Buying a property today can prove to be a costly and time-consuming activity if it’s not done diligently ie if your conveyancer turns out not to be any good, or your surveyor misses out something important related to the fabric of the building and which later costs you £1000’s to put right.
Provided you go through the correct property-buying channels however, ie getting a mortgage agreement upfront, a thorough survey done and employing a conveyancer who works quickly and competently, then the process should go reasonably smoothly.
Once you have found a property and put in an offer to buy expect a delay of up to six weeks before contracts are exchanged – at which point the house is legally yours – and you can then move in.
