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What happens after you’ve accepted an offer on your house sale?

Find out what happens after accepting an offer on your home, from instructing solicitors through to completion.

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Key takeaways

  • Expect the process of offer acceptance to completion to take 12-14 weeks on average
  • Consider instructing a conveyancer early, even before accepting an offer, this could speed up the process
  • Understand that you’re not legally bound until exchange of contracts
  • Stay informed about factors that can influence timelines, such as property searches, chain complexity and survey results

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What happens after you accept an offer on your house?

How long process after you accept an offer on your house? At this exciting stage, you're one step closer to your next move – whether you're upscaling to a larger home, downsizing to something more manageable, or relocating to a new town or city.

Accepting an offer on a house marks a significant milestone, but it's just the beginning of a 10–14-week process before you can officially hand over the keys.

The moment your estate agent confirms "offer accepted," the legal process begins. Hiring a conveyancer ASAP is crucial, as they'll handle all legal aspects of selling your property and can significantly impact how long it takes to sell your house after the offer is accepted.

 

How long does it take to sell a house after accepting an offer?

Once you’ve accepted an offer on your property, you’re likely wondering: how long does it take to sell a house once I’ve accepted an offer?

In the UK, the process typically spans from 10 to 14 weeks from offer acceptance to completion, though this timeline can vary significantly based on your unique situation.

Learn more: A complete guide to selling your home.

Each property transaction follows its own path, with several factors affecting how long it takes after accepting an offer:

  • Property searches: These can vary in duration depending on your local authority
  • Chain complexity: Longer chains generally mean more potential for delays
  • Survey results: Issues discovered may require renegotiation
  • Mortgage approval: Lender processing times vary considerably
  • Legal complications: Title issues or missing documents can cause unexpected delays

Your conveyancer will work with you to establish a realistic completion date based on your circumstances, coordinating with other transactions in your property chain to ensure a smooth process.

 

What happens between accepting an offer and completion?

After accepting an offer on a house, you'll begin a structured conveyancing process with distinct phases. Understanding each stage can help you better prepare and potentially speed up your sale:

  • Instruction phase: 1 to 2 weeks
  • Pre-exchange phase: 4 to 10 weeks
  • Exchange of contracts: 1 day
  • Pre-completions phase: 1 to 4 weeks
  • Completion day: 1 day
  • Post-completion

Each of these stages requires coordination between multiple parties, so staying responsive throughout will help ensure the smoothest possible journey to completion.

Step 1: Instructing a conveyancer

Unlike when buying a home, you don’t need to wait until you’ve had an offer accepted to hire (instruct) a conveyancer. As you own the property (and that’s not going to change), you can instruct a conveyancer as soon as your property is on the market.

While some tasks that involve working with the buyer’s conveyancer must wait until you have a buyer, instructing early can significantly reduce how long it takes to move house.

Guide: How to choose a conveyancer.

Your conveyancer can complete several crucial tasks before you find a buyer:

  • Verify your identity and address
  • Source your property's title deeds
  • Obtain lease documentation (for leasehold properties)
  • Draft the initial contract of sale
  • Help you complete property information forms

By addressing these tasks early, you can potentially shave weeks off your transaction timeline. While you can instruct a conveyancer after accepting an offer on your house, doing so means missing valuable preparation time that could make your sale more efficient.

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Step 2: Pre-exchange

After you've accepted an offer, you'll enter the pre-exchange phase, typically the longest part of the conveyancing process (4-10 weeks). This is where most of the detailed legal work happens.

Your conveyancer will:

  • Send the draft contract pack to the buyer's conveyancer
  • Submit all required protocol forms and title deeds
  • Respond to any legal queries about the property
  • Address concerns raised in the buyer's survey
  • Negotiate key terms of the sale

Learn more: Documents for buying and selling houses explained.

During this phase, several important elements need to be agreed upon:

  • Dates for exchange and completion
  • What's included in the sale price (fixtures and fittings)
  • Any additional payments for items you're leaving
  • How to handle issues discovered in the buyer's survey (if any)

If you have a mortgage, your conveyancer will request a redemption statement to calculate the amount that will be paid to your lender from the sale proceeds.

This stage requires patience as the buyer conducts searches and surveys. The more responsive you are to queries, the smoother and faster this process will be.

Step 3: Exchange of contracts

You and the buyer will have an agreed date to exchange contracts in the previous step. Your conveyancer will exchange the contracts on your behalf, submitting the signed contract you endorsed, and the buyer does the same with their duplicate version.

It’s at this stage where the buyer will pay the seller their exchange deposit (usually 10% of the total transaction or whatever is agreed). The deposit will be kept safe and secure by your conveyancer until completion.

You and the buyer are now legally bound to the property transaction, the buyer is obligated to buy your property and you’re obligated to sell. Neither party can back out now without risking the return or loss of the deposit.

Step 4: Pre-completion

Breathe, the period of uncertainty is over, you and the buyer are legally bound to the property transaction. Your completion day could be anywhere between 7-28 days away, or as per your agreement. There’s no minimum or maximum required time between exchange and completion.

During the time between exchange and completion, ensure your home is packed up and prepared for the buyer to move in. You may want to organise a removal company to assist with transporting your belongings for the upcoming completion day.

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Step 5: Completion

It’s moving day! The buyer’s conveyancer has the funds ready and transfers them to your conveyancer. Your conveyancer settles your remaining mortgage and any other house sales costs, before releasing the remaining funds to you.

They’ll also let the estate agent know that they’ve received the buyer’s funds, and they can release the keys to the buyer at an agreed time. You need to be all moved out by this time to allow the buyer to move in.

Check out our guide to completion day for more.

Stage 6: Post-completion

Time to start your next chapter. Leaving your previous home can be bittersweet, but it marks a major milestone.

After completion, you simply need to pay any fees you owe. This could be to your conveyancer, estate agent, or any other party that was involved in the sale of your property, and that’s it, you’ve completed the sale of your property.

Congratulations!

What can slow a sale down?

Even after you’ve accepted an offer on your house, many factors can slow down the sale of a home. These delays can be frustrating and inconvenient for both sellers and buyers.

Being aware of these potential delays can help you manage expectations and possibly take steps to mitigate them:

  • Property chain complications: If your buyer or you are in a chain, delays with any transaction in that chain can affect everyone. Longer chains mean more potential for delays.
  • Local authority search delays: Some local authorities take considerably longer than others to return search results, sometimes extending to several weeks.
  • Title or boundary issues: Unexpected problems with property boundaries, rights of way, or missing documentation can require significant time to resolve.
  • Survey findings: If the buyer's survey uncovers structural issues, damp, or other significant problems, this often leads to renegotiations or requests for repairs.
  • Mortgage approval delays: Lenders may take longer than expected to process applications, especially during busy periods or if there are complications with the buyer's financial situation.
  • Leasehold complications: For leasehold properties, obtaining information from management companies or freeholders can introduce significant delays.
  • Slow response times: Delays in responding to queries from either party's conveyancer can dramatically slow the process.
  • Changing circumstances: Life events like illness, bereavement, or employment changes can cause either party to need more time.

To keep your sale moving as efficiently as possible, respond quickly to any requests from your conveyancer, be proactive about resolving potential issues, and maintain open communication with all parties involved.

Frequently asked questions

What does ‘offer accepted’ mean?

When a home seller accepts a buyer’s offer, it means they have agreed to the price and any other terms proposed for the sale of their property. Your estate agent will now say that your property is “under offer” and they will send your conveyancer the memorandum of sale.

If an offer is accepted on a house sale, is it legally binding?

After you’ve accepted an offer on your property, the property transaction will move forward (as described above). But this does not mean that you, nor the buyer are legally bound to the transaction.

You are not legally bound to the transaction until the exchange of contracts. At this point, if you were to pull out then you would need to return the exchange deposit (usually 10% of the purchase price). If the buyer pulls out, then they would risk losing their exchange deposit.

What do estate agents do after you’ve accepted an offer?

Once you’ve accepted an offer on your property, the estate agents’ main roles include:

  • Issue a memorandum of sale containing the agreed price, buyer/seller details, and appointed conveyancers to all parties. This kicks off the conveyancing process.
  • Assist in arranging access for the buyer’s surveyor to conduct their survey/valuation if required.
  • Handle any further negotiations if queries arise from the survey reports.
  • Work with conveyancers from both sides to push the sale towards exchange.
  • Provide updates and chase for progress from the buyer and seller.
  • Agree on a completion date that works for all parties involved as well as making sure it suits the rest of the property chain (if there is one).

How long to sell a house after an offer has been accepted?

After accepting an offer, expect the house sale process to take anywhere between 12 – 14 weeks. But remember, each transaction is unique, your journey could take longer, or it could be shorter. Here are some of the things that can impact your timeline:

  • How quickly the buyer’s mortgage is approved (if applicable)
  • Whether the property is freehold or leasehold (leasehold could take longer)
  • If the property is part of a chain of sales and purchases (and how long that chain is)
  • If any issues arise during conveyancing searches or surveys
  • How quickly all parties (buyers, sellers, solicitors) respond and progress

This is by no means an exhaustive list, if you want to learn more check out our conveyancing timeline guide.

Can I keep my house on the market after accepting an offer?

If you do keep your property on the market, then it means you can expect to still receive offers. Your buyer will likely ask if you can remove it from listings, as this would leave them prone to gazumping.

Can I reject a house offer?

Of course you can, although it’s common to go back to the buyer with a counteroffer to see if you can get closer to your asking price. If there is no room for negotiation, then it is your choice whether to accept or decline an offer on your property.

What's the fastest possible time to sell after accepting an offer?

In ideal circumstances, with no chain and a cash buyer, a sale could complete in as little as 4-6 weeks after offer acceptance. This rapid timeline is only possible when both parties have proactive conveyancers, there are no complications with property searches or surveys, and everyone involved is highly responsive. However, it’s important to note that this is exceptional, and most sales, even straightforward ones, typically take longer due to various factors in the conveyancing process.

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We will be in touch with you weekly, providing updates and being there when you need us. You can contact your property lawyer whenever you need, to ask us whatever you need.

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