Are You Annoying?

September 20, 2015 by Rob Kahl

Are you annoying?

Are you one of this annoying people that has bought and wrapped all of your christmas presents, ordered your turkey, made your christmas cake and even put on the brussell sprouts to boil?

Have you had the arguments about where you are going to spend the day? Is it your turn to go to the in-laws in Aberdeen or are you going to put your foot down and not invite anyone round and have a quiet day with immediate family only?

If you are one of this people then good for you (If you hadn’t guessed by my tone, I am not) but there may be one thing that is beyond your control!

If you are in the process of moving or are thinking of buying a property and have thoughts of opening your presents in your new house and inviting 40 people around to cook a mammoth christmas dinner then you had better get your skates on because as unlikely as it may sound you need to pull your finger out and get on with it.

The average house transaction in England takes between 3-4 months to go through and if you are involved in a chain the whole process will only run as quickly as the slowest or most laid back person involved.

If you are adamant that you must move before christmas then there are some things you can do to at least try and make this happen. If you are looking for a new home then you may want to only consider empty properties with no chain or ones where the current owners are going to go in to rented accommodation and will therefore be the end of the chain. Beware though if the property is empty it could be because somebody has passed away and the remaining family are selling the property? This could seem easy as the property will be the end of the chain but have the family already got probate? This process, depending on the estate and number of beneficiaries can take an awful long time so ensure to ask the question before making any offers.

The next one is probably going to be budget dependent? If you want your house purchase to go through quicker then try to go for freehold properties rather than leasehold. Leasehold enquiries via solicitors, managing agents and freeholders always take longer than they should. You will have to make sure that payments are up to date, the property is maintained and insured correctly and managing agents accounts are in place, these are done by a third party, usually the managing agent company or their representative and they have no financial incentive to rush so it gets done when it gets done.

The last way to make sure you get in to your new house in plenty of time to eat your body weight in mince pies is much more basic but as important as any other. Make a nuisance of yourself! Use the fact that christmas is an immovable date and make sure that everybody knows your intention to move well before then when you agree the sale in the first place and then push and push and push. That includes us as well, make sure you are on the case of your estate agent getting them to move things along. It should be in writing in your sales letters and memorandum of sale of your intention to move before christmas so that it is there in black and white from day one! Your agent is the only person that has access to the complete chain so has a unique position of being able to chase all parties involved but you will have to do your bit as well.

Make sure that any forms you have to fill in are done and returned immediately. Any certificates for work that has been carried out on your property or guarantees for double glazing or electrics are sent to your solicitors straight away. If your mortgage company needs 6 months worth of bank statements or accounts make sure they are available as soon as possible then at least nobody can blame you if things are delayed.

Then the only thing left is to hit the phones, chase your agent every day (trust me they will do everything they can to make it happen, even if it is only to get rid of you!), call your solicitor to make sure your case is at the top of their pile rather than just another one they are dealing with, chase mortgage brokers and surveyors to make sure they are instructed and carried out without delay just make sure that any early momentum is maintained. It can be extremely wearing and frustrating but is extremely worthwhile in the long run.

Unfortunately even after all of this there are still things that are going to be out of control. I received an e-mail this week to inform me that Southend Council searches department are currently experiencing delays again. The local authority searches are required by 99% of solicitors and all mortgage lenders and tell them if there are any planning issues with the surrounding area of your new property or if the council are planning ti build a motorway behind your garden! These are currently taking 4-5 weeks to come back from the council and they do not take calls and are not able to be rushed along so all you and the rest of your chain to do is sit and wait so make sure they are applied for as soon as the transaction has started!

It may sound like it is all doom and gloom and you will be lucky to move in to your house by christmas 2016 let alone this year but I am sharing with you years of experience of the worst case scenario. The best thing you can have in any property transaction is a motivated buyer and a motivated seller. As long as you have both of these who are willing to do their bit to move things forward then you should have no worries about moving before christmas and everything should, SHOULD, go smoothly.