How Long After Searches to Exchange & Completion?

For many people, selling a house is a long and complicated process. When selling through an estate agent or the open market, it can take months to find a suitable buyer, leaving many homeowners wondering when they’ll finally break through the noise and secure a deal for their property.

No matter where you are in the process of selling your house, our guide will help you understand how long a sale typically takes. Right through from property searching to exchanging contracts and moving in, we’ll show you what the average moving experience looks like from start to finish.

Key Takeaways:

• Searches, Enquiries and Contracts: Week 4 to 6

• Exchange To Completion: Week 6 to 8

• Total Timeline: Around 8-12 weeks from offer to completion, depending on delays

• Need a faster sale? Cash buyers, like us, can complete in as little as 7 days

How long does it take to sell a house?

The time it takes to sell a property can vary based on how you choose to sell it. An estate agent sale, for example, can take months to complete, while selling to a professional cash house buyer can give you a payout within a week.

According to Zoopla, properties in the UK go under offer within 38 days of being on the market, on average, with a full sale typically taking 185 days to complete. The process of selling a house has several stages, so it’s important to understand how long each stage takes. Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect when selling your property to an estate agent:

You can find out more about the average time it takes to sell a house in the UK here. There are so many factors and they’re different for every sale, so let’s take a look at the most common ones.

How long do property searches take?

There are many factors at play here. Property searches can take anything from weeks to months to complete and it doesn’t help that there are so many different searches to carry out. These include:

How long do property searches take in the UK?

The UK government stipulates a maximum of 10 working days for local authority searches, but since each council has its own backlog of requests, there’s no guarantee that they’ll be able to meet this deadline. As a result, you should hope to hear back within 10 days, but you may have to wait significantly longer if you live in an area with a longer backlog.

According to the HomeOwners Alliance, the average wait time for a local authority search from Sheffield City Council is around 28 days, while a search in the London Borough of Hackney can take as long as 103 days.

Your council will be able to provide an estimate of their current backlog, so if you’re wondering how long your property search is likely to take, get in touch with them to see their plans.

Once your searches are complete, your solicitor or conveyancer will also have to compile the results. This can extend your waiting period even more, so don’t expect to be finished with your property searches right away.

How long after searches are contracts exchanged?

Your solicitor or conveyancer will need to review the results of your searches and solve any related issues before developing the paperwork for your contract.

If any issues arise, it can delay the sales process even further. Plus, mortgage approvals can take time to resolve, and communication between solicitors can be slow when they’re working on multiple contracts.

The timeframe for drawing up paperwork is typically between 4 and 6 weeks. Once this point is reached, a completion date that works for all parties involved can be decided upon.

It’s worth noting that 34% of transactions fall through before they’re completed (according to the Home Buying and Selling Group), so even if it seems like you’re close to the end, there may be disruptions that prevent you from finishing a sale.

How long from searches to completion in the UK?

Once the contracts for your property have been signed and a completion date has been agreed upon, you can finally prepare to transfer the funds and collect your keys. In some cases, the completion date can be the same day that contracts are exchanged, meaning you can start settling into your new home right away. Sometimes, though, you or another party may need to delay the completion to suit your schedule, which adds extra time to the process.

You can usually expect to wait a few days or weeks before completing a sale, as this allows for final preparations to be made, such as arranging mortgages and organising removals.

Finally, the buyer’s solicitor will finish the sale process by registering the new ownership of the property with the Land Registry.

How to sell your house faster

While some home sales go smoothly, others are subject to many delays, hidden fees, and changes in plans.

There are faster, more reliable alternatives to selling your home through an estate agent, such as selling to a professional buyer. While traditional sales typically take months to complete, a professional buyer can purchase your home within a week of making an initial deal.

Although selling through an estate agent lets you retain 100% of the property’s market value on the surface, there are plenty of extra costs that can affect your profits. Estate agent fees, mortgage repayments, and the cost of household bills while waiting for a sale can all lead to you earning less than you expected by the end of the process.

Sell your house quickly with The Property Buying Company

At The Property Buying Company, we specialise in delivering a fast and reliable home sales service. No matter the condition, location, or style of your property, we’ll make an accurate cash offer and work alongside you to secure a sale as fast as possible. We’ll even cover legal fees, let you choose your own solicitor, and return an initial offer within days of contacting us.

Ready to sell your home fast? Get in touch today and receive your free no-obligation cash offer!