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From the time you begin your search, in most cases, the process of finding and then buying a house can take anywhere between three and six months, but occasionally it can take longer. To understand why it can take some time, it’s important to understand what’s involved in buying a house.
How to buy a house
See our helpful step-by-step guide: How to buy a house – what’s involved?
Finding a perfect property
This may well be the most time-consuming stage of the process. Unfortunately, the number of properties coming to market remains insufficient to meet demand. Check out sites such as rightmove, Zoopla, and OnTheMarket.
Obtaining a mortgage
Obtaining a mortgage in principle takes very little time, possibly as little as one day. However, your full application will take considerably longer, perhaps three to six weeks. Arrange to speak with your mortgage lender at a very early stage to find exactly what information and documents they will require. This may save you considerable time later.
How long does conveyancing take?
The length of time your conveyancing takes depends on a host of variables. For example, some search providers such as local authorities can at times have lengthy backlogs. If you are buying a leasehold property, the freeholder or their agent often take a considerable time to provide their information pack. Always instruct your solicitor at an early stage.
Perhaps the greatest uncertainty is the conveyancing chain itself. A delay by one party in the chain – perhaps the result of a delayed mortgage offer or a negative survey – affects everybody above and below them in the chain. Contracts are exchanged up the chain, requiring everybody to be ready to proceed and a completion date being agreed.
Surveys
Buying a property without a survey is usually unwise. And remember, you cannot rely on the mortgage valuation survey requested by your mortgage lender. The timeframe for a survey can depend on the type – ie the thoroughness – of the survey you opt for, but expect on average somewhere between two and four weeks. If the survey reveals some unwelcome surprises, you may need to renegotiate with the seller, which may also take time. Sometimes, a negative survey results in a buyer withdrawing, breaking the conveyancing chain and in most cases, causing delay to others, or even the transaction falling through.
Completion day
There’s a lot to do both on the lead up to completion day and on the day itself. See our very helpful completion day checklist.