How long did house sales take?

[Guest maxxangel]

Hi, we've just had an offer on the house and they seem really keen (yay). Just wondering roughly how long things have taken to go through for others because I need an idea of when to book the flights for. They are first time buyers coming straight from home, so it should literally be just as long as the banks and solicitors take.

Cara

[Guest soggy]

Hi, we've just had an offer on the house and they seem really keen (yay). Just wondering roughly how long things have taken to go through for others because I need an idea of when to book the flights for. They are first time buyers coming straight from home, so it should literally be just as long as the banks and solicitors take.

Cara

 

Hi,

my buyers were first time buyers with the mortgage approved, and was told it should take 4 or 5 weeks, once surveyors and solicitors were involved it took about 8 weeks altogether. I moved to Aus an left everyone to sort it out themselves.

 

Simon:D

[Guest isandev]

Hi,

 

We originally dragged our feet to make sure we stayed in our house over Xmas. We started proceedings two weeks before xmas to move out at the end of Jan. It should as Simon said (no pun intended) take 4-5 weeks but the solicitors made a right balls up of it and it ended up taking 7. (Our buyers were also not in a chain)

 

Hope all goes well.

 

Gavin

[Guest Guzzler&Sas]

Hi,

 

No chain just us and them 4 months??????????????????? didn't book flights until we exchanged,

 

Guzzler

[duncan-clan]

hey ive booked flights before the contracts were signed but the buyer was so eager to buy we just booked them....going business class april 16th from heathrow

 

alex

[cribber]

How long is a piece of string!!!!!!

Essentially you are in the hands of the gods. There seems to be no average time to complete in the UK. Too many variables buyers, sellers and solicitors can hold up the process at any point for any reason.

 

When we sold our place in the UK there was only 3 in the chain (first time buyers at the bottom) and it still took 5 months to complete. We arrived in Oz before we completed and just hoped that all went okay.

 

Here it's a different kettle of fish, 4 weeks is average.

 

Paul.

[Guest chippie74]

it can take 4 weeks in the uk ....if your on the phone everyday and the buyers have a morgage /cash ready to go

[Guest Libby1971]

We sold the house at beg of July and moved out at end of Nov.

 

Libby

[Guest Guest75]

Hi,

 

No chain just us and them 4 months??????????????????? didn't book flights until we exchanged,

 

Guzzler

 

I'd agree - be cautious.

Many a slip twixt cup and lip.

 

Fingers crossed it does go smoothly and swiftly:D:D

[Guest Rob and Clare]

Our House also took approx 6 weeks to sell for a cash buyer with no chain.... I didn't hand in my notice from work or book flights till the contracts were exchanged. For us the risk was too great.

 

This helped us in the long run as our belongings left the UK 11 weeks before we did... So when we arrived, we sorted a rental and had our stuff delivered the day we picked the keys up....

 

From what i read with Lenders in the UK are reducing the mortgage book offerings and this will stall a lot of buyers, there are no 100% mortgages anymore, and soon 95% mortgages are to be withdrawn. I'd be as careful as you can and be 100% sure before taking then next step....

[Guest donna T]

5 months from offer to them pulling out 3 weeks before we left:arghh: Then another 6 weeks to find another buyer and completing although we were in Oz before that happened.

 

Good luck

 

Donna x

[Guest maxxangel]

Thanks for the responses everyone. We have now decided to wait until we complete before we book flights. We have until the end of August, so fingers crossed it will all go smoothly. Good luck to everyone else waiting for completion as well.

Cara

[Guest mossmac]

Hi Cara,

 

We have just completed the sale of our house and are moving out this weekend. It has taken five weeks for everything to go through since an offer was made. There were no chains involved so this was a bonus.

 

Sarah

[Guest maxxangel]

Hi Cara,

 

We have just completed the sale of our house and are moving out this weekend. It has taken five weeks for everything to go through since an offer was made. There were no chains involved so this was a bonus.

 

Sarah

I hope ours goes through that smoothly and fast!

[Guest graandjac]

:nah:Do not book your flights untill you exchange.....!!!!!!!!! we have just exchanged 5 months to the day after we took the offer and had more problems than most ,have seen too many people have to cancel flights at a cost..!! Dont book untill you have exchanged however keen they are, anything can and does go wrong. Cheers Graham

[Guest sarahsmartiepants]

I agree never book your flights till you excahnge...or ship your stuff. Anything can happen and usually does! We got a buyer in the sept thought we would be here by christmas, then just after new year their buyer pulled out! We then had to wait for our buyer to find another buyer, which happened quick fortunatly but they didnt need a mortgage and the solicitors still dragged their feet. We eventually completed in April:swoon: