The 2025 Timeline To Buying A House In The UK

It’s no secret – buying a home can be a milestone decision, and the process involves several key steps that require careful attention. At Boon Brokers, we’re trusted mortgage advisers dedicated to guiding you through every stage, ensuring you understand each part of the journey and have the support you need.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the 7 essential steps to buying a house in the UK, helping you navigate the timeline of buying a house and all the important decisions with confidence and clarity.

Short for time? Here’s a quick video overview of the mortgage process.

How Long Does The House Buying Process Take?

On average, buying a house will usually take around 15 weeks once your offer has been accepted, however, every property has its own unique circumstances that can affect the length of this process and these can be completely out of the homebuyer’s control. A common example of this would be if the current homeowners are also in the process of buying a property – this is known as a ‘chain’ – all parties must wait until both the buyers and sellers are in a position to exchange contracts before they can complete their purchases.

As such, it is an unavoidable case that there are plenty of factors that can speed things up or slow them down. Mortgage approvals, property searches, property chains, and surveys will all play a role in the overall timeline of buying a house – but being prepared can drastically help you navigate the formalities and keep things on track.

A Step-By-Step Process For Buying A House

So what’s the process of buying a house and how long will it take from the original offer to owning your house?

The infographic below provides you with an illustrated overview of what a typical timeframe for the stages of buying a house would look like. If everything goes smoothly, you could be in your new home within a couple of months, but delays might extend the timeline.

Now let’s take a detailed look at the steps of buying a house, covering everything you need to know and what to expect at each stage of your buying journey.

Step 1: Calculating Affordability – Instant Estimate

The first step in the process is to calculate how much you can afford to spend on a property by getting a mortgage in principle – more commonly known as an agreement in principle (AIP). If you start viewing houses that are out of your price range, this will waste a lot of time and effort. Many mortgage lenders have affordability calculators on their website that can be a handy tool for calculating the price range of properties you should be looking for. Alternatively, one can always contact a trusted broker and ask for a mortgage calculator and affordability check to be completed, as well as a brief rundown of their mortgage options.

It is important to note that, as well as the mortgage repayments, there will be additional costs involved in buying a property. These fees can include mortgage arrangement fees, solicitors’ fees and other potential costs. All of these costs should be factored into your affordability calculations.

Step 2: Finding A Property – 4 Weeks To 8 Months

The time it takes to find a property will directly depend on the availability of the type of property you are looking for on the property market .

In your property search, if your requirements are specific, for example, you are looking in a particular area where not many properties are going up for sale, it is likely that finding your ideal property could take a long time. On the other hand, should you be looking for a new build property and there are several housing developments being built in an area that you are interested in, the likelihood of you finding a property that suits your needs will be quicker.

At this stage of ‘finding a property’ it is important to keep in mind exactly what property you would like, what areas appeal to you, and exactly what is currently available. All of which will usually include online research, using estate agents’ websites, and potentially even driving around areas you are interested in living.

Step 3: Putting In The Offer And Getting It Accepted – 1 Day To 2 Weeks

When you’ve found the property that you want, the next step is to put an offer in. When you view the property, it is acceptable to put forward an initial offer immediately to the homeowner, as long as the estate agent is open for you to do so. However, the property owner may not want to accept your offer, or may choose to delay and consider your offer whilst other interested parties continue to view the property.

It goes without question, deciding on how to negotiate the house price can be a difficult decision. That being said, do not feel pressured to go ‘guns blazing’ with any initial offers and be open in regards to communicating exactly what you feel is acceptable. Typically, should a proposed offer be considered too low, you can always revisit the asking price of a property and negotiate to an acceptable offer for both parties.

Research is crucial. There are a few key things to look out for and it is always a good idea to complete your own research before putting an offer in on a house. Take a look at the recent house sales for similar properties in the area, this will give you a clearer idea of exactly what offers have been accepted recently. You can also look at how quickly houses are being sold in the area. For example, if properties are staying on the market for a long period of time, this might indicate that there is, broadly speaking, a relatively low amount of interest and that fewer offers are being made. In this instance, a lower offer would likely be considered.

It is important to note that when your offer has been accepted, you are not legally bound to buy the property until the exchange of contracts. As such, there is a possibility that you could still get ‘gazumped’ – a term used when a third party comes in with a higher offer. In the unfortunate case that this happens, you simply have to go back to square one and start looking for a new property again.

Step 4: Getting Your Mortgage Set Up – 2 To 8 Weeks

Getting your mortgage set up is perhaps one of the most important steps when buying a house and finding the right mortgage deal can save you a significant amount of money. That’s why it’s crucial to go through the mortgage application process carefully and work with a mortgage broker who can find the best mortgage offer custom to your circumstances.

It is important to look at a range of different mortgage deals, getting comparisons that take all of the associated costs into account, including the interest rate as well as any additional costs from the mortgage lender for arranging the mortgage.

Once you have found the right mortgage deal for you, it’s time to apply for your mortgage. The application process can vary in length and is dependent upon the specific details involved within the mortgage agreements. Some examples of this could include the applicant’s financial situation, the condition of the property, or issues with the initial valuation. These factors could potentially complicate the application and ultimately extend the application process.

To help quicken the application process, we advise that you research required documents and come prepared. Your mortgage lender will ask for documents, such as proof of income, identity, and will conduct credit checks before agreeing to lend to you. Making sure that you have all of the required documentation ready to provide to your mortgage lender can help speed up the overall process.

If there are any issues with credit history, the lender could decline your mortgage. In this scenario, you would need to find another mortgage deal. Working alongside a broker can help improve your chances of success, especially when finding a deal that is tailored to your circumstances.

The mortgage lender will require a valuation of the property to make sure that they are not lending more money than the property is worth. The mortgage lender risks losing money if the applicant fails to keep up with the mortgage payments and the house must be repossessed and sold. As such, the property valuation is a key factor in their decision to approve the mortgage.

At this stage of the house buying timeline, the mortgage applicant will usually arrange for a survey to be completed, so they can find out if there are any structural issues or other potential problems with the property. If there is a lot of work required, this report could be used to negotiate – and lower – the price of the property.

Alternatively, the report might cause the buyer to reconsider the property and pull out of the purchase altogether, or request that the current owner arrange for repairs to be completed. Unsurprisingly, the latter option would mean that it will take considerably longer for the house purchase to go through.

In short, should the mortgage decision be a straightforward process – without added complications – then the only hold-ups should be arranging the valuation appointment, which can be completed in around 2 weeks.

Step 5: Conveyancing – 4 To 12 Weeks

You will need to select a conveyancing firm to complete the legal work on your behalf. Your mortgage lender or broker may recommend a conveyancer, or the estate agent you are buying the property through may have a solicitor that they usually work with.

The conveyancing process timeline encompasses all of the work that is completed by the buyer’s solicitor. It includes doing environmental searches and researching any planning permission issues, amongst other important checks. They basically do all of the research required to make sure that you are unlikely to face any unexpected problems further down the line once you legally own the property.

This work can be the longest part of the process and the timescales can vary. It not only depends on how busy your solicitor is, but how quickly the third party companies come back with the relevant information regarding the searches. There are a large number of searches to complete and if there are any unusual findings from the searches, this can increase the time.

Another area of work that the solicitor will be doing at this stage is drafting the land registry and contracts, which needs input from both the seller and their conveyancer. The contract can take about one month to finalise.

Step 6: Exchanging Of Contracts – 2 To 3 Weeks

The exchanging of contracts between the buyer and the seller will usually take about 2-3 weeks. This part involves the conveyancers getting the copies signed and exchanged to make the house purchase agreement legally binding.

At this stage, the buyer will provide their solicitor with the deposit for the property, and so you will need to check whether your bank has a limit on the amount of money you can move out in one day. You may need to spend several days moving money out if your deposit amount is over the limit permitted.

Before you complete, you should have your buildings insurance ready to start from the completion date, to make sure your property is insured as soon as it legally becomes yours. If at this point there are any unexpected delays, don’t worry. You can always change the start date of the policy with the completion of the sale.

Step 7: Completion – 2 Weeks

From offer to completion. Now a completion date will be agreed and the transfer of funds from the mortgage lender will be scheduled. The agreed completion date will be agreed upon between the buyer and the seller, finding a suitable date for both. In the case that the seller does not have a new property to move into as of yet, they might request for the date to be delayed. This could suit the buyer’s circumstances, however, negotiations will need to take place at this stage to agree on a final date.

Assuming everything goes according to plan, the buyer can collect the keys to their new home and move in on the day of the completion. The solicitor will provide them with a completion statement that outlines any outstanding payments such as stamp duty, outstanding deposit amount, and their conveyancing fees.

The conveyancer will arrange for the funds to be transferred and if there is any stamp duty tax to be paid, the conveyancer will also arrange for the payment to be made to HMRC. The final parts of the process are then registering the new ownership with the Land Registry (which the conveyancer will take care of) and obtaining copies of the property’s new title deeds.

Top Tips To Speed Up The Timeline To Buying A House

The timeline for buying a property is difficult to predict, and there are a variety of unpredictable factors that are in motion. Delays can arise from being in a property chain, issues with property surveys, valuation reports, etc. However, If you want to ensure that your property purchase goes through as smoothly and quickly as possible, there are a few actions you can take to help.

 1) Research: complete your own research and create a shortlist of areas and property types that you might be interested in case one of the properties you become interested in falls through. It’s human nature to fall in love with your dream property, and so it can be difficult to try and not feel so strongly attached to one specific property. But the more open-minded you stay in terms of property possibilities, the quicker you will be in your new home.

2) Services: consider the services you plan on using, from brokers and mortgage lenders to estate agents, structural surveys, building surveys and conveyancers. It is always a good idea to read reviews about the different types of brokers, mortgage lenders, and services in general that you will require so that you are informed as the process continues.

3) Reviews: whether online or in person, reviews can be the bedrock of knowing and trusting a service provider. If you stumble across a stream of bad reviews that highlight some worrying concerns, in general, you should steer clear if you’re looking for a seamless property buying process. On the other hand, making sure that you’ve researched your chosen broker, mortgage lender, and another service provider all have shining 5-star reviews should, broadly speaking, provide you with peace of mind that everyone is working with your best interests at heart.

4) Mortgage Broker: using a mortgage broker can really help speed up the mortgage application process. An experienced, knowledgeable broker will be able to find you the best mortgage deals that are tailored to your specific circumstances, and do so very quickly, saving you the time and effort of searching yourself. In addition to this, brokers will be able to tell you exactly what documents and other requirements you need to provide to the lender, saving you any unwelcome surprises during the process, and you lots of time moving your application forward.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should you check when buying a house?

Before committing to a purchase, check the property’s condition, local amenities, transport links, school catchments, and recent sale prices in the area. A survey can highlight structural issues, and reviewing planning permission history can prevent surprises.

How do you start the process of buying a house?

The first step is to check how much you can afford by obtaining an Agreement in Principle (AIP) from a mortgage lender or broker. Then, research properties within your budget, get a mortgage broker’s advice, and begin property viewings.

What should you check before buying a house?

Ensure the property’s title is clear, there are no ongoing disputes, and the mortgage valuation aligns with the purchase price. A solicitor will carry out searches to check for issues like flood risks, local developments, or planning restrictions.

How Boon Brokers Can Help You

Here at Boon Brokers, we specialise in providing transparent and professional mortgage advice without charging any fee for our services. We’re here to help – Contact Boon Brokers now – and discuss your mortgage needs and discover how we can help you secure the ideal mortgage solution for you.