How long does it take to buy a house? The details on when to expect to move in

Homebuying has many stages you need to go through between making the decision to purchase and holding the keys in your hand, so it’s probably no surprise to hear that it takes time. But what can make the process a little less daunting is understanding how long this might be.

Individual factors matter when you’re buying a house so it’s true that every case will vary. However, typically you might expect the process to be anything from around three to six months if you’re buying with a mortgage, and quicker for a buyer with cash.

Here, we examine how long the stages of the process can take in the current market, including organising a survey, conveyancing, and getting a mortgage, so you can go into housebuying prepared for its duration.

Finding a property

How long this part of the housebuying process takes can be anything from a week or so to many months. It will be influenced by factors outside your control such as availability of the type of home you want and can afford, as well as how much time you have available to look online but also to talk to local estate agents and even leaflet a particular area or knock on doors to find out if local homes might be coming up for sale, as well as actually view homes.

Once you have found a home and put in an offer, having it accepted might happen in a single day but if there’s back and forth between you and the seller, or bids have been invited for a popular property, the time frame could be longer.

Conveyancing

Conveyancing takes a number of weeks. “Right now, the conveyancing process typically takes between eight and 12 weeks, but it’s not unusual for it to stretch beyond 16 weeks, depending on various factors,” explains property expert Andrew Boast, founder of SAM Conveyancing.

“The speed of a transaction largely depends on the complexity of the purchase, whether there’s a chain involved, and how efficiently different parties – solicitors, lenders, local authorities – work together. A straightforward, chain-free purchase, particularly for cash buyers, can be completed in as little as six weeks if everything moves smoothly. However, most transactions involve mortgage approvals, property searches, and legal enquiries, which all add time. Add in a long chain and delays in just one part of the process can hold up everyone involved.

“If structural works have been carried out on the property, your solicitor will flag if necessary building regulations certificates are missing. This can delay the conveyancing process by weeks as an intrusive survey may be required to ascertain whether the work was compliant; retrospective regularisation can take weeks; the seller may be unwilling to notify the local authority of unauthorised works, and negotiations may be required to adjust the purchase price accordingly.

“Leasehold properties also tend to take longer due to the additional legal checks required. One of the biggest causes of delays during the conveyancing process is obtaining the leasehold management pack, which provides key details about service charges, ground rent, and building maintenance. It can take anywhere from three to seven weeks for a seller to receive this from their managing agent, and if there are issues or missing information, it can delay things further.”

Where you’re buying can influence how long conveyancing takes. “Searches are one of the biggest variables in the conveyancing process, with turnaround times varying significantly across the country,” says Andrew. “On average, they take two to four weeks, but in some areas where local councils are under pressure, it can take as long as six to eight weeks to get results.”

Andrew Boast

Andrew Boast is the CEO, executive director and co-founder of SAM Conveyancing, and has over 23 years of experience in the home and conveyancing market. Andrew is an accomplished expert in his field, guiding thousands of clients through the complex process of buying a home both personally and through his teams of expert solicitors, surveyors and mortgage advisers.

Applying for a mortgage

If you need a mortgage to buy a house, it’s important to get an agreement in principle before you start searching. However, even with this, the process of getting a mortgage on your chosen home takes some time.

“From keying the application (post-agreement in principle) the initial assessment is taking between one and three days,” says Mark Harris, chief executive of mortgage broker SPF Private Clients. “After that, the time to offer is seven to 12 days.

“It can be possible, subject to certain variables (borrowing less than £1 million, a low loan-to-value, existing property data allowing for AVM (automated valuation model), employed rather than self-employed, for example) for offers to be ready within 72 hours,” he says.

“Unfortunately, to have those ducks lined up in a row is rare. The case may be more complicated with additional queries asked and documentation requested. Every time this happens, several days could easily be added to the timeline.

“Finally, you should allow approximately one week from exchange to completion for final lender checks, requesting of funds etc although exchange and completion can happen on the same day.”

Mark Harris

Mark is chief executive of SPF Private Clients, an award-winning financial services intermediary, and was part of the launch team of the company as Savills Private Finance in May 1997. Originally launching as the financial services arm of Savills, SPF has rapidly grown into one of the market leaders in UK financial services. SPF became part of the Howden Group of companies in 2022.

Getting a mortgage valuation

A mortgage valuation is carried out for the lender’s benefit. It assesses whether the property offers sufficient security for its loan. Generally, this doesn’t take long.

“Most mortgage valuations are completed within one to two weeks after the lender instructs the surveyor, but this depends on demand and the type of property being purchased,” says Andrew Boast.

“For example, in high demand areas, it can take longer to secure a surveyor appointment, particularly if a physical inspection is required. Nowadays, lenders increasingly use automated or desktop valuations, which rely on data rather than an in-person visit. The benefit of these is that they can be processed in just a few days, speeding up the mortgage approval process. However, if a property is unusual, of high value, or has undergone significant modifications, a full physical valuation is often needed, which takes longer.”

Getting a survey

Buying a house without a survey isn’t a good idea, according to property experts, because it provides you with crucial information about the property’s condition. Its arrangement, the survey itself, the writing of the report and your receiving it might take around two to four weeks altogether.

“You can book the survey in as soon as your offer is accepted to get ahead on the process,” says Andrew Boast.

Arranging home insurance

Buildings insurance should be in place from exchange of contracts as you will then be responsible for the property. You should compare quotes and be sure to have the rebuild cost from the survey to hand.

This part of the process shouldn’t take long. Think a little while spent on comparison sites rather than anything lengthy.

Exchange to completion

The time between exchange and completion is typically one to four weeks although it can be shorter or longer. The period has to be agreed by all the parties in a chain, and may need to accommodate circumstances such as someone in the chain giving notice on a rented property.

When you’re buying a house a number of the stages will be running concurrently but, despite this, from start to finish, the process can be a lengthy one. Playing your own part efficiently can help whether it’s form filling, arranging a survey, or getting buildings insurance.