7 Months Of Sheer Hell! (Other Services / General Comments)

Member Name: abcdef

Product:	Other Services / General Comments
Date:	06/07/01 (314 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: You get a new house

Disadvantages: Trauma, stress, People messing you about, timewasters, Incompetent solicitors

We bought and sold property last year and although we knew it wasn't going to be easy, we didn't quite bargain for the amount of stress we would have to endure.

After about 6 or 8 veiwings (often by the MOST obnoxious, often time-wasting, gits) we finally had a young couple round who appeared to like the property. They had a parent with them for moral support I suppose, who managed to get us to accept £1000 less than the asking price if they would put in an offer that week. We were so over the moon to have a 'sniff' that we agreed. (We were desperate to move for a number of personal reasons).

A few days later the offer hadn't come in, so we rang the agents to 'gee them up'. Fortunately, yes, they did want the property, they just didn't seem to be in any hurry. On the other hand, we were. Our son had been out of school for many months and we wanted to move to an education authority who had a better way of treating kids with special needs. We had hoped to be moved by Summer to get him in another school. Also, because of his difficulties we had had many horrible experiences with neighbours at this place. In a nutshell, we couldn't wait to see the back of the place.

Anyway, things got into action, we arranged our mortgage, surveys on the new property and so forth and we waited, and waited and waited. The other couple were the sort who thought time stood still obviously. After many weeks we found out that they had their mortgage secured and we waited and waited some more. Eventually they sent the surveyor round to ours and it came back OK ... apart from the trees at the bottom of the garden. We knew the trees were OK as long as they got regular pruning - we showed them OUR survey whe WE bought the property .... but no, they wanted PROOF. Time went by and they eventually decided they wanted a specialist tree surgeon to come in and have a look .... for £160, which they wanted US to pay for!!! Not on your nelli
e. We had already dropped the price by a grand and told the agent this. Thankfully, they said they would pay for the tree surgeon, who was there but 15 minutes and who looked aghast when he got here. "These trees are 30 foot from the house. What's the problem?" he asked. Search me. We offered to fell the trees as a good will gesture ... if they would just GET ON WITH IT! Which we did.

Anyway, by this time it was about September. Too late to get either of our children in new schools. The solicitors were faffing about, never phoning, faxing or emailing when a slow postal letter would do! Our solicitor in particular was USELESS. We had paid for a solicitor, but it turned out she was a legal clerk! We were mad as hell about this. She was pedantic, checking everything in minute detail - stuff that had already been sorted. We thought that maybe she was incompetent? Eventually we complained to the director of the solicitors who gave her a kick up the BS.

Then, it came to light that our vendor, who was living down south had been made redundant and was heading back to Yorkshire. By this time my wife was ready to have a nervous breakdown. Exchange dates were made, then put back then put back. Would our seller want his house back? It was a possibility.

Eventually it was all settled and contracts were due to be exchanged. 2 days before, the estate agent rang us to say that our buyers' deposit cheque had bounced; They had insufficient funds to purchase!!!!! This was the final straw. We just felt as if we had been hit by a heavy rock. We were just so depressed, angry, upset, NUMB. This was a Tuesday. My wife's back and heck had been stiff for w hile and she just seized up - simply through the stress. She couldn't move her head when this happened.

Very sad, angry and upset, we arranged for the agent to come and put the board back up on Thursday. It was now the middle of October. It was nearly 9 months after we fir
st put the house up for sale.

We couldn't believe it next morning when the agent rang us. One of the parents had stepped in and the sale was back on again!!!! My wife cried all day through sheer relief. The stress by this time was killing us.

Anyway, at the end of October we eventually moved. I jusy CANNOT understand why it takes this long to buy and sell a house. The house we were moving into was empty, our buyers were first time buyers, yet it took nearly 7 months to get sorted from offer to completion. Completely barmy. We have vowed never to go through the trauma again. It's not something I would recommend if you want to keep your sanity.

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