How long does buying a house take?

The first-time buyer timeline

Every UK first-time buyer purchase passes through roughly these stages. Some run in parallel (mortgage and survey), others have to wait their turn (exchange and completion).

1. 1

   Getting financially ready

   Months before offering

   Building deposit, checking credit, mapping income and outgoings, and understanding monthly affordability.

2. 2

   Mortgage agreement in principle (AIP)

   Usually 1–7 days

   A broker or lender confirms roughly what you can borrow. Most agents now expect to see one before accepting an offer.

3. 3

   Searching and viewing

   Weeks to months

   The bit you can't easily speed up. Right area, right property, right price — varies by market and patience.

4. 4

   Making an offer

   Same day to a week

   Negotiation usually settles within a few days. Sometimes there's back-and-forth or a sealed-bid process.

5. 5

   Mortgage application and valuation

   Typically 2–4 weeks

   Full mortgage application, supporting documents, lender's valuation. Faster with documents ready and a clean credit profile.

6. 6

   Survey

   1–2 weeks to book + complete

   A homebuyer report or building survey runs in parallel with the mortgage. Findings can prompt renegotiation or further investigation.

7. 7

   Conveyancing and searches

   Typically 6–10 weeks

   The biggest variable. Solicitor handles searches, contract review, enquiries, title checks, and Land Registry. Local authority response times vary widely.

8. 8

   Exchange of contracts

   When everything's lined up

   Both sides sign, deposit transfers, the deal becomes legally binding. Completion is usually scheduled 1–4 weeks later.

9. 9

   Completion and moving in

   Single day

   Funds transfer, keys are released, you move in. Often the same day as exchange in fast-moving cases.

Conveyancing is usually the longest stage. For a plain-English walk-through of what your solicitor actually does, see what is conveyancing? For what the surveyor checks during the survey stage, see what does a property survey check?

What can slow the process down?

Most timeline overruns trace back to one of these. Knowing them upfront makes it easier to spot trouble early.

• Property chains

  If your seller is also buying somewhere else (and so on), every link has to complete on the same day. The longer the chain, the more places it can stall.

• Slow solicitor responses

  Conveyancing involves a lot of back-and-forth between solicitors. A slow firm on either side can add weeks. Picking a responsive one matters.

• Mortgage or valuation issues

  If the lender's valuation comes in below the offer price (a 'down-valuation'), or affordability is questioned, you may need to renegotiate, top up the deposit, or change lender.

• Survey problems

  Surveys flagging structural concerns, damp, or roof issues often lead to specialist reports, renegotiation, or buyers walking away.

• Missing or late documents

  Lenders ask for payslips, bank statements, ID and proof of deposit. Gifted deposit paperwork (declarations from the giver, source of funds checks) often takes longer than expected.

• Leasehold or freehold complications

  Leasehold purchases require a management pack from the freeholder, which can take weeks. Short remaining leases may trigger lender concerns.

• Local authority searches

  Search turnaround varies by council. Some return in days, others take 4+ weeks. Your solicitor orders these early but can't speed them up.

What first-time buyers can do before offering

The single biggest thing you can do to speed up the post-offer phase is be prepared before you offer. A buyer with their numbers, AIP, and documents ready closes faster than one figuring it out as they go.

• Get an AIP early.Most estate agents now expect to see one before accepting an offer. It’s usually free and only takes a few days.
• Choose a responsive solicitor. Recommendations and reviews matter — the difference between a fast and a slow conveyancer can be weeks.
• Have your documents ready. Last 3 months of payslips and bank statements, photo ID, and proof of deposit. If any of the deposit is gifted, get the giver’s declaration ready too.

What happens after your offer is accepted?

Once an offer is accepted, several things kick off in parallel. Here’s the rough order of events between offer and keys.

1. 1Solicitor or licensed conveyancer instructed by both sides.
2. 2Mortgage application submitted with full documents.
3. 3Lender's valuation arranged (sometimes a desktop valuation).
4. 4Survey arranged separately by the buyer.
5. 5Solicitor orders local authority and other property searches.
6. 6Enquiries raised between the two solicitors.
7. 7Contract reviewed and signed by both sides.
8. 8Exchange date agreed — deposit transfers, deal becomes binding.
9. 9Completion date agreed — funds transfer, keys are released.

Your solicitor handles most of this on your behalf, but staying in touch and replying quickly to enquiries makes a real difference to the timeline.

For a deeper walk-through of who does what, what documents to have ready, and what can delay exchange, see what happens after an offer is accepted?

FAQs

The questions UK first-time buyers most often ask about how long the process takes.