Preparing and listing usually takes two to four weeks. Finding a buyer who sticks can take anywhere from weeks to months. Once a sale is agreed, conveyancing, searches and mortgage approval add another twelve to sixteen weeks. Five to six months is normal, not pessimistic.
Around one in three agreed sales fall through before completion. The common causes are a refused mortgage, a survey that reopens the price, a chain breaking further down the line, or a buyer changing their mind. When a sale collapses you often lose the money already spent and go back to the start.
A direct cash buyer removes most of the timeline in one step. There is no listing period, no viewings, no mortgage to be approved or refused, and no chain above the buyer that can break. That is why a cash sale can complete in as little as seven days, on a date you choose.
Most of the time goes on finding a buyer, then on conveyancing, searches and mortgage approval.
On the open market, around 5 to 6 months from listing to completion when nothing goes wrong. A direct cash sale can complete in as little as 7 days.
Most of the time goes on finding a buyer and then on conveyancing, searches and mortgage approval, which alone add roughly 12 to 16 weeks.
You can price competitively, get paperwork ready and choose a proactive solicitor, but you cannot remove the chain or the buyer's mortgage timeline. A cash sale can.
Free, no obligation, and completion in as little as 7 days.
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