How long from Sale to completion in your area?

[FiveShelties]

Have just accepted an offer and wondering how long it could take until exchange of contracts. I know there is a delay in the return of searches at the moment.

in london. got an offer in mid feb and completion only scheduled for end of june. i have no idea why it’s taken so long...

@Confusedaboutlots - thank you, I don't need to rush then!

I had an offer accepted in early December, and we completed last week just shy of 20 weeks later, in the East Midlands with no chain.

You can see how long searches are currently taking locally here: search-acumen.co.uk/covid-19-coronavirus

@BlueCherryBlossom thanks for that - I can see it is not the searches which are taking the time in my area.

@BiBabbles thank you - this is just one sale/no mortgage involved nor other properties involved so looks like 20 weeks would be a good guide.

I sold an empty BTL. Leasehold. No chain, just buyer and us. Accepted offer mid Jan, completed last week.

does anyone know the reason for the delay? is it searches, lawyers working at home, lenders, or a mixture of all?

If the chain is short and complete about four months. It is really the speed of your conveyancers and each side in dealing with enquiries and how complicated those are. I accepted an offer second week of Feb on an empty flat from cash buyer and we should exchange and complete next week. The hangup has been extremely thorough solicitor who wants a deed of variation as Head lease does not seem to explicitly say you have right to use communal garden or bin stores, despite everyone using them since original conversion in the 1970s. We are arranging insurance for it but he has rejected the one offered. I accepted an offer early Feb on my house and it looks like June (we could possibly do May but my daughter is still doing gcse assessments and don't want to move until those are done). The delay has just been the chain. I said I'll move to rental- my seller hasn't found a house yet even after two and a half months looking, so if I was waiting for that to happen who knows when we'd all complete.

I am not sure the location is as relevant. Size of chain, proceedability, solicitor skill and pure luck. We are also in London. Offer accepted early March completion this week.

Confusedaboutlots In my area pre-COVID, it was largely discussed around searches, particularly the ones involving the council who'd not hired enough people to do a shorter time scale for the amount of home sales that go on (we're still one of the longest ones on that site at 40 working days), but there is also a delay now in some areas of people getting surveyors or those who want other tradesmen to check things having a backlog.

We were done with surveyors in February, searches which were organized sooner weren't all back until the start April.

Thank you, definitely seems like luck then. This is a cash sale and no other properties in the chain.

5 and a half months and counting

Cash sale, no chain, no issues come up on survey, you could be done much faster.

The slowness is caused by chains, lenders needing to approve valuations and surveys, etc.

You could be done and dusted within 8 weeks.

As soon as the survey and searches are back ask your solicitor to issue all the queries. Ask now for all relevant paperwork: boiler service record, FENSA certificate, any planing permission or building regs paperwork, guarantees for appliances or previous damp work etc etc.

Ask your solicitor about dates to be ready with your money for deposit on exchange and then balance.

You need to be ready to put buildings insurance in place: get quotes and take out a policy on exchange.

Fingers crossed for you @RachelRaven

@RainingBatsAndFrogs - thank you, 8 weeks would be very good. I am the seller so hoping all paperwork is in order and with solicitor.