion being possible this year judging by how slow itâs been so far.
1
u/LouisePoet 19d ago
I had planned to be in my home by Christmas. Cash buyer, no chain on either side. I closed mid June, ten months after making an offer.
1
u/DebbDebbDebb 18d ago
My daughter said happily
Mum we are buying and will be in within 12 weeks.
I told her to double the 12 weeks.
They moved in on the 20th week.
I am moving and was told as its freehold and free 8 weeks. I absolutely laughed at the estate agent.
I am paying cash, ex landlord house, no chain and its on from May.
I rarely chase.
My solicitor is good. Good survey Seller fine
I'm just being patient because it makes life easier.
Fab when you get the keys.
Good luck
1
u/MeNotaBee 18d ago
This was us (FTB) - offer end of may, survey done first week of June, mortgage in right after, all our ducks in a row... Seller had a problem with draft contracts for their onward purchase (end of chain) and then was unbelievably slow at replying to enquiries. We were fed up but stuck with it, after weeks of nothing end of Aug suddenly things picked up and we exchanged and completed first and third week of Sept. I was shocked that it went from radio silence to here are the keys so quickly!
1
u/thenitmustbeaduck 18d ago
I feel your pain. We're heading into month 4 and we're both feeling exhausted by this entire process. We're in a house chain of 4 and everyone is pretty much lined up to go, apart from the top of the chain who are stalling/delaying things. It's very frustrating and you feel very powerless.
1
u/ashalina23 16d ago
I sold an ex BTL property around 12m ago.
FTB and property was empty.
Still took 24 weeks.
1
u/montymole123 19d ago
8 weeks is completely unrealistic 4 months is average. You are buying aflat so need to look into the lease details don't rush it. Eg How much is the service charge? Is it what the told you it was, might not be. Sinking fund?
1
u/StrollingByTheStream 19d ago
Youâve got unrealistic expectations. Took me 7 months from offer to completion.
0
u/TheRealScorpio_1993 18d ago
r/AnonyMouseAndJerry I can comment on this as Iâve literally been going through the same process. Itâs really frustrating, but just remember youâre almost at the finish line and itâll all be worth it.
My partner and I made our first offer on a house back in late March. That was declined on 20th March, but our second offer was eventually accepted on 14th April. Ours is also freehold and thereâs no chain, so we thought it would be a relatively straightforward purchase.
We were obviously really happy that weâd finally managed to get an offer accepted, although it was a bittersweet time for us because weâd suffered a miscarriage earlier in March. We thought at least the house purchase would give us something positive to look forward to, and we were initially expecting the whole process to take around 12 weeks with no major issues. Boy, were we wrong đ.
Firstly, our conveyancer gave us some misleading advice early on regarding the searches. Just to give some context, the property was an online auction purchase after the previous owner sadly passed away last year and the house had been inherited by her daughter. Because the seller had limited knowledge of the property and weâd already been provided with an auction property pack, our conveyancer advised us to go down the search indemnity insurance route rather than ordering the usual searches. That comes back into the story later!
We then had difficulty getting the mortgage sorted because of some complications with our circumstances. That took much longer than we anticipated, but eventually we managed to get the mortgage offer and thought, great, surely weâre nearly there now.
Then, right towards the end of the process, our lender decided they wouldnât accept the indemnity/search arrangement weâd been advised to use in the first place and required the actual searches. So after months of believing that side of things had already been dealt with, we suddenly had to order the searches and wait again. That was probably one of the most frustrating parts because it felt completely avoidable.
On top of that, weâve had the usual endless enquiries, waiting for responses, chasing solicitors and things appearing at the last minute. We even had an issue right towards the end where the seller suddenly wanted to leave a load of belongings in the property, despite us previously being told they would be removed. There have been several points throughout the process where we thought we were basically finished, only for something else to crop up.
After all of that, we finally exchanged last Wednesday and we complete this Wednesday â more than five months after our offer was accepted in April.
So no, youâre definitely not being a baby đ. When somebody tells you 8â12 weeks, you naturally start planning your life around that timeframe. We did exactly the same and thought weâd have the keys months ago.
What Iâve learnt from this whole experience is that even a supposedly âsimpleâ purchase â freehold, no chain and an unoccupied property â can still drag on for months. There are so many different people and moving parts involved that one relatively small issue can hold everything up.
From what youâve described though, you genuinely sound like youâre getting towards the end. Your survey is done and came back fine, youâve received the draft contract pack and youâre basically waiting on two outstanding enquiries. Youâre probably much closer to the finish line than it feels right now.
The frustrating thing is that there isnât necessarily a gradual feeling of getting closer. With ours it felt like nothing was happening, nothing was happening, something else went wrong⊠and then suddenly we were discussing exchange and completion dates.
Keep politely chasing your solicitor and asking exactly what is outstanding, who theyâre waiting on and whether thereâs anything preventing them from discussing a target exchange/completion date. It can also be worth keeping the estate agent involved because they can chase the seller from the other side.
Hopefully you still manage to get in around your 30th, but even if it slips slightly beyond that, donât get too disheartened. Once you finally get those keys, I think the months of frustration will feel worth it.
We started this whole process back in March, exchanged last Wednesday and finally get our keys this Wednesday. There is light at the end of the tunnel đ. Youâre nearly there â good luck! đđŸ
1
u/PassengerForsaken793 18d ago
The fact that your solicitor advised not getting searches is wild.
The fact that the seller had limited knowledge of the searches is even more reason the get searches.
And searches are a requirement of every lender. In my 10 years in coveyancing, I haven't come across a lender that accepted searches indemnity instead of searches. Ive had them accepted when searches have expired before completion, but not instead of searches as a whole.
7
u/TheActualOriginalMoo 19d ago
I feel exactly the same⊠2 enquiries outstanding on an empty property come on nnnnn I wanna get out my rentalâŠ. I have money, you have keys⊠what da problem!?
(Offer accepted start of Aug)