Choccie

Hi

Just wondering if people have experience of just how quickly it's possible to buy a house in the UK these days if it is a no onward chain/ vacant possession? I know its normally about 12 weeks but has anyone done it quicker than this.

It will be at a traditionally quiet time over there (January)

Looking forward to any comments or suggestions to speed the process!

Jerseygirl

I bought a house and the whole process took 21 days from agreeing a price to moving in. I didn't have a property to sell or mortgage to arrange.

Choccie

WOOHOO was hoping someone was going to say something like that!! Was the property empty? I'll be in the same position as you so would be great if I could achieve the same.

Jerseygirl

No it wasn't empty...but the seller was moving because of her job. She was working away during the week and coming back at weekends...so she was keen to move quickly.

Signing of the contracts and completion took place on the same day.

Choccie

That's even better - you have made my evening!!

chris955

We completed in less than 3 weeks from agreeing a price. We heard all sorts of horror stories about ho long it would take but we found it fast and painless.

dunroving

As long as the solicitors don't get in the way (and they often do), it's possible to complete the whole thing in a week. That's assuming things like quick agreement on sale price, cash purchase, empty house, no chain, no searches, however.

christmasoompa

We managed it in 5 weeks, and that was in a chain of 4, so I'd imagine it could be an awful lot quicker if less people.

HTH.

Choccie

This is all encouraging stuff! I already spend a fair chunk of my time on Rightmove and hoping that anything on my shortlist doesn't go now as it's too close to Christmas!!

Hopefully will have something for when hubby has his job seeking visit. It won't be a dream home just somewhere to get us back and give us a base so shouldn't take me too long. I'll be knocking on the estate agents doors on 2nd January !

ElizabethK

We put the offer in on our house on the 21st December last year, it was empty and there was no mortgage involved. We completed on the 18th January and this was during Christmas and New Year when the solicitors had over a week off on their holidays.

I'm sure it could have been faster if it hadnt coincided with the festive period

Vadio

We bought for cash in 2011; the solicitors asked for searches that we didn't want, and generally slowed the process down (took 8 weeks). Do NOT fall for the pitch from an estate agent that using their 'team' of solicitors will speed things up. Get your own, and make sure your instructions are clear. A month is more than ample.

We sold the house we initially bought, to a cash buyer, and bought a vacant possession last December. The buyer was keen to move quickly, but her solicitor asked for stuff in drips....and asked the same questions multiple times. The whole process took 8 weeks in this instance as well....all down to solicitors being not really acting in the interests of the client, IMHO.

dunroving

EXACTLY my recent experience selling a house. Cash buyer, agreed price, no wish for searches, and my estate agent persuaded me that "their" conveyancing company would be smoother. And of course, each set of solicitors blaming the other. Plonkers.

robin1234

I hope to be doing this sometime soon, buying a small place in England for cash. If you get your own solicitor, how do they charge? Is it related to the purchase price, or just an hourly rate?

Pistolpete2

My experience is that solicitor's charges are levied by scale - purchase price. These days there are plenty of online solicitors that charge a flat (low) fee for conveyancing but getting them to reply to a query ahead of time can sometimes be tough. A cash purchase is a cheaper generic conveyance.

Buying off-plan can be dodgy at the best of times and it could be a wise decision to engage a solicitor who is familiar with the development and other local knowledge but I would still try to negotiate the fee with them these days, rather than just accept their scale fee.

Vadio

Our solicitor had a 'base price' that was not specifically tied to the purchase price, but reflected the amount of work. Everything was spelled out insofar as their charge, Land Registry Fees, search fees (if you wanted searches), funds transfer fees etc. We had no 'hidden charges' thankfully.

If you can find a solicitor that will phone or email if there's a question, you are well ahead. They tend to send a typewritten letter by 2nd class post otherwise If you have any questions about the property you are buying, get those answered ASAP. Every question will go from 'your people' to 'their people' and if someone is on holiday....well....you know the drill.