My H had a 4am freakout

[mrsukyankee]

We haven't been sleeping well due to all the stress. Last night was the worst.

Update: tomorrow is the day we should have exchanged contracts with a 2 week time until completing the sale (it's the norm). It's not happening. My H will follow up to see about timelines ASAP. Unfortunately, the short-term rental market in London, particularly as you head toward Christmas, moves very quickly and right now there aren't a lot of available properties to rent for a month or two. And they cost a HUGE amount. It's not worth doing an Airbnb for another 2-3 weeks as that will cost more than the 1 month rental in a short let property. And we're unsure if one month will be enough. Ugh. First world problem - it's going to basically eat up our vacation fund for 2020, which sucks as my H and MIL have not been to India in many years (MIL can't go on her own at this point). H is the financial worrier in our relationship so last night he was up trying to figure it all out and it's freaking him out to spend this money, knowing that we might not get it back as the sellers might just say 'f u...if you want the house, deal with it'. And we can't really walk as there isn't anything else out there to buy.

[winecat]

I was just thinking about your situation. What a shit show. I hope, somehow, that it resolves sooner and better than it looks like now.

[pumpkin]

I think about you guys all the time. I can't imagine how you are feeling but know I'm sending you good thoughts and prayers. I hope you guys get a resolution soon.

[jamaicam]

You must be so confused at the moment with it all. I really hope things work out for you asap.

[scout8]

Ugh. This sounds like such a frustrating process for you.

We are also technically homeless for a few months. Not sure if any of this helps, but I'll put it out there in case you find anything helpful.

--We rented back from our buyer for a month (but it sounds like it's too late for you to have that option).
--We let all of our friends and family know about our situation and had a few different people offer to let us stay at their places while they were on vacation and/or asked us to dog sit while they are gone.
--We rented an airbnb for a month. I found it was much cheaper to airbnb than it was to do a short term lease somewhere. I also figured out that the airbnb options were significantly cheaper for 30 days or more as we don't have to pay the occupancy taxes. Not sure if any of that is relevant to London. Also, I found that if I took out specific weekends, there were a lot more affordable options. For example, I didn't see much when I had the Chicago marathon weekend in my search, but if I took that weekend out, there were more options available.
--I didn't end up doing this, but I found that some of the suite hotels had big discounts for longer term stays.
--Have you looked for sublets? Is that a thing in London? In Chicago, it is much cheaper to sublet from someone who wants to end their lease early than it would be to do true short term/corporate housing.
--Have you asked your real estate agent if they can check and see if anyone in their office has anything available?

ETA: We also decided to do some traveling now while we don't have a place to live. Any possibility of moving your vacation earlier? 

Good luck!

[RockNVoll]

I imagine that given the additional factor of your MIL, it's a lot harder to find a friend or two you could crash with?

My only other thought is to try reaching out to Airbnb/VRBO/FlipKey/Sonder owners directly and inquire about availability for the dates you want. We all know they cancel on people at times, and while I understand that you don't want to be the cause of someone losing out on their holiday rental, this might be a case of desperate times/desperate measures?

[Wallflower]

You've been on my mind, so I do want to say that I appreciate you taking the time to update us. I just wish things were going easier for you. Those stupid sellers!!!!! You need a voo-doo doll of them, and a million pins to stick in it.

I really hope you get some good news soon!!!

[mrsukyankee]

Yeah, London's a pain. It's super expensive to Airbnb here versus short-term rentals, and with my MIL there are very strict requirements (not too many stairs, a shower versus a tub - you wouldn't believe how much this cuts out properties). I'm looking at a place to rent for 1-2 months today. We'll probably put down a holding deposit for the week and then sign the contract next Friday if we discover it's going to take a while to buy the house. It's very hard not to be resentful of my MIL as she makes the whole process so much harder - we could couch surf otherwise or even do a studio flat which would be so much cheaper.

[dutchgirl678]

Good luck, I hope this short-term rental works out. I can imagine it is super stressful especially with your MIL in tow.

[mrsukyankee]

Went to see one place. It was scary. The building was fine but the location was not great and the flat itself was dirty with leftover food rotting. I couldn't believe the owner hadn't had it cleaned. Nope, no way. I told my H that I'd rather not buy a single thing this year and up our price range than live there. We're now looking at Airbnbs at a higher price range and hoping.

[aprilsails]

Oh no. Sounds like the freak out was warranted. I’m so sorry you are having to deal with even more issues and that finding a suitable space is so difficult. I really hope that you find a space that works soon. What a cluster.

[mrsukyankee]

Waiting to hear back from an airbnb to see if they have availability during the dates we need. We'll see.

[pumpkin]

Nov 9, 2019 17:34:40 GMT -5 mrsukyankee said:

Waiting to hear back from an airbnb to see if they have availability during the dates we need. We'll see.

Crossing everything I have for you!!