rogerpenycate

I'd be interested to hear of any other UK folks property selling stories, prior to moving to the US. (it's a long time since I sold a property)
Mine should have been so simple, first time buyers and with me moving to VA, No Chain involved.
I accepted an offer at the end of June, subject to my visa being granted on the 10th July.
All parties were informed of the situation, the process began and when I left the US Embassy on the 10th I phoned the estate agents to say "full steam ahead".
Now 3 weeks later very little seems to have been achieved.
Despite numerous phone calls to the estate agents and solicitors, it took ME to phone the buyers financial "geezer" to even get the surveyor on the go.
What is really frustrating is that having gone through the 4 months stressful process of getting my visa, I'm ready to be with the wife in America and a bunch of incompetent "professionals"
who are being well paid, are delaying that.
I'm not sure if there are any lessons to be learned by future
UK folks selling property, but if you live in the Midlands, I can give you the names of a solicitor and estate agent, NOT to use.

Sorry to vent my anger on here.
Roger

robmcintosh

Roger mate,
I sold my house in Derbyshire last year and have rented since then but I can understand your frustrations.
A couple of years before that I sold a flat in Brum and on both these occasions I found I was the one doing all the work.
The only way to get "them" to do anything is hassle them, if you become a pain they want to get rid so they'll work for you, if you stay quiet they're happy doing nothing.
Oh and if they tell you anything another party has said, dont believe them, check it from the "horses mouth". One time my solicitor told me that the buyers were pulling out if I didnt immediately agree to pay for some damp-corse work. After getting pretty worried I got the number of, and phoned the buyers, they said that they'd only asked their solicitor to ask my solicitor if I'd contribute !!!
oh and loadsa other hassles, it wasnt nice.
But mate, stick with it, it'll all come good in the end, really.
All the best,
Rob.

Hilary

    > I'd be interested to hear of any other UK folks property selling stories, prior to
    > moving to the US.

We will be selling. Our tentative timeline is send in visa appliaction beginning of
Feb, wait till we get the go ahead, put house on market (houses around here are
selling within the week), arrange as long a moving-out date as possible, move in with
parents if need be, then ship us and 3 cats over.

The situation in Scotland's slightly different, but I know if I tell the solicitors
"speed is the essence" they will comply. They managed to get a surveyor and papers
drawn up all in one afternoon when we were buying, so I know they can do it.

    > Despite numerous phone calls to the estate agents and solicitors, it took ME to
    > phone the buyers financial "geezer" to even get the surveyor on the go.

This does happen. I spent an afternoon on the phone before to get stuff sorted with
the bank. It is very frustrating, I know.

How long has your wife been in the States? Do you have property there, or are you
renting then buying?

--
Hilary