Speed of buying property

[caringcarer]

Can I ask what is the quickest time it takes for a property sale to complete if both seller and buyer are both pushing for a quick sale and complete all paperwork by return of post? Seller is going to live with daughter and not buying another property, so no chain and buyer does not have to sell property, so no chain either. Is 4 weeks unreasonable? What is your quickest sale/purchase?

I did 6 weeks once, but that's bloody quick. 4 weeks is generally 'Cash Buyer' territory.

Would also add that conveyancing solicitors are flooded with people wanting to 'move in before Christmas', so this is not a good time of year.

We bought a new build 7 years ago and signed the reservation form minutes before the site office closed for Christmas on Dec 23rd. We then couldn’t appoint a solicitor until everything reopened after New Year which was Jan 4th although we’d put in a mortgage application a few days before.
We completed and moved in on January 28th.

There wasn’t a chain as the house builders bought our old house from us.

We are not cash buyer and do need mortgage. I was hoping for end of November or first week of December latest. Viewed house and put in offer and offer accepted on 19th October, and completed memorandum of sale same day, solicitor appointed by us and seller on 22nd, already had offer in principle but signed formal application and posted back 23rd, took in completed buyer questionnaire and proof of id and address on 23rd Oct. Building Society appointed firm to do valuation and they going on 26th Oct. We are on target for completion at beginning of December aren't we?

It's a "how long is a piece of string" question as it depends on your mortgage being processed promptly, the survey findings, how long searches take and how swiftly enquiries are dealt with.

If you're lucky. I'm in a small chain (3 inc me.)
Offer accepted 7 sept, solicitor instructed 21 sept, mortgage confirmed 1 Oct... and I'm still being told completion is probs end of Nov... 

Have you been accepted for a mortgage. 4 weeks id say is only achievable with no chain on either side, cash and brilliant solicitors

Honestly it'll depend on how your solicitor asks enquiries and how the other side respond.

I recently brought a property that was a vacant buy to let & I came from rented (no chain on either end) but it took about 8 weeks before we could have completed. Though it ended up taking 12 weeks because the seller was awkward about completion dates.

Quickest I've ever done was 12 days, but that was cash.

I was a 1st time buyer buying an empty house...

Should have been 6 weeks. Tiny weeny land problem came along and it took 5 months.

My quickest was 3 weeks. I sold to a cash buyer and I was a cash buyer of an empty property.

My quickest buy was 5 weeks but short chain with proactive conveyances.

We had an offer accepted on an empty house on 9th Oct (had already accepted an offer on ours from a cash buyer in rented). Mortgages approved the next week. We have been awkward and got a specific surveyor (it's an old building) and he can't do until 2nd Nov. Searches have begun and we're looking to complete last week of Nov. Could have been quicker if we'd taken a more inexperienced surveyor.

You need to ask your solicitor how long the searches will take.

I don’t think you’ll be in much before Christmas and it will likely be after Christmas. Sorry.

We reserved a new build on 2nd April, agreed to complete on 25th May, then on Friday (6th April) the sales office asks if we can do it by the end of the month. Thanks to our lovely solicitor and mortgage broker we did it, so 3 weeks from them asking us to change the dates and a few days short of 4 weeks from reserving. We exchanged and completed on the same day though. Also we had already sold and were in rented.

It took 4 weeks just for our mortgage offer to come through.
Searches took 3 weeks for our purchase.
On our sale it took the buyers solicitor 4 weeks just to follow up a reply on a query.

We're in a buy/sell chain. But we're selling first and possibly moving in with parents if purchase isn't ready. And the sale part has taken 17 weeks so far

How are you all so quick? our solicitors are shite

We just exchanged in 6.5 weeks (from offer accepted). That seemed quick and I was on top of the solicitor and chasing highways agency myself.

4 weeks was the quickest we did, but we were FTB, and the vendors were moving with family, so no chain at all. It was pretty tight, and 13 years ago. When we sold this spring it took about 5-6 weeks , which is pretty common in Scotland.

I've never managed it in less than 11 weeks to completion, and that was a chain of 3, renters buying ours, us, sellers moving in with family. I don't think 4 weeks is realistic, sorry

If you buy a repossessed house they require you to complete within 30 days. So it is possible if you have a mortgage in place and aren’t in a chain.

We were 6 weeks to exchange over January/February.

Bear in mind that you'll need to exchange a week before your completion date. And local authority searches will take longer at this time of year.

Unlikely, but the stars may align.

I exchanged and completed on the same day

It depends on the searches really, and whatever time period your mortgage provider requires to draw down the funds (5 days is typical). Presumably you have your deposit ready to go and all the paperwork needing for proof of funding.

Our EA used to advise 12 weeks. I hope it is less for you.

Offer accepted in August...no issues in chain but did not move until January! Lots of pointless enquiries and chasing solicitors. I don't know anyone who has moved in less than 4 months but maybe it is spectacularly shit around here