How long does it take to buy a house?

MoneySavingUser

From another thread:

dragonsoup wrote: »

Legals are taking forever though - its been 4 weeks already and we are still waiting for the searches. We could have chosen to avoid doing them and in the case we could have exchanged and completed within 7 days, even with having a survey- quicker still if we'd also foregone the enquiries. However with such a lot of money at stake it would have been foolhardy to do so.

How long does it typically take to buy a house and for all the legal stuff to be done? (assume cash buyer so no time needed for mortgage approval etc.)

Babbawah

IME, anywhere from 3 days to 6mths.

No two house conveyances are the same.

PasturesNew

Mine took 3 months. You can probably anticipate yours won't start to show signs of real life until it's close to 3 months.

Not a lot seems to happen.....

G_M

Mortgage is not the biggest cause of time-delay.

Length of chain?

Eeasp

I had no chain at all while buying, no chain my end (1st time buyer) and no chain the seller's end as they were moving in with someone else. Still took almost 4 months and my conveyancer was dreadful, NEVER contacted me, always me contacting them. I would definitely recommend chasing your conveyancer lots! It can get really really frustrating but if you start getting angry it'll feel like longer. Reside in the fact that it will eventually happen. Good luck!

gazter

MoneySavingUser wrote: »

From another thread:



How long does it typically take to buy a house and for all the legal stuff to be done? (assume cash buyer so no time needed for mortgage approval etc.)

I get the impression, that as long as no big hiccups, just the usual you get from these kind of things, about twelve weeks.

Owain_Moneysaver

My solicitor said she could do a conveyance in 3 weeks. It actually took 3 weeks and a day. This was including all searches. However this was in Scotland.

move2k15

Offer to exchange in exactly 4 weeks. Including mortgage, all searches and specialist Damp & Timber. Complete next Thursday, taking it to 5 weeks. Chain free and proactive parties involved.

phoebe1989seb

We've previously done it in six weeks - no mortgage, survey or searches in a shortish chain - (England), but most recently in around nine weeks, again with no mortgage or survey but this time we had searches. The delay was caused by our buyer's searches taking in excess of four weeks (two weeks longer than our own in a different part of the country) which they hadn't bargained for at the outset.....

MoneySavingUser

Thanks all - seems the searches and chain etc. will be the issue - any tips on how to speed things up? Ask the existing owner to move out into rented accomm. asap/put things into storage or you aren't buying it?

dragonsoup

Communicate constantly! Chase chase and chase again.

Sadly solicitors are really bad at communicating and if you don't make sure your file is kept to the top of the pile whole weeks seem to disappear.

Try and strike up a friendly rapport with the people you are buying/selling from so you can get a concerted approach to dilatory solicitors. They however have to be as committed to a quick process as you for any real progress to be made.

MoneySavingUser wrote: »

Ask the existing owner to move out into rented accomm. asap/put things into storage or you aren't buying it?

That approach wouldn't work with me - you catch more flies with honey.