How long does the house buying process take?
Key takeaways
Buying a home takes about five months on average, but the property search can make the overall journey longer
After an offer is accepted, most of the legal, mortgage and survey work happens at the same time. Allow around two to six months before completion
Chains, slow searches, mortgage queries and issues found in a survey are the most common reasons for delay
How long does the process of buying a house take?
The short answer is: around five months on average from starting your purchase to getting the keys. But the time spent finding the right home is entirely variable, so the most useful milestone is your offer being accepted.
From that point, allow around two to six months to exchange contracts and complete. Your conveyancer, lender and surveyor work on different parts of the purchase at the same time, so their timescales should not be added together.
You may complete more quickly if you are a first-time buyer buying a vacant property, have your mortgage documents ready and there is no chain. It may take longer if several sales depend on each other, the survey identifies a problem, the property is leasehold or the lender asks for more information.
This timeline is mainly for England and Wales. The buying process differs in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
What is the process of buying a house?
Stage | Typical timing | What happens |
|---|---|---|
Get mortgage-ready | A few days to a few weeks | Work out your budget, get a mortgage in principle and gather proof of income, deposit and ID. |
Find a property and have an offer accepted | Varies | This can take days, weeks or months depending on your needs and the local market. |
Apply for the mortgage, instruct a conveyancer and arrange a survey | Start straight after offer acceptance | These tasks can run in parallel. Your lender assesses the application while your conveyancer starts searches and legal checks. |
Conveyancing and mortgage offer | Usually two to six months after the offer is accepted | Your conveyancer raises enquiries, the lender completes its checks and you resolve any survey issues or price negotiations. |
Exchange and completion | Usually a few days to a few weeks apart | You exchange contracts, agree a completion date and receive the keys on completion. |
After completion | Within days to months | Your conveyancer arranges payment of any property tax due and registers your ownership. You can move in on completion. |
What can delay a house purchase?
a chain member withdrawing or not being ready to proceed
delays with local-authority searches or legal enquiries
missing documents or extra affordability checks from the mortgage lender
a survey finding defects that lead to renegotiation or further reports
leasehold, new-build or title issues that need extra legal work.
Personal Finance Expert and Speaker
Carry out thorough checks
It’s important to carry out thorough checks on the property before getting too emotionally attached or making an offer.
Before I decided to purchase my first home, I took the time to check out the local area and amenities. By also asking the right questions I was able to feel a lot more confident about the decision I was making. I even went the extra mile and conducted a survey on the property to help identify any potential issues with the property too.
These are all things you can also consider doing before you decide to fully commit to your purchase.
Compare mortgages with MoneySuperMarket
Looking for a first-time buyer mortgage to take your first step on the property ladder? Or perhaps you're looking to remortgage?
Either way, it’s easy to find and compare mortgages from a range of leading lenders with MoneySuperMarket.
Whether you’re looking for a fixed-rate, a tracker, or a discount mortgage, our mortgage comparison tool can help you find a great deal for you.
We’ll just ask you a few questions about the property you’re looking to buy or remortgage and how much you’ll need to borrow.
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Author
Collette Shackleton
Content Writer
Collette is an experienced Content Writer at MoneySuperMarket, helping people make sense of money and insurance topics without the jargon. She shares her experience as a first-time Mum and top...
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Ashton Berkhauer
General Manager • Commercial
Currently the General Manager for Home Services and Mortgages, Ashton observes the markets and, along with his team, strives to get the best possible solutions for consumers. The products within his...
