Mire

Buying a house is a nightmare I am sure, but it seems buying a shared ownership house is even more fucking maddening!!

When I approached my mortgage broker (recommended by reputable site moneysavingexpert.com) I initially wanted a promise of a mortgage, as at that point, there was no guarantee that I would be offered the house, but I needed to prove for my application that I could get a mortgage if I was offered the house.

They assured me this would be fine, and due to the fact this is a shared ownership property and that my credit rating is not what it should be, recommended a particular company. They sent me some costings based on my application etc, and their communications with the lender. However, that seems to not be enough, as I have not had any direct communication or confirmation from the lender themselves to say I would be approved for a mortgage if offered the house.

As it happens, the housing association selling have already informed me verbally that I am going to be offered the house, although I have not yet received an offer letter as they are still working out figures for the rent part. This should be, at this point, incidental for the mortgage company as I only want an okay that I will be accepted for a mortgage (subject to the house meeting the relevant cost criteria of course). However, the lender my mortgage broker has recommended is already insisting that a valuation be done by a surveyor, even though the house is currently only at dry-wall stage, before being able to approve my mortgage.

Still with me? Trust me, I'm only just there! As a result, I cannot get my mortgage confirmed until the survey has been done, although the housing association are saying they are not happy with a survey being done as a) they havent taken ownership of the house yet, b) they haven't officially offered me the house yet!

Talk about going round in circles!!!

So, I have the housing association telling me that it isn't usual for them to have surveys done at this stage, or to fill in the form requested by the lender, and my broker telling me that it is usual, to ensure the plot exists, mortgage value is correct etc. And somewhere in the middle of all this is me, with no bloody clue as to what to do or when!

I am currently very tempted to approach a different lender independently, and see whether I can source what I originally wanted - an agreement to lend - without all this seemingly premature hassle from the mortgage company I'm currently applying to, as I'm just getting sick of it. That and a steady drip feed of documents to supply, which I could have done all in one go when I sent in my initial application form if I had been asked!! I understand the need to provide evidence, and get surveys, and all of that, but I don't really understand why it all has to be done now! Before I've even recieved an offical offer! The problem is that I may decide to do this myself and then just end up having to repeat the whole process entirely - not to mention the fact that I have already sent off a cheque for £190 valuation fee as requested.

Bloody house buying!!