How Long Does It Take To Move?

This is a a good question and always topical. Having an offer accepted is great but then what and how long does it take?

If you ask solicitors at the point of agreeing a sale the average timeline quoted is 14-20 weeks.

The process includes arranging your mortgage where you may need to wait to see a bank/building society or a mortgage broker. You’ll also need to instigate a solicitor to act on your behalf and some are quicker than others. See one of our other blogs on this topic for more information. 

As a buyer, the quicker you get these building blocks in place, the quicker the process will be. We have just managed to complete a sale to a first time buyer in seven weeks as we were able to prompt them on the key milestones and ensuring they were organised, invested in the process and in regular contact with those who could help them shorten the timeline. They also made some excellent choices for mortgage advice and conveyancing (the solicitor) which cannot be understated.

The key elements of a sale are the survey, the contract approval, searches, enquiries between solicitors and signing/agreeing a date. You should be in touch with the estate agent on each of these elements. If you are the seller you should be being updated and if you are the buyer you should be contacted by the agent and asked for regular updates. A good agent will hold your hand through the process, informing you of next steps and how you can help. 

Sadly the quality differs quite widely and with that some sales have a better chance of proceeding than others. Nationally the ratio of sales which fall through before completion is 1 in 3. At Houseclub we are at a far better 1 in 5 since we were formed in 2015. This shows our processes in progressing sales work and our network of solicitors and mortgage brokers keep things comparatively hassle free for our clients.