Can I put a time limit on my purchasers?

[beachcomber243]

I accepted an offer on a property [empty, no chain] on Saturday, first time buyers with nothing to sell of course and mortgage arranged in principle. But no memorandums sent out yet as all details are not known yet. When I buy I usually have the ball rolling by now. Maybe that's just me.

I would like the sale to be within a reasonable time as I accepted a lower offer than I hoped for. Can I specify a time frame? Would my EA or solicitor or both tell the purchasers this and is it in order?...

I would like it to be done and dusted within 8-9 weeks if possible.

Also when should I be sure they are committed to the purchase? When the survey is paid for? When they have paid for searches?.... as I have been messed about before and don't want to tell my solicitor to do work then me getting charged if it falls through. He has the paperwork ready for the new purchasers from the last aborted sale...so can go whenever I tell him to.
Thank you.

Usual form of pressure IME is to say you won't take it off the market until they have shown financial commitment (eg got survey done, or at least got survey booked in)

You can set a timescale and say you'll put it back on the market if not agreed within 8-9 weeks, but they will know that if things get to that stage you will be reluctant to start from scratch.

Have you asked your EA for advice? (

If the memorandum of sale hasn't been sent out, it sounds as though your first time buyers have not yet instructed a solicitor to act for them.
They need to do this as soon as possible, otherwise your solicitor can't start any work.

You can put a time limit on at exchange of contracts, basically you specify the date of completion and they are liable for all expenses caused by not doing so.
However before that nothing is committed, so you can decide they have to exchange by a certain date, and if they don't you can tell them you won't sell to them and find a different buyer. But you won't know up front, and neither will they, whether any given date will be achievable for exchange