How long for searches/exchange

[AmandaHugenkiss]

Bit of advice or perhaps a reality check required. We are selling our house and buyer has had valuation and buildings survey both come back. Contracts all drawn up etc. He didn’t want to start his searches until the survey came back fine, which happened on Friday, but we’ve been pushing to exchange in two and half weeks. Is that unrealistic? It’s all that’s left to do, if his solicitor is on the ball can it happen or am I being extremely unrealistic?

It'll be in the hands of the council not the solicitor regarding the searches. Where I'm moving searches are taking 3-4 weeks to come back but it varies across the country. Then of course it depends if the searches are ok with no problems that need further investigation. I think your timescale is unrealistic I'm afraid.

I did think we were being too keen; apparently our council takes 5-7 working days for searches to be returned but I’m sure that’s not the only limiting step, even if they deliver on time!

We've been told searches take 3 weeks...
I've sold 4 houses in 9 years, its always taken at least 2 weeks/ 10 working days

It depends on area, our searches took just shy of 3 weeks. They came in 2 weeks ago today, we are due to exchange this week.

Have they sent you any enquiries yet?

Our council states 3 - 5 days online.

Ours took 3 weeks to come back.

Depends on which searches are being done and which area you’re in.

Some results will be almost immediate, some will take 4 weeks.

Once the lawyer has all the search results they look through them to check for issues, raise any questions about the results with the search provider/their client/your lawyer.

The client also sees the search results and decides if they see any issues they want to look into more.

So 2 and a half weeks is in theory possible but not very likely.

Here searches take 3 weeks and then there is sometimes enquiries to raise based on the findings of the searches.

@notheragain4 no, no enquiries yet!

@Zebrahooves ok that makes me think we’re looking at about a month realistically. I need to curb my impatience for a bit longer!

@AmandaHugenkiss if you're in a rush you could try and get your solicitor to poke them for initial enquiries, our enquiries were done while searches were being requested. Some solicitors wait until searches are back but may as well make a start on them in the meantime, we then didn't get any further enquiries when searches were back anyway. They ask for certificates and things so it's good you have time to get them together. Each solicitor seems to work differently though.

@notheragain4 good idea, I’ll give them a nudge. Not in a desperate rush but it’s been dragging on due to covid and I’m over it now! I just want out.

Another thing I did was, knowing our area, ask for the coal mining search at the same time as the initial searches. As I suspected, we did require it, so saved time there.

If you've not had enquires done yet then this could potentially delay you massively. It took me 6 months to buy an empty property and they started off with 65 enquiries

I am now selling the same house and sold 7 weeks ago and have just answered the second set of enquiries with no dates being discussed as still lots of outstanding legal work.

I think it is far too quick based on recent experience of buying a property. We pushed everything as much as possible and still took ten weeks to get to exchange from initial offer.

We are in rented and buying an empty house. So far it has taken us 9 weeks and we are still outstanding one report. No talk of exchange dates yet.

I’m also 9 weeks and searches were requested still haven’t had them back After 5 weeks and the mortgage offer took 8 weeks.

We’ve had the majority of our searches back in 2 weeks. Hopeful the remainder won’t take months 🙈 our mortgage valuation is tomorrow, which will have been 2 weeks from application. We’ve been told we’ll hear in 5 days after that .. be it the offer or if they need more info/underwriting etc..

I’ve not heard anything about enquiries.. 🤔