We're moving in to our new house on Monday- Finallly! I can't wait! I'm a FTB just wanted to know...
What things should I expect on completion day? Any advice? Funny stories?

Expect a lot of waiting around and solicitors saying things like 'the money's not in our account yet'.

Hanging around and frantic phone calls - make sure everyone who matters has got your mobile number and your phone is charged up!
Advise - keep bottle of wine, opener and take-away menu in hands at all times. You won't want to cook after all the stress.

pack the kettle, cups etc last.
Oh, and buy some spare light bulbs. you'd be surprised the number of people who take their bulbs.
Good luck in your new home.

Yes, lots of frantic phone calls as the mony apparently isn't there.... then whoops there it is, it was hiding in front of me...

Make sure you pack yourself a box of tea, cups, milk, kettle, munchies (crisps, sandwiches, CHOCOLATE),

remember to leave some biscuits out for the removals men, as this will keep them sweet... I gave mine crisps and tea aswell, which they were very grateful for.

Also, remember to keep your chequebook somewhere you can find it just in case!

Ary.

ps. I labelled all my boxes as I packed them with a general idea of what was in them and which room they should go to (colour coded stickers), which made my life so much easier when it came to unpacking, as the boxes were all put in the correct rooms, and I could prioritise my unpacking based on what I wanted or could immediately place somewhere instead of living in boxland for months with everything buried in half opened boxes.

Ary.

Hi Jellylegs -- Good luck for Monday. We completed on Friday just gone . Forummers may remember we had the seller from hell who despite a contents inclusive sale, threatened to take everything including the doorhandles and demanded £1000 for his potted planted ,to allow exchange to proceed. Well we didnt do too badly in the end, we got a phone call from the solicitor at noon . My daughter picked up the key (and a bottle of champagne from the sympathetic EA who knew what a rough time we'd had getting to this point.
Seller 666 HAD stripped out the place leaving shattered plaster where eventhe shelves were ripped off. and the plants were shrivelled yellow, BUT, we were so pleased to find that he HAD left the door handles!!!! Dont worry JLegs, were told this sort of seller is in the minority. Anyway, you'll be so relieved that all the major hassle of buying is over, that like us,all youll probably feel is thrilled. All the best.

There is a small chance your new home might smell strongly of strawberry milk drink.

When I moved out of my flat last year I thought I had plenty of time to get my last few things togther and get out by the required time. With about ten minutes to go I was rushing about and kicked a large, full bottle of said drink right across the living room floor. I cleared it up OK but you can imagine the smell ..... nice actually.

yes, lots of frantic calls are the order of the day. i did it a couple of months back and our completion time (16:45!) was the latest the removal guy had ever witnessed! i had to pay him overtime, which was fair enough. keep tea, sugar, milk, cups and biscuits happy, these guys were serious about their tea and made me go to the shop to get sugar, but they were great. also if you have any pets make sure they're rounded up, can somone look after them while you move? i had 2 panting cats in the back of the car for hours while we waited for it all to go thru on a very hot day

Our longed-for new flat stank of dog's wee, and every lightbulb had been removed. The freezer hadn't been defrosted ever, and we're now on day 3 and still can't cook due to the rank-ness of the kitchen.

Pack as many rubber gloves as you possibly can, and I can highly recommend Oust air spray.

A pen and pad!
and the contact numbers and Acc. no.s of your service suppliers, then you jot down your old and new meter readings when you leave and you have all the info to hand to make the calls.

and based on my recent experience...Cleaning stuff!

oh! and paracetomol and a bottle of water in your handbag.

Good Luck! :-)