Time from sale agreed to receiving documents?

um7y1h83ge06nx

Hi,

Was wondering how long it takes to receive the initial documents from the vendor?

Have put down a deposit almost a month ago but our solicitor hasn't received anything yet. Have chased it up with the auctioneer and he says the vendors got a little caught off guard going sale agreed and they are just gathering things together.

Gumbo

Should be only a week or two. That's all it took us last month.

jetfiremuck

I have had the same issues where we nearly lost a house due to other solicitor incompetence,and what worries me is that there is no contractual agreement in place until the documents are signed by both parties at key handover. Unlike other countries where when a house goes sale agreed a contract with deposit is signed by both parties as soon as the offer is accepted. This is an enforceable contract for both sides. Obviously there are some get out clauses like mortgage approval, expiration of agreement etc. The process ensures no tomfoolery behind the scenes, which does happen like higher offer,change of heart etc

PetuniaT

From my own experience having been sale agreed three times in the last six months it took each vendor up to six weeks to get deeds from bank before contracts were issued

seamus

We've recently gone sale agreed and our EA seems quite insistent that it typically takes 6 weeks from going sale agreed to sitting down with the contracts. Despite my insistence to the contrary.

It suits us to a certain extent because we're still looking, but obviously we don't want the vendor pulling out so once we've found somewhere else I'll be making sure the whole process is expedited!

Maybe it's the difference between selling a mortgaged house -v- one owned outright and in the former case banks have a set process that takes 4 or 5 weeks?

Iago

We went sale agreed mid-December (we're selling) we still haven't signed contracts although the purchaser signed last week and we are challenging the closing date so haven't signed in turn. Received post in the purchasers name this morning despite not having signed contracts yet

I think these things are all very individual. In our case the purchaser was selling a house to someone who's selling a house so there was a significant enough chain to be worked through before things could be signed and sealed.

Uno my Uno.

It depends, if the Sellers weren't expecting to go sale agreed so quickly their Solicitor is likely waiting on the Title deeds from the Bank etc. Even so I would expect to receive contracts within 2 or 3 weeks.

In respect of the reason for the period between going sale agreed and having contracts signed, it does exist for a reason. From the purchaser's perspective they need to check title and there will be multiple pre-contractual queries they will want responses to and require legal advice on so they can't sign anything at the time of having an offer accepted. From the point of view of a seller, a contract that is conditional on something like mortgage approval isn't really worthwhile as it gives the seller very little certainty yet binds them to sell to the purchaser so it would not be in their interests to sign such a contact at an early stage.

I'm not saying that the process as it stands is not without flaws or frustrating aspects but it isn't irrational, nor has it come about through capriciousness.