Moving when part of a chain

[PersistentSniffles]

I am trying to get my head around how this works, logistically. We were renting before we bought our current house, so although the people we bought from had a chain, there wasn't one for us, so we just had to wait for all those in the chain above us to sort themselves out.

We have an almost 2 year old DS now, and we need to find somewhere bigger (in the same area). We can put our house on the market and then someone may offer to buy it, but what if there isn't a house on the market that's suitable for us to buy when that happens? Presumably, a potential buyer of our house won't be prepared to wait indefinitely for a completion date.

Similarly, is it acceptable to make an offer on a house if yours is on the market but you haven't sold it yet?

You'd have to move into a rental if you don't find anything you like.

We offered before selling in 2017 but this year all the agents told us they wouldn't entertain an offer until our own sale was agreed.

If properties that would suit you come up relatively frequently in your area at a price you can afford, then you should be fine to find somewhere in a timescale a buyer will find reasonable. If, on the other hand, you need to find a bit of a unicorn, then you may need to think about whether you'd be prepared to go into rented on order to secure a sale.

Usually you'll find something once your house is under offer. Obviously this can be quick or take longer due to many variables. Often the EA selling your house will help you find something suitable as it's in their interest to get the chain moving. If you get an excellent price for your house and you don't want to lose your buyers you could consider rental for the intervening gap but, personally, I think that comes with entirely different risks.

If you really don't find anything you stay put.