Currently buying/selling a house? How is it going? READ MOD NOTE POST #1

givyjoe

This might be a silly question, but we're coming up our AIP expiring in the next few weeks, does going sale agreed before then 'stop the clock', or do you need to have it extended, no matter what stage of the process you are at?

guyfawkes5

No - you'll still need to renew with the bank. I had to renew my AIP after going sale agreed with BoI.

Leozord

woodchuck wrote: »

Finally got our mortgage protection sorted today! There were delays because they needed our GPs to fill in medical reports, but luckily it didn't affect our application. It was just an extra delay we hadn't anticipated.

Trying to get in touch with our solicitor now so that we can organising transferring the balance of the deposit and sending the signed contracts back to the vendor...

How long did it take to have the mortgage protection sorted? And what company did you choose?

masterboy123

Hi,

I have used Irish Life and it took about 10 days to get it all sorted. No GP letters required.

Leozord wrote: »

How long did it take to have the mortgage protection sorted? And what company did you choose?

Leozord

masterboy123 wrote: »

Hi,

I have used Irish Life and it took about 10 days to get it all sorted. No GP letters required.

Thanks,

How different is a gp letter from a gp medical report?

I've applied for my mortgage protection yesterday, had to answer a massive form now we need to see how long they will give the green light.

masterboy123

It was a self-declaration form for us. No words about GP whatsoever.

Leozord wrote: »

Thanks,

How different is a gp letter from a gp medical report?

I've applied for my mortgage protection yesterday, had to answer a massive form now we need to see how long they will give the green light.

woodchuck

Leozord wrote: »

How long did it take to have the mortgage protection sorted? And what company did you choose?

We used Zurich and the person we were dealing with was very fast to be fair. But because we ticked yes to some of the medical questions, they needed our GPs to fill in a medical report. So between forms getting lost in the post, GPs being on annual leave and off sick, it took an extra 2-3 weeks to get the mortgage protection sorted.

I can't fault Zurich though, things were very fast from their end (we flagged that we needed a speedy turn around). It was just the GPs that delayed things.

I think most people don't need a medical report filled out. But even though we're in good health, there were various investigations/treatments we needed to declare, which must have sent up some red flags. Once they received the information from the GPs though, it didn't actually increase our premium. They just needed to hear from a medical professional that there's nothing actually wrong with us I guess.

Vanilla Cupcake

Has anyone used laya for their mortgage protection? Quote seems reasonable and it seems to be a quick process all done online.

Jay D

How long after the contracts are issed from a seller's solcitor should you expect to have the buyer sign them? I have seen two weeks on a blog from a solicitor as one timeline but finding it hard to find another source mentioning the time this part takes.

Would be nice if someone here knew.

Housebuying

Jay D wrote: »

How long after the contracts are issed from a seller's solcitor should you expect to have the buyer sign them? I have seen two weeks on a blog from a solicitor as one timeline but finding it hard to find another source mentioning the time this part takes.

Would be nice if someone here knew.

I'm a cash buyer and it took 6 weeks before we signed.

Castle73

Currently sale agreed 8 weeks on a second hand house, not happy with our Solicitor - Is it easy to change conveyancing Solicitor ?

Housebuying

Castle73 wrote: »

Currently sale agreed 8 weeks on a second hand house, not happy with our Solicitor - Is it easy to change conveyancing Solicitor ?

Is anyone happy? that's an honest question. My solicitor seems unnecessarily adversarial in all of her communications. Everything is SUCH a big thing. I can barely understand her emails and she fixates on items even when I instruct her to leave them alone. They're all a pain in the arse. It's an antiquated profession that needs a good kick up the arse.

Castle73

Totally agree, everything is a drama. We used this guy because of a referral, but in hindsight - should've stuck with the family Soilicitor...

Seriously considering changing, just not sure on how to go about it.

em_cat

Housebuying wrote: »

Is anyone happy? that's an honest question. My solicitor seems unnecessarily adversarial in all of her communications. Everything is SUCH a big thing. I can barely understand her emails and she fixates on items even when I instruct her to leave them alone. They're all a pain in the arse. It's an antiquated profession that needs a good kick up the arse.

TBH, solicitors have to fixate on certain things as you put it because they’ve a job to do and if they feel something could be a potential issue, especially one that could result in them being sued or held liable in some way. I can’t tell you how many times ours reiterated items of their concerns that irritated me at first, but in the end not only saved me money, but time spent unnecessarily worrying. For example, in our recent purchase they kept going on about about making contact with one of our neighbours before closing, partly because they have acted for me in previous property purchases, but also they knew something that they couldn’t disclose due to GDPR about that neighbour. We figured it out ourselves and confirmed it with our solicitor so now it can be dealt with, but still if we hadn’t had that warning, I would’ve been irate that my solicitors didn’t do their best to make me aware.

Kop On

Currently bidding on a property and have been counter offered by another bidder. Before jumping straight back in with a higher offer, what questions can I reasonably assume the EA will answer for me?

- The profile of the current highest bidder? (Cash buyer, chain, FTB)
- Has the highest bidder shown proof of funds?
- How Many bidders are involved?

Just trying to get a better picture before getting in to a bidding war. Any suggestions welcome.

Pivot Eoin

Kop On wrote: »

Currently bidding on a property and have been counter offered by another bidder. Before jumping straight back in with a higher offer, what questions can I reasonably assume the EA will answer for me?

- The profile of the current highest bidder? (Cash buyer, chain, FTB)
- Has the highest bidder shown proof of funds?
- How Many bidders are involved?

Just trying to get a better picture before getting in to a bidding war. Any suggestions welcome.

They're all reasonable enough asks.

Just remember that you want to be considered the most serious buyer, that means bidding aggressively and quickly to secure the property... this also helps scare off some other buyers. We just won out on a cash buyer who was the only other buyer by trying to look and act like the serious suitors for the house the whole time.

Good luck!

PommieBast

em_cat wrote: »

TBH, solicitors have to fixate on certain things as you put it because they’ve a job to do and if they feel something could be a potential issue, especially one that could result in them being sued or held liable in some way. I can’t tell you how many times ours reiterated items of their concerns that irritated me at first, but in the end not only saved me money, but time spent unnecessarily worrying.

What I learned from the two sales I pulled out of is the sheer amount of due diligence required when buying property in Ireland. Looking at what my solicitor unearthed through digging I am hardly surprised they are paranoid. They need to be..

shatners bassoon

PommieBast wrote: »

What I learned from the two sales I pulled out of is the sheer amount of due diligence required when buying property in Ireland. Looking at what my solicitor unearthed through digging I am hardly surprised they are paranoid. They need to be..

This is exactly it.

The risk is huge in conveyancing for both solicitor and client and if something goes wrong, it often won't come to light until the property is being sold on, 10 or 20 years down the line.

I know of a firm with hundreds of problem files that closed during the boom that require attention. Undertakings not complied with; deeds not signed by clients who might be dead by now / in negative equity and have no interest in playing ball etc etc.

Jay D

Housebuying wrote: »

I'm a cash buyer and it took 6 weeks before we signed.

Thanks again. It just seems at this stage it's hanging and between the solicitor and EA I'm told nothing at all. Was due an update Monday/Tues, that's passed. EA is a bit of a joke as well tbh. At least 3 important updates he said he would call and never did.

From what I am told the buyer has no quims with what's on offer, has opted not to have a structural survey and the contracts seem fine. I have been putting on pressure and requested sigs this week but don't want to run the risk of sounding like a complete nutter either. These silent periods are a nightmare though.

Give me a meaningful update...

@Castle73 are you selling? I was also thinking of changing solicitor.

brisan

Housebuying wrote: »

Is anyone happy? that's an honest question. My solicitor seems unnecessarily adversarial in all of her communications. Everything is SUCH a big thing. I can barely understand her emails and she fixates on items even when I instruct her to leave them alone. They're all a pain in the arse. It's an antiquated profession that needs a good kick up the arse.

She is fixated because that is her job
You are paying for her experience
Little things to you at the minute could come back to bite you in the arse and she knows this and is protecting you and herself.
Agreed it could do with being speeded up but its part of a solicitors job to protect you from yourself

brisan

Kop On wrote: »

Currently bidding on a property and have been counter offered by another bidder. Before jumping straight back in with a higher offer, what questions can I reasonably assume the EA will answer for me?

- The profile of the current highest bidder? (Cash buyer, chain, FTB)
- Has the highest bidder shown proof of funds?
- How Many bidders are involved?

Just trying to get a better picture before getting in to a bidding war. Any suggestions welcome.

One other question to ask the EA
Does this higher bidder actually exist

brisan

Jay D wrote: »

Thanks again. It just seems at this stage it's hanging and between the solicitor and EA I'm told nothing at all. Was due an update Monday/Tues, that's passed. EA is a bit of a joke as well tbh. At least 3 important updates he said he would call and never did.

From what I am told the buyer has no quims with what's on offer, has opted not to have a structural survey and the contracts seem fine. I have been putting on pressure and requested sigs this week but don't want to run the risk of sounding like a complete nutter either. These silent periods are a nightmare though.

Give me a meaningful update...

@Castle73 are you selling? I was also thinking of changing solicitor.

Crikey even on a new build I would want that

brisan

Jay D wrote: »

Thanks again. It just seems at this stage it's hanging and between the solicitor and EA I'm told nothing at all. Was due an update Monday/Tues, that's passed. EA is a bit of a joke as well tbh. At least 3 important updates he said he would call and never did.

From what I am told the buyer has no quims with what's on offer, has opted not to have a structural survey and the contracts seem fine. I have been putting on pressure and requested sigs this week but don't want to run the risk of sounding like a complete nutter either. These silent periods are a nightmare though.

Give me a meaningful update...

@Castle73 are you selling? I was also thinking of changing solicitor.

Maybe their solicitor is insisting on them getting a structural survey as they should
It has to be a cash buyer as I would assume the bank would want one

awec

brisan wrote: »

Crikey even on a new build I would want that

You wouldn't get a structural survey on a new build! A structural survey is invasive, you're hardly going to do this on your brand new house.

House would have been built under the new building controls with an assigned certifier inspecting it. Your solicitor will receive documentation outlining this.

You do a snag instead. If you are worried, get someone qualified and familiar with the building regulations that are currently in force to do it.

Jay D

brisan wrote: »

Maybe their solicitor is insisting on them getting a structural survey as they should
It has to be a cash buyer as I would assume the bank would want one

The valuation is compulsory I thought and not the structural survey for banks.

I'm just sick of the waiting around. Told I'd be called and then nothing.

Housebuying

There is a difference between a structural survey and a house survey. A structural survey is where they put holes in the walls and check the wiring. If you plan to re-wire and re-plumb etc... you wouldn't bother. Normally people get house surveys.

Housebuying

PommieBast wrote: »

What I learned from the two sales I pulled out of is the sheer amount of due diligence required when buying property in Ireland. Looking at what my solicitor unearthed through digging I am hardly surprised they are paranoid. They need to be..

Yes, it's due diligence however once they have explained the risk to you that it is your decision if you want to proceed. I have several examples of where I consider the item to be of low risk and I instructed her to proceed but she still pursued them. For example, there is a lean to shed that has no planning. My architect, says that it doesn't require planning. I intend to knock it. It still held up conveyancing as she kept asking for proof of planning. In the end, I pushed and she had me sign a document that I assume the risk, I'm fine with that but that should have resolved in a day not weeks.

Jammyd

Housebuying wrote: »

Yes, it's due diligence however once they have explained the risk to you that it is your decision if you want to proceed. I have several examples of where I consider the item to be of low risk and I instructed her to proceed but she still pursued them. For example, there is a lean to shed that has no planning. My architect, says that it doesn't require planning. I intend to knock it. It still held up conveyancing as she kept asking for proof of planning. In the end, I pushed and she had me sign a document that I assume the risk, I'm fine with that but that should have resolved in a day not weeks.

Had a similar issue a few years back when purchasing an apt that was a receiver sale the Bank selling had generic contracts and would not budge on any wording changes, while my solicitor was right to not be happy with it there was very little risk involved (at the time I sent the contracts to another solicitor who said they were absolutely fine) in the end the solicitor I was using pulled the plug despite me being willing to sign off at my own risk, charged me 1700 for pleasure and delayed my purchase by 5 months. Absolute hell. At the same time I get the due diligence piece but there should be a happy medium of who is willing to accept what risk.

In my case I ended up holding onto that place and selling it with zero issues a few years later (so all conveyancing etc was bang on and the previous solicitor was making a mountain out of nothing) made a nice bit to invest in purchasing what is our family home now.

Your solicitor sounds very like the one I used and I 100% feel your pain, that period was one of the most stressful experiences of my life, the apt sale took 10 months to complete and I ended up sleeping on different friends couches for about 2 months as delays kept popping up out of nowhere.. all worth it in the end..

cilim75

Not sure if this is correct place to ask. Currently sale agreed, paid deposit to EA.property Surveyed found few things that need to be sorted (boiler not being serviced in long time and few other small issues). Is it possible to renegotiate price after going sale agreed ? If I walk away (nothing signed yet), will I get my deposit from EA ? House next to the one I have is also just gone Sale Agreed, bit bigger than mine but less expensive if you look at the price per square meter. Mine is 3300 euro and the neighbor house is around 3000 per square meter. Was wondering if I could try to knock price down for few thousands. Anyone had similar experiences ?

cubatahavana

cilim75 wrote: »

Not sure if this is correct place to ask. Currently sale agreed, paid deposit to EA.property Surveyed found few things that need to be sorted (boiler not being serviced in long time and few other small issues). Is it possible to renegotiate price after going sale agreed ? If I walk away (nothing signed yet), will I get my deposit from EA ? House next to the one I have is also just gone Sale Agreed, bit bigger than mine but less expensive if you look at the price per square meter. Mine is 3300 euro and the neighbor house is around 3000 per square meter. Was wondering if I could try to knock price down for few thousands. Anyone had similar experiences ?

Yes, you can, but I don't know if you'll be very successful. They may have a bid that they rejected very close to yours and they could go for it. It depends on how many issues and how important they are