Whether you’re a first-time buyer, an investor, moving house or selling a house, knowing how the process works is essential. How long does it take to buy a house?
They say that moving house is a great decision until you start packing, but that’s by the by.
Buying a house can take 6 weeks or it can take 6 months, and it can take anything in between and even longer.
The reality is there are a number of factors that will decide how long your move takes – and many of them are nothing to do with you.
To be connected to a specialist solicitor near to where you live, please either call us now on 0845 1391399 or complete a Free Online Enquiry.
What Is The Average Time To Buy A House?
The average time to purchase a house is between 6-12 months, and a lot of this will depend on various factors.
For example, if the people you’re buying the house from are moving to a new home, and the home they’re buying has people who also need to buy a new home, you can end up in a long chain.
This will affect how long the process takes as every single purchase and sale requires legal searches, contracts to be drafted, and certain requirements to be met – and the sale can’t proceed without every single part of the chain being ready.
A lot of people find a long chain off-putting for exactly this reason, but even smaller chains can still present issues if things appear in searches that present concerns for your solicitor.
Is There Anything I Can Do To Speed Up The House Buying Process?
Get all of your ducks in a row.
By that, we mean you should make sure you’ve done everything you can to ensure your solicitor can conduct searches and do work on your behalf so that they’re not sat waiting for you to fill in a form, sign a document, or do anything else.
One of the big frustrations for any homebuyer is that a lot of the process feels like it’s out of your hands, and to a large extent that’s true. Finding a good conveyancing solicitor and keeping in touch with them on a regular basis to make sure there’s nothing else you need to do to help the process move as smoothly as possible from your perspective.
What Will Slow Down Buying A House?
When you consider how many parts there are to the conveyancing process, there’s plenty that can slow down buying a house.
Once you’ve found a house that you want to purchase and you’ve had an offer accepted, you want to get in there as soon as possible. But the reality is that before you get there, you’ve got to…
- Appoint a conveyancing solicitor
- Your solicitor needs to receive the seller’s information pack from the seller’s solicitor
- Once they have that, they need to raise any enquiries and receive answers
- Contracts need to be prepared to buy the house
- Contracts need to be exchanged
And if you’re in a chain, that process needs to happen 3, 4, 5, 6, or even more times over so you can all align and get a move-in date that works for everyone.
If you’re buying with a mortgage, you’ll also need to apply for and receive your mortgage offer from your lender – any delay in this could cause issues and slow down the house-buying process.
The various searches that need to be conducted could also slow down the process.
If an environmental search finds that the house, you’re buying is prone to flooding or if a water and drainage search finds you’re not connected to mains drainage or public sewers, it could be an issue.
Of course, there are ways to address any issues that crop up and your solicitor will be able to advise, but these are potential stumbling blocks when you’re buying a house.
How Do I Find The Best Solicitors To Buy A House?
At Solicitors Near Me, that’s exactly what we’re here to help you with.
We know that buying a house is one of, if not the biggest decisions and investments you’ll ever make – so it’s important you get it right. And the best way to ensure that’s the case is by instructing the best conveyancing solicitor you can find near you..
We connect you with expert solicitors near you for FREE so that you can decide whether you want to proceed with them, and until then, you won’t pay a single penny.
Because we understand how important it is to get your home move sorted, properly.
To be connected to a specialist solicitor near to where you live, please either call us now on 0845 1391399 or complete a Free Online Enquiry.
