One purchase, several attempts.
Árpád and Alíz first contacted us in the summer of 2024 with the aim of buying a property and asked for support throughout the entire process — from the very first phone call all the way to key collection. We reassured them they were in the right place. At that point, none of us knew what lay ahead 😊 But more on that later.
After arranging a Mortgage in Principle, they viewed several properties. Each time, something went wrong: either issues came up, or their offer was rejected because a higher one was accepted.
By early April 2025, a mortgage offer was finally issued on a chosen property — which in itself was not easy to find. However, as the process progressed, more and more less-than-positive details emerged about the property. One of these was a very common issue: solar panels.
Solar panels are generally a great feature, but problems can arise when they were installed using finance secured against the property. Unfortunately, this can cause serious complications. We worked hard to resolve the situation. From time to time, the estate agency promised they were “chasing” the finance company that had installed the panels but claimed they couldn’t locate them. In reality, this took us only a few minutes to find — and the company was very responsive — which made it clear that we were being fobbed off.
Long story short, Árpád and Alíz made the very sensible decision not to tolerate this any further. They felt the way the situation was handled was disrespectful, and wisely decided to withdraw from the purchase.
Round two.
The property search started again. It hadn’t been easy the first time — and here we were again 😊
Thankfully, the second property was found much more quickly. By early July, a new mortgage offer was in place with a new lender for a new house. We genuinely thought nothing could go wrong this time: freehold, chain-free — what could possibly be the issue?
The real problem, however, was timing. Árpád and Alíz had not anticipated how much time would be lost on a property they ultimately could not buy. In the meantime, the home they were living in had been sold, and they had to move out.
This is where the real chaos began: moving out, searching for temporary accommodation — which they managed to secure, but it was neither comfortable nor sustainable long-term. As a result, there was enormous pressure on everyone for the purchase to complete as soon as possible. By now, you can probably sense where this is going — unfortunately, it didn’t happen quickly.
We waited a full month just for the searches. Summer purchase, everyone on holiday, slow solicitor responses — frustrating, but fairly normal. What was far less acceptable was that the seller’s solicitors had to be chased for months over even the simplest questions. Our impression was that the sellers were deliberately delaying matters, but as usual, nothing was ever clearly communicated, so we never received a definitive explanation.
October passed. Then November. Still no completion date. Temporary accommodation was coming to an end. Sitting and waiting in such circumstances is incredibly stressful. Naturally, we were constantly chasing everyone involved to move things forward, but progress remained painfully slow.
At one point, Árpád and Alíz were so fed up that they seriously considered withdrawing from the purchase altogether. Fortunately, we managed to reassure them that pulling out at that stage would not improve their situation, and encouraged them to keep going. This was not the first — nor the last — email in which we tried to keep their spirits up.
Finally, after many months of struggle, the breakthrough came in early December 2025. Keys were collected — truly at the last possible moment.
This was an incredibly tense, complex, and stressful purchase, entirely due to factors outside our control. It is always frustrating when you do everything right and still have to deal with delays caused by others.
But this case is also a perfect example of how persistence and hard work do pay off. Collecting the keys just a few weeks before Christmas made the moment even sweeter — with enough time left to decorate the Christmas tree in their new home.
Huge congratulations to Árpád and Alíz. It was a long and difficult road, but it ended well. In a couple of years’ time, they won’t remember the stress — only their beautiful new home.
Thank you both for your trust, patience, and perseverance. 🙏 ❤️
