How long did it take you to move?
How long did it take you to move?

Poll: How long did it take you to move?

Total Members Polled: 131

4 Weeks: 5%
5-8 Weeks: 20%
9-12 Weeks: 25%
13-16 Weeks: 13%
17-20 Weeks: 18%
6 Months: 5%
7 Months: 1%
8-10 Months: 5%
11-12 Months: 0%
Longer than that ...: 8%
Author
Discussion

Scott330ci

Original Poster:

18,247 posts

225 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
Hi Guys, I am buying a house and it seems to be dragging along ...

I have read through some of the threads of horror stories on here and thought it would be interesting to see how long it took you to move house from start to finish.

At current I am on 16 weeks with the end nowhere in sight hehe

Scott

GT03ROB

13,993 posts

245 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
Scott330ci said:
Hi Guys, I am buying a house and it seems to be dragging along ...

I have read through some of the threads of horror stories on here and thought it would be interesting to see how long it took you to move house from start to finish.

At current I am on 16 weeks with the end nowhere in sight hehe

Scott
What do you consider the start point to be??

Silver993tt

9,064 posts

263 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
Viewed house one day and 6 weeks later was moving in my furniture and spending my 1st night.

Scott330ci

Original Poster:

18,247 posts

225 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
GT03ROB said:
What do you consider the start point to be??
Accepted offer?

SGirl

7,922 posts

285 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
6 months for us. Our vendor's vendor didn't bother househunting until he had a firm offer, then when he found one there was all sorts of fun and games: first the property had to go through probate, then there were problems with the land registry due to the property having surreptitiously extended its boundaries over the years. Our part of things was completed in about 4 weeks IIRC, we just had to wait for this other bloke to sort himself out.

We put in our offer in July, and at the end of November our vendor's solicitor sent a mail to our solicitor saying that we "definitely" wouldn't complete until after Christmas. So we said we'd cut our losses and withdraw the offer if we hadn't completed by Christmas.

Got it sorted the week before Christmas. wink

Scott330ci

Original Poster:

18,247 posts

225 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
Nice work.

I am wondering if its worth pulling any punches soonish.

4 Months seems a long time with no real progress.

Zippee

13,959 posts

258 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
We sold our old house in May last year, offered and were accepted on one a month later. Come October and the vendors were still pissing about, we ended up finding an alternative property and our solicitors worked their socks off to complete in a 3 week period. Fortunately for us our buyer really wanted our house and was patient enough to wait 6 months for us to sort ourselves out.

Scott330ci

Original Poster:

18,247 posts

225 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
The whole process is disgusting IMO.

I am dreading all of this.

Mutley

3,178 posts

283 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
I sold/made offer/accepted in under a month. What took the rest of the time was in the conveyancing/exchange as my vendor buggering up the process by not getting their paperwork to me in as quick a time as I did. I finally moved in the 14th week. My sale to getting the keys

markbs

362 posts

267 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
Never sold a house as it the thought of it is just too frightening. My record for buying a house is 3 weeks (would have been 2 if their solicitors had been as "on it" as mine), but usually it's 4 weeks unless the other person wants a little longer, in which case it's usually 6 weeks (from having an offer accepted, to getting the keys). It also helps that my bank give me a mortgage decision within an hour ish.

Being frightened of the selling process (especially chains) turned me into a landlord

Edited by markbs on Monday 16th May 14:33

davidd

6,677 posts

308 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
About 6 weeks so far.... Should exchange in the next 10 days and then complete when it is easy for all parties (no real chain to speak of).

King Herald

23,501 posts

240 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
Scott330ci said:
The whole process is disgusting IMO.

I am dreading all of this.
We've moved twice in the last eight years, and both times I was extremely disappointed by the solicitors total lack of interest in expediting anything.

First time we moved I was regularly calling them and asking what was happening, yet a week before we had 'planned' to exchange contracts I was told they were still awaiting responses to TWELVE points about the house were buying. They had asked at the start of the process, and not had any response, so simply sat back and waited.

Second time around was much the same, and we only moved on the date planned because I called into our solicitors and TOLD them it was happening that date, and to get things sorted.

A general lackadaisical attitude each time.

But, they do charge a fixed sum, as do most solicitors for this service, and they get nothing extra for showing any enthusiasm, so I guess we got what we paid for: basic bottom-of-the-priority treatment.

Hub

7,012 posts

222 months

Monday 16th May 2011
quotequote all
Our house went on the market a year ago tomorrow. It took 9 months to find a buyer for ours (and we were in no rush so didn't drop the price). It then took us one week to find one we liked, and from when our offer was accepted it took 8 weeks to completion day (in a chain of just 3 fortunately) and we moved last month!

GT03ROB

13,993 posts

245 months

Tuesday 17th May 2011
quotequote all
King Herald said:
We've moved twice in the last eight years, and both times I was extremely disappointed by the solicitors total lack of interest in expediting anything.

First time we moved I was regularly calling them and asking what was happening, yet a week before we had 'planned' to exchange contracts I was told they were still awaiting responses to TWELVE points about the house were buying. They had asked at the start of the process, and not had any response, so simply sat back and waited.

Second time around was much the same, and we only moved on the date planned because I called into our solicitors and TOLD them it was happening that date, and to get things sorted.

A general lackadaisical attitude each time.

But, they do charge a fixed sum, as do most solicitors for this service, and they get nothing extra for showing any enthusiasm, so I guess we got what we paid for: basic bottom-of-the-priority treatment.
The solicitors & agents can be a total nightmare in this process. I have to admit when I moved last year used the fixed fee el cheapo option. Kind of feared the worst, but I have to say their service was excellent. Could always talk to the same guy by phone, things were turned around by return. When I had major hassles on the day of completion they did everything possible to try and get the deal through, ultimately they failed but not for the want of trying. The reason for the failure, solicitor incompetance down the chain.

Scott330ci

Original Poster:

18,247 posts

225 months

Friday 17th June 2011
quotequote all
Small update -

Nothing has changed although I done my peices on the phone to the agents.

Fingers crossed - hopefully soonish.

20 Weeks

illmonkey

19,654 posts

222 months

Friday 17th June 2011
quotequote all
Our first move was quick enough, but it had no chain.

Second move was a nightmare, with no one seeming to care, I was on the phone several times a day and paid plenty of visits to the solicitors.

I stopped counting weeks, and I still can't remember how long it too, I'd guess at 4 months.

D5M

191 posts

179 months

Friday 17th June 2011
quotequote all
I moved this time last year and it took about 20 weeks.

It's a really frustrasting and potentially stressful period isn't it? Moving is extraordinary I find. The excitement and anticipation on the one hand, on the other worry , stress and impatience.

Sometimes you just feel like starting all over.

Good luck Scott.

Scott330ci

Original Poster:

18,247 posts

225 months

Friday 17th June 2011
quotequote all
It has gotten to the point today where I have had enough. I have has the sttest week in the world. The estate agent doesn't really appear to give a damn.

I have even drafted a polite letter to the vendor and sent it to his facebook account in the hope of getting some straight information.

What I do not understand is the mere logic behind the way in which the solicitors work. They are based in manchester and are awaiting the planning permission to be returned. Then they will post the contract 180 miles to be signed and then return. Why not pre-empt this, send the contract so its signed and ready to go and then when the planning permission is returned we can exchange without waiting another week?

FFS.

Thom987

3,185 posts

190 months

Friday 17th June 2011
quotequote all
Managed it in under a month once, the EA was a mate and didnt hang about.

Dr_Rick

1,714 posts

272 months

Friday 17th June 2011
quotequote all
North of the border, so the systems a bit different. Since 2001 we've had (on average) a different house every 2yrs.

System works quite fast and is only really limited in completion terms by the mutually agreed exchange date. The solicitors bits are fast when they're pushed or you get a good one.

Current move: 'Attack-solicitor' was given sight of the property on the Wednesday after our 1st and only viewing on the previous Sunday. He made enquiries and only had information for us by 4.30pm on the Wednesday with our initial offer of the asking price rejected but with an indication of what the vendors would accept to have the house off the market. We told him in the same conversation to take the vendors arm off. 'Successful' offer had to wait till the next day but was accepted formally by midday.

So, he'll get over a grand for about 1 days work total. But he's worth it.

Our exchange date is set for mid August which would sit at 2.5months from Accepted Offer to move in. But we expect the Missives to be completed in the next few days.

Dr Rick