how it works

The system for buying a house (or flat or other property) has three stages:

• Stage 1: Pre-contract
  While you deal with preliminary matters like obtaining a mortgage and surveying the property, I conduct searches and ask the seller questions. How long this stage takes will depend on how ready you and your seller are, and on whether any complications come to light. Either party can pull out during this stage without any penalties or compensation
• Stage 2: Exchange
  Once the pre-contract work has been successfully dealt with, contracts are exchanged and a date is fixed for Stage 3. From this point onwards, both you and your seller are legally committed to the transaction
• Stage 3: Completion
  You move in. Your seller will need to have finished everything by about 1.00 pm.

The seller of the house you are buying should give you a Home Information Pack (HIP), though the HIP does not have to be complete when the house goes on the market. Any quality information the HIP contains might save some time during Stage 1.