Help calm me. House buying and selling stress

It's so stressful Pittcity, I am sorry. I feel so anxious today. I've just started informing my utilities, it's reminded me to keep the ladder as I'll have to read the meter again on my last day.

We rang several removers today and many are booked up. We have a couple giving virtual quotes using Rightmove photos.

My solicitor has also asked me for an exchange date today. Can you get your tenancy agreement set up now, so you can decide your exchange date with a week before completion?

Head in hands here!

It is likely that I will have to rent my new property temporarily while the purchase goes through; but the sale of my property is ready - papers signed etc. but contracts not exchanged.

Solicitor is saying wait to exchange contracts till nearer the time, but I need a completion date set as the removers are getting booked up in this scrabble to get places before March 31st. I know that I have to have a tenancy agreement set up before exchange in order not to finish up without a roof over my head. It is an agreement that would lapse at the point where my purchase goes through.

NO clear advice from solicitor - it is a personal decision apparently.

Morning all, hope you aren't too wet! Just been on a short dog walk and I'm soaked.

I've had a strange email from my solicitor asking when I want to exchange?

I had written weeks ago asking him to liaise with the vendor's solicitor regarding 4th March. I've written back and said any day week commencing 1 March, and I have got the buildings insurance ready to go. I've got butterflies now, it's not long!

Beach walk later, then more garage sorting and wrapping, I seem to have done it so many times but now need to bring it all to the front. I managed to wrap my very heavy garden ornaments yesterday but haven't got anything to put them in, the men will have to lift them separately.

I'm going to take the stained glass with me when I take the dog crate, it's so very fragile. My little bit of Whitton! The windows were outside a 1930's house near my son's school in 1998, the owner let me have them for nothing.

Enjoy your day

Sorry to hear of your problem with other dog, Shandy - will you be going to this same stretch of the beach after you have moved into your new bungalow?

Rather foolishly today, I continued with my normal Thursday of doing the weekly wash - (two loads in winter). All the furniture was moved back in position, and my lovely Son in Law sorted out the problem with one of the wires - this was a telephone extension (which had been under the car pet) - it so frayed!! Anyway he has taken that away completely and set up my Wifi hub and main telephone/answerphone in the hall on the top of the Ikea unit. Much better place for them actually.
Got my new rug down, put floor protectors on the bottom of my dining table and chairs (fortunately, I still had enough over in my store from when I did the ones at my house). Unpacked a few things, but then remembered that I needed to dry and put away two loads of washing - so feeling a bit exhausted now. Should sleep well tonight. Have ordered some oak coloured wire covers (D-line), have used these previously so know how good they are. As a Thank You to my daughters family for doing all this for me (would not have managed without them), and having me there for three days, I have offered to buy them a takeaway meal tomorrow evening. I will go over to join them for this.
It has been so sunny and warm this afternoon, that I have had the Patio door open letting fresh air in.

Fingers crossed it all works out Luckygirl. I don't like grey either, I'm glad he came up with something lighter for you. The kitchen tiles at my bungalow are a horrible brown/beige but I'll save up and replace them in the years to come.

I've got a problem at the beach. A new dog has adopted me, when her owner arrives she makes a run for it if she hears my dog barking at his game. For the second day running I've had to accompany him half way down the beach, then put my dog back on the lead so I can leave the beach without his dog following. Not sure how I've got into this situation.

It is a shame that buying an selling property is such a stressful minefield. I am sure thee must be an easier way. But it is very encouraging that people do eventually move!

Builder came round yesterday with a sample tile. The built-in kitchen is grey (not what I would have chosen) and he was planning on putting down grey tiles. I asked if they cold be something a bit brighter, and the one he has come up with is basically white with grey flecks, so that should make it a bit lighter.

It is possible that I may have to rent my new property for a few weeks before sale can be completed, as my buyer here will drop out if he cannot move before end of March. Discussions about the tenancy agreement elicited opposite opinions about when they should be signed from estate agent (who will draw up the agreement) and my solicitor. However late in the evening I had a message from the estate agent to say he now agreed with the solicitor - it made me chuckle - they are husband and wife and I would have liked to be a fly on the wall during their teatime conversation!

Just had a call from the EA who told me a different story than last time (they are a special breed aren't they?). Short story is that we have a provisional moving date of 12th March....hooray

Morning all, wet and windy today.

Good luck pen50, I'm a cash buyer and at five months too, my seller is going into rented in Scotland. My solicitor has confirmed the seller would like to complete on 11 March, then the EA rang and said the seller would like to exchange the week before, I suggested 4 March. I'm sorry your seller can't find anywhere but I'm not surprised, nothing has come onto the market here and previous listings have disappeared. I appreciate you have now waited a fortnight without a reaction to your ultimatum, I hope you hear soon.

Good luck Spice101, I hope they are good packers, with those temperatures make sure you have lots of water available! Wishing you much happiness in your new home.

I look forward to a photo of your floor Franbern, I am so pleased you like it. I made the most terrible mistake with laminate flooring in our kitchen, it looked dreadful and was a very expensive mistake that ended up at the dump. As for the redirection you would think Royal Mail are used to people moving house, but the woman on the telephone did ask some surprising questions!

Off to the beach in a minute, then I need to get into the garage and start bubble wrapping my stained glass, a huge mirror and picture. I do feel anxious even though I have lists, renting the carpet shampooer is causing me angst because I can't get the right collection date. The cottage is as packed as I can live with, so I am on the last leg.

Enjoy your day

pen50 you are another one with problems with solicitors. There really does need to be some sort of control over these people with regard to conveyancing. What was the reply from the people you are buying from when you gave them the ultimatum? You do need to sure that it is not them who are asking their Solicitors to 'go slow' for their own reasons. Perhaps you should agree with your own Solicitor for a Completion Date, about four weeks time - and then let those other people know that is the final date you can go with.

I did drive my own Completion date, and kept mentioning it every time I talked to my own Solicitors and Estate Agent. As I have said previously, despite all the monies we have to pay out to the 'professionals', I did have to be my own Project Manager on this.

Final annoyance I had with my large firm of Solicitors, was actually on Completion Day. My lóvely Estate Agent phoned me to tell me when the money had cleared on my sale, and then again when it had cleared on my flat. This mean that my daughter was able to pick up the keys and start getting the removal company unload the lorry at 1.00 pm. By the time I arrived just an hour later, this was well underway. At 4.30 pm (yes, nearly four hours later), I received a telephone call from my Solicitors office, with a young woman cheerily telling me that I could now go to collect the keys to my flat. I did tell her, that the removal company was almost finished off-loading. Had they not been able to start until that time, there would have been an extra cost to me as the company would have charged me for an overnighter, for their people.

Spice, my packers took a very long time, when doing my house, Did not take a lot of notice of what they were doing. Just astonished as how many boxes there were when in the flat, Those marked 'kitchen' virtually filled my kitchen there floor to ceiling - but as I unpacked I found that many of those boxes just had two or three items in them!!! Okay, no damage to anything (although when we checked on the day before I locked the house for the last time, we did find three cupboards in the kitchen that had not been emptied!!!), but I was not impressed at their packing at all. I really do not envy you the very hot weather you have in Oz - although I am sure most homes have air conditioning. Hope all goes well, and you will soon be settled in your new home.

Shandy surely the Royal Mail must have some sort of system when (like you) people need a secondary re-direction process.

Much to my satisfaction, I did make exactly the right choice of colour for my new flooring - to match my golden oak furniture. Difficult trying to match it with just one of these tiles, and I had changed from my original order (goodthat I went in to the showrooms in December with my daughter for a final check as not only did I, then, change the colour of the tiles but also of the border), - always a bit of a finger crossed when doing things like this. I will try to take a photo if possible. I have been so stressed out about this work - it has involved an enormous upheaval for me, and my kids always say that if I cannot find anything to panic about, I will invent something. I have done that on a couple of things this week - wish I could be more laid back and calm about things - but I do hate anything which is not totally in my own control.

We're cash buyers, properties sold and completed last year, but five months after agreeing a purchase we're STILL waiting to exchange contracts. The other side's solicitor seems incredibly slow. If I were the seller I'd have got out into temporary accommodation just to make sure of my sale; as it is, we've had to tell her that we are looking at other properties and if we find one we like better we will withdraw our offer. But two weeks after saying that, we're no further forward. Extraordinary.

Glad you're pleased with your flooring Franbern and that it wasn't too much of an upheaval for you.
Always nice to move in dry weather Spice though 34 degrees is a bit excessive. Good luck!
Fingers crossed for everyone hoping to move by the end of March.

Good that the refit is done and dusted Franbern and even better that you are happy with it.

All going well here, the packers are here to pack things up. Last time there were a couple of chaps doing the packing and they were like wirlwinds. Today it is two ladies and they are working at a much more sedate pace and taking more care in wrapping.

Good news is that our lockdown was lifted and as of today things are a bit more normal. Can only have 5 people in our homes but that is enough to have some help tomorrow.

We have had a week of 30+ temperatures and the next 3 days will be about 34. Glad it is not us doing the heavy lifting but I guess it is better than rain.

Fantastic, I hadn't expected it to be ready in three days, you've surprised me! Enjoy rearranging everything again, I'm glad you are pleased.

Hurrah !!! returned home today this evening, just as the flooring was being finished off. It looks wonderful, so pleased I did decide to go for the more expensive way of having a border. I am so happy with the way it looks. Tomorrow morning the kids, mu daughter and Son in Law will come over and get all the furniture back in place -and then I can start unpacking (again).
Got a little stressed out this week, underneath the carpets there some wires for different things. When I had the entry phones moved from near the front door to the Living room, he took the wiring along the floor underneath the carpet and then across the hallway into the living room.

Have arranged for him to come back next week, as it needs a much longer piece of wire to go up and over three doorways etc. Another wire (telephone one) looks defunct , but my SiL will test it tomorrow and, then, hopefully remove it.
This is the last really big job to be done here. Sometime I do hope to have both bedrooms re-carpeted, but will need to recover from from all of this before I can even consider it. However, so delighted with the way this flooring looks well worth all the upheaval. Mind you, after the first day I had decided I really did not like bed-sit living!!!

Spice so pleased that your story is coming to a successful conclusion . You next Shandy.

I have been told this job on my flooring will take '3-4 days' I am hoping they mean three days, but are giving themselves the leeway of extra time. Two lovely young men arrived before 9 am . When I returned home after 4 pm they were just clearing up having taken up all the carpets and underlay, and put down boards over entire area, and then sealed all the joints of those boards. Glad I got back before they left as they had disconnected both my wifi and the tv aerial, but put those back up and running before they left.

It is a very large area they are doing. When I come home tomorrow, I should be seeing some of these laminate tiles laid in place. So many wires they found under the carpet, not quite sure what all are for. Will be doing lots of sorting those out, and trunking.

Was delighted that whilst at was at my daughters, she received notification to book her 'jab'. She is registered as the Carer for her hubbie, but as she does not claim or get any carers allowance we were wondering where she would come on the lists. Booked to go in a weeks time.

I spent an interesting couple of hours this afternoon playing the computer version of Trivial Pursuits. This was good as it gave different set of questions to the 10-year old, and another set of for the teenager. Do feel that there should be some for 'mature', particularly with regard to questions on music, etc.

So glad to hear that progress is being made and people are moving!

I found the Solicitors an expensive waste as all they actually did was to ask me all the questions for me to do their work for them. - that about summed it up for me!

I have now got contract to print out and sign for sale of here; but I need to have some fall-back situation in case I finish up renting my new place for a while. It all feels a bit insecure, to say the least!

Congratulations Spice ?

Congratulations Spice! Hope you will quickly conquer all those boxes and settle in. You will need ☕️ Or possibly ? but definitely ?!

Spice101 - congratulations on your new house.
Today the snow has finally gone. As I expected, the snow has lingered longer here than it did where I used to live.

Thinking of you on this sunny day Franbern, hope all goes well.

Congratulations Spice101, I hope your new house is full of happiness for you!

I've just popped in to say I had to do my mail redirection on the phone - apparently I had difficulties because the redirection from the station is still current, expires in early May.

Have a good day everyone

Hope the laying of your floor goes well Franbern. How long are they expected to take to do the job?

Well we are mow officially home owners again. Our settlement started at 12.30 pm and at 12.50 we had word it was complete.

My daughter turns her electric blanket on via Alexa, if she is not at home, but on her way there. can still do that through her 'phone. Shandy, not sure if I would have all these techno things if I did not have my Son in Law here who is more than happy to set them all up for me. Like driving - I can USE these things, but have no idea as to how they work.
Sitting, eating brekkie, all dressed waiting for the Technicians to arrive!!! Once I have met them, and settled them in with appropriate instructions, etc. I am off to my daughters house for the day.

I need to start learning about Alexa, I've always avoided it, not sure why. I go upstairs to put my electric blanket and bedside lamp on about 7 pm, so I can walk into a lit bedroom. And I've got one of those plug in lights on the landing that comes on in the dark. I'm living in the stone ages! Love what you have done Franbern, the twenty first century is in action in WSM!