At a glance
- GOV.UK says buying a home takes about five months on average.[1]
- An offer is “subject to contract”: it is not legally binding on either side until contracts are exchanged.[1][2]
- You need a solicitor or licensed conveyancer to do the legal work, and your lender will value the property, but a mortgage valuation is not a survey.[3][4]
- The government has said it intends to make contracts binding earlier, but that is not law yet.[5]
Rules and figures last checked October 2026.
The journey, step by step
- 1
Know your budget
Work out what you can borrow and what the move will cost. See mortgages explained and our calculators.
- 2
Register your search
Tell us what you are looking for and we will contact you when something suitable comes up. See register your search.
- 3
View and decide
Look at the property, the street and the facts in the listing. Our surveys and searches guide lists the checks worth making yourself.
- 4
Make an offer
We pass it to the seller. The offer is “subject to contract”, so the price can still be negotiated.[3] See offers and completion.
- 5
Instruct a conveyancer
You need a legal professional to handle the legal work, and once your offer is accepted they organise the searches.[3]
- 6
Mortgage valuation, survey and searches
Your lender values the property before it approves the mortgage, and you can have a survey done for yourself.[3]
- 7
Exchange contracts
This is the moment the agreement to buy and sell becomes legally binding.[6]
- 8
Completion
The money is transferred, you get the keys and the change of ownership is registered with HM Land Registry.[4]
Who does what
| Who | What they do |
|---|---|
| You | Decide what you can afford, view, make the offer, arrange the mortgage and pay for searches and the survey. |
| Us, the estate agent | Market the property for the seller, arrange viewings, pass offers on and keep both sides informed. We do not give mortgage or legal advice. |
| Your conveyancer | Does the legal work: checks the title and the searches, asks the seller’s side questions, handles the money and registers the change of ownership.[3][2] |
| The seller’s conveyancer | Draws up the contract; the seller is responsible for it.[6] |
| Your mortgage lender | Values the property for its own benefit and decides whether to lend.[2] |
How long it takes, and what is changing
GOV.UK’s guide says about five months on average.[1] In June 2026 the government said it would cut delays and stop sales falling through, and quoted an average purchase of around 120 days. The two figures are measured differently, so treat both as a rough guide rather than a promise.[7]
Selling as well? See our guide to how selling works, because a chain is only as quick as its slowest link.
Sources
Every figure and rule above comes from one of these, read in October 2026. The dates are the ones each publisher shows as when the page was last updated.
- [1]Buying a home (opens in a new tab)GOV.UK · page updated 27 March 2024
- [2]Buying a home (opens in a new tab)The Law Society
- [3]Buying a home: making an offer (opens in a new tab)GOV.UK · page updated 27 March 2024
- [4]How to buy a home (opens in a new tab)GOV.UK (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government) · page updated 6 September 2019
- [5]Home buying and selling reform roadmap (opens in a new tab)GOV.UK (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government) · page updated 19 June 2026
- [6]Buying a home: transferring ownership (conveyancing) (opens in a new tab)GOV.UK · page updated 27 March 2024
- [7]Homebuying shake-up to slash delays, cut costs and stop sales falling through (opens in a new tab)GOV.UK (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government) · page updated 19 June 2026 (published)
This is a general guide to buying in England, not legal or financial advice. A conveyancer or solicitor should advise on your own purchase, and a regulated adviser on your mortgage.