How long did it take when you 1st brought

[roiseandjim]

How long did it take you to start looking for a house, make an offer and then actually move in? Husband wants to start looking in the summer and be moved in by winter. I said that was basically impossible. We're first time buyers so he thinks we can jsut find a place and get in straight away. What would you say is a realistic timeline?

We have just sold our house to ftbs. It took 13 weeks from accepting their offer and could have been done in 10 weeks (we had to delay things).

For me it was less than 3 months early May-end July) from looking to buying. Similar for other FRB friends.
No chains make the process faster

*FTB

9 months. Although this time we bought an off plan new build.
About 3 months when I was a ftb buying a completed new flat.

This is a bit of a 'how long is a piece of string' question. Our last sale/ purchase took exactly 7 months. But our sale fell through three times in that period. Previous purchases have taken between about 3 and 6 months.

Offered mid august and moved in 1st November! Very short chain though.

a strightforward buy usually takes around three months from offering to completion, ours took 8 weeks but we were cash buyers buying an empty house, but a million things can delay a chain especially a large one and can be a lot longer

I offered beginning September. Haven't exchanged yet 😣

Offer to move in was 8 weeks for the house I'm living in now - but starting looking to offer was 7 months.

My DH and I are in the process of buying a new build. We put the deposit down 15 months ago and we're still not in yet. We had started looking (casually) 2 years before that!

It depends on the market, how long or complicated your 'must haves' list is, as well as the time taken on searches and mortgages etc.

I started looking, found a house within about a month, offer in and accepted, expected completion should’ve been 8 weeks as a first time buyer of a vacant property.
11 months later I was finally handed to keys to my home.
My brothers first purchase took 7 weeks to complete.
So unfortunately it’s very much how long is a piece of string. It can be affected by soo many factors, most of which are unforeseen issues.

Depends how long your chain is.

Put house on market May bank holiday, in new house on 11 August. Our buyers were FTB and our seller was moving in with her partner so only 3 in our chain. Our house was in a great location so had an offer 2 weeks after it went on the market,

6 weeks.

A fucking age.
There was a massive probate issue though which doesn’t help

8 weeks for me.
However like others have said, totally dependent on the house you buy. If there is a super long chain above you, it could takes AGES

I started looking in summer (June/July) and moved in at the beginning of November; I don't think your DH is being unrealistic - assuming 3 months or less would be impossible, but summer to winter is perfectly realistic if you have a relatively straightforward chain. Have bought three times and I think each time was between 11-13 weeks from agreeing sale to moving. I've been fairly lucky in that regard, but it's not that unusual.

Offer accepted in mid February. Moved in, first week of July. So practically 5 months.

However, I'd been looking for 2 years before that.

If you are ready to buy, it make sense to start looking. It is quite scary to spend that much money / take on that much debt for the first time - you want to be sure you have made the right choice. It's not like choosing a jumper where you can write off £20 if you decide you made a mistake.
Go and look at different types of property. Look at bigger properties in less popular areas and tiny properties in the perfect location. Look at properties that seem great but make your commute difficult and look at really convenient properties that don't suit you in other ways.

You need to get a feel for what you think you want against what you actually feel when you are standing there thinking of making an offer.
Okay, my 2 years was extreme (properties were at an all time high and it was difficult to buy at that time), but I certainly don't think you can just "pick a house off the shelf" the first time you buy, without having looked at other properties.

Second the previous poster.
When it's your first house you might think you know what you want, but chances are when you start looking it'll change.
Also, get an AIP first so you know EXACTLY how much you can afford, not just using some random calculator online

Its definitely possible. How distraught would you be if it doesnt happen, because that's possible too.

We took about 3 months. We put in an offer on the 18th August and moved in on 14th November. We were quite lucky to find a house we liked quickly, short chain and nothing weird on the survey.

We just bought our first house. (Im Irish, in Ireland). Offered in may, sale agreed 2nd week in June. Got keys on 4th of October. We were renting so we didn't have to sell and the house we bought was empty. Took ages!

Thanks everyone this is so helpful! What's an AIP please 🤦🏽‍♀️ The thong is we don't even know what area we want to live in! We know roughly but not one set place. I love the look of a new build but husband loves the old style houses. I think Wel start looking in June. We're renting atm but we love the flat and love the area but ready to be grown ups and buy a house! It's scary because we've always rented and it's nice to have that flexibility but will be so nice to have our own place.

An Agreement In Principle.
A 'soft' agreement from a bank of the amount of money they will lend you, based on you wage and outgoings (pension/NI/phone bill et )

Offered mid Feb, got my keys at the end of May. But there was no chain for me or for the vendors which I suppose helps a lot!