Everyone knows that moving home is one of the most stressful things you can do. This anonymous author reached breaking point when she was ‘gazundered’ by her buyer and then the removal firm failed to show…
The last time I moved home, I vowed it would be the last. I had the usual stresses – finding a willing buyer and a dream home to move to – but that was nothing compared to when our buyer slashed his offer price at the last minute.
Known as ‘gazundering’, his action meant an entire chain of homebuyers was about to break. Further up the chain, various families couldn’t drop by the amount our buyer was asking for.
The family we were buying from was devastated, as they knew it meant we couldn’t meet our agreed offer, which in turn meant they would have to go through the entire process of finding another buyer. They’d already had two previous offers drop out.
Can an estate agent save the day?
As myself and my partner sat, head in hands, we felt sick as we realised we were going to lose the money we’d spent on solicitors and house surveys, plus the home we’d fallen in love with. But then a suggestion to save the day came from the estate agent who was handling the property we wanted to buy.
His own agency, plus anybody willing up the chain, would chip in a couple of grand each. That way, each party would only have to drop by a relatively small amount, our buyer would get his full discount, and everyone would still move.
It worked. I cannot describe the sheer relief we felt, knowing we wouldn’t have to start from scratch again.
Moving house stress gets worse
That relief was quite short-lived, though. Despite me ringing the removal company on four separate occasions to check they’d got the correct date (as I knew they’d written it down incorrectly the first time I gave them our details) they managed to get it wrong.
In fact, come call number four, they even joked with me about how they’d never get it wrong as I’d phoned them so many times.
I didn’t think it was possible for the moving house stress to get any worse. Oh, how I didn’t laugh when they didn’t turn up on the morning in question. And when they did eventually show, it was with a small lorry, instead of the large lorry I’d requested.
Several angry phone calls later, including from the removal men themselves who were brilliantly supportive, another lorry arrived. We moved in, and we’ve been happy in our home for over a decade.
Time to do it all over again?
So now, over ten years after vowing that would be the last time we’d ever move house, why are we wondering whether it’s time to move again? Perhaps our bad memories of the moving process have faded, or maybe it’s human nature to want change at certain points in our lives?
So go on, tell me your own moving stories. Do you have one worse than mine? What moving house tips would you give to anyone planning to move – and would you advise me to do it again or not?