Buying property in Scotland- timeframe

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Can anyone give me some advice to pass onto DD? She and her partner are planning to move to Glasgow, looking for a flat in the West End and there seem to be plenty of suitable ones. But she has no idea how long the process takes typically from making an offer to getting the keys- can anyone give us a steer?

I only know the English system which takes ages but my understanding is that it’s all a lot easier and quicker in Scotland.

Thank you!

Depends on the chain

I went from rented to a house sold in probate. Took 5 weeks

My brother was 3rd house in a chain of 6. Took 3 months, would have been about 2.5 but one couple turned into a nightmare

If no chain, we were done in 6 weeks.

For me (no chain) it was about eight weeks from offer being accepted to entry date.

We moved last year we were 12 weeks from offer to getting the keys but we hadn't put our house on the market until our offer was accepted. We could have gone earlier but the date suited us better.
Our previous house we went from offer to keys in 4 weeks but again that was a part exchange.
It can be as quick as your mortgage can go through. The searches etc here can be done in a couple of hours.

We were 7 weeks start to finish.

It can be fast depending on the circumstances, we were about 12 weeks when we bought our house as we hadn’t sold our old one yet as we had a specific thing / area we were looking for and were waiting, but nephew just bought a flat and was renting before and had his mortgage all pre approved etc. and the flat he was moving into didn’t have any tenants in so he completed in 5 weeks.

8 weeks for us too. But we ruled out chains and anything draggy in advance

Usually a minimum of 4 to 5 weeks to allow the searches, legal stuff to be done. The buyers put their proposed date of entry into any offer they make. There is usually some back and forth over the terms of the offer before the offer is finalised (missives concluded). Once missives are concluded either party would be responsible for the other’s costs if they breach any of the contract terms eg. if the agreed date of entry is delayed.

With regard to their “appearing” to be plenty of suitable flats, just a word of caution re the asking price which is a different system to England. For example, if a flat is priced at offers over £200k then the sellers are probably looking for more than this (especially in the west end). The actual valuation is included in the home report which will be provided free of charge to all potential buyers. A flat priced at offers over £200k in the west end would likely have a valuation of £225k and if in a desirable areas sell for 10 to 20% above the valuation.

I think it depends. We bought our house in 5 weeks due to being chain free. My Dd bought a flat last year and agreed a 12 week entry date to give the sellers a chance to find something x

As others have said, it can be as quick as 5 or 6 weeks, but could be a bit longer depending on the circumstances. Not likely to drag on for months like it can do in England.

Presumably she’s aware of the offers over system, as that’s another aspect of the house buying system that’s very different here?

We took about 12 weeks because the property had been owned by the same person for so long that it wasn’t on the land register.

It was much more straight forward than our experience buying and selling in England. Buying took 8 months and selling to 6. (We sold in England and then rented in Scotland for a few months).

It seems to depend on the chain. … it used to be quicker than in England but now buyers seem to be able to back out more easily. From knowledge of neighbours and friends.. one took from April to December, another May to November, and finally one thought they were moving and it was postponed 3 times due to delays in the chain but it finally went ahead.

Has your DD got a local conceyancing solicitor yet? She should find one who can act on her behalf for making a formal offer. If she is looking at traditional West End tenement properties it is best to have a solicitor who knows their stuff, it will help de-risk the process.
Also West End properties are in demand so she’ll be a more attractive buyer if she is not reliant on a chain involving the English system.

Hi, I’d appreciate advice please. Hoping to downsize in the coming months. If it’s allowed on here, would anyone who has recently gone through the selling/buying process and been happy with their conveyancing solicitor in Lanarkshire/Glasgow be willing to share their name?

It’s decades since I’ve been in this situation. My estate agent recommended someone but when I read their reviews they were disappointing. As the EA is likely to be biased I’m reluctant now to go on their recommendation.