How long does it take to sell a house: At a glance
Too long! Selling a home takes an average of 5 months. But it can take much longer, especially if you’re in a chain.
It takes 8 weeks to get a sale agreed on average. But this timescale depends on how competitively you’ve priced your house and your local market.
Delays in the selling process can cause major headaches; common reasons are being in a housing chain, buyers having problems with getting a mortgage and surveys flagging issues.
However, you can take matters into your own hands to speed up the process of selling a house by getting the best estate agent and conveyancer and by being responsive to enquiries.
How long does it take to sell a house?
The average time to sell a house in the UK is around 5 months, according to government figures.
The first stage – accepting an offer on your house – takes an average of around 8 weeks, according to our House Price Index. But this can vary widely – from as little as a few days to several months.
But there’s a number of stages that need to be completed before the sale can go through.
The main stages of selling a house and how long they take
The length of time it takes to sell a house can vary widely. Here are some of the reasons why:
Market conditions. When there’s high demand from buyers and properties are in short supply, houses can sell much faster. But in a slow market, properties can take much longer to sell.
Property condition: Well-presented and maintained properties generally attract more interest and can sell faster and achieve a higher sale price than those that are not well-maintained.
Chain length: A short chain such as if you’re selling to a first time buyer can speed up the process, while a long chain, with multiple buyers and sellers, can create delays.
Conveyancing efficiency: The efficiency of the solicitors and conveyancers involved in the sale can affect the timeline, with delays on the legal side of the process often slowing sales down.
Selling a house timeline: The average time to sell a house in the UK
Here’s a breakdown of the stages of selling a house and how long it’s likely to take.
1. Listing your property for sale
Timescale – Up to 3 days
Once you’ve chosen the best estate agent and agreed a fee, they’ll need to:
The process of putting your house on the market can take up to a week on average.
What’s an EPC?
Getting an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is essential if you want to sell or rent your home. To get an EPC Certificate you need to have your property assessed then the certificate is drawn up.
Compare local estate agents. Use the Best Estate Agent Finder tool to compare agents based on their success rates, speed of sale, and how close they come to achieving the asking price. This tool helps you find the best estate agents in your area and compare their performance.
Check their experience in selling similar properties. Make sure the agent has experience with properties like yours by checking their window, website, or listings on property portals like Rightmove.
Assess the marketing quality. Look at the properties they have listed on portals like Zoopla and Rightmove. Are the photos high-quality, and are the descriptions clear and engaging?
The average estate agent fee in 2025 is 1.42% including VAT. So on a £275,000 house this would mean estate agent fees of around £3,900.
However, estate agent fees typically range from 0.9%-3.6% depending on which estate agents you use, how many are selling your property – and how well you negotiate. Read more in our guide on Estate agent fees.
2. From listing to offer
Timeline 3-14 weeks
A major factor in how long it takes to get an offer on your house that you’re happy to accept is buyer demand in your area. If there are lots of buyers looking for a property like yours, you may accept an offer in just a few weeks.
But in a more sluggish market, it could take you several months (or longer) to get an offer.
3. From offer to exchange
Timeline: 10-12 weeks
Conveyancing is the legal process of transferring the property from the seller to the buyer. During this time, your buyer’s conveyancer’s role will include things like:
Examining the draft contract and supporting documents and raising enquiries with your solicitor.
Applying for property searches including Local authority searches.Are there plans for a motorway at the end of your new garden? How about radioactive gas?
Checking the lease, if it’s leasehold property. Selling a leasehold property can take longer, especially if there are issues with it. Read on for more on this.
Also during this period, your buyer will arrange the survey on your house and apply for their mortgage (if required).
The average time between exchange and completion is 7 days. But you’ll agree this with the buyer before you exchange and you may agree on a longer timeframe.
It is possible to exchange and complete on the same day. Although it’s generally only an option if there is no chain and it’s easier if you’re a cash buyer so you don’t have to worry about transferring money from the mortgage lender.
Exchange of contracts is when you’re legally committed to selling the property to the buyer. Read more in our guide Exchange of contracts explained. While completion day is when the sale is finalised and you hand over the keys.
Factors that can delay a house sale
Reasons why a house sale can be delayed include:
House chain breaks down
If you’re in a housing chain, which means your sale is dependent on other people buying and selling property, this can cause major delays.
If someone’s sale breaks down further down in the chain, it could lead your sale being delayed while another buyer is found. Or your sale could fall down completely.
For example, if the survey shows that your house has a damp problem, they may try to renegotiate the price to take into account the cost of fixing the problem or they may want you to sort it before they buy the house.
Mortgage issues
If your buyer needs a mortgage, this can cause delays:
For example, their mortgage application may be rejected and they may need to reapply with a different lender.
Or the mortgage lender might ‘down value’ the property, this is when the surveyor instructed by a mortgage lender to carry out a mortgage valuation says the house is worth less than the buyer has agreed to pay. The lender may decide to offer a lower amount or refuse to lend.
This could lead to the buyer trying to renegotiate the price. Or they may want to apply with another lender, which will take more time.
But if your buyer’s conveyancer is dragging their feet, this can slow down a house sale. In this instance, ask your estate agent if they have someone dedicated to sales progression. Their job is to speak to both the buyer, the vendor and their legal representatives regularly to make sure everything is on track.
How long does it take to sell a house with no chain?
Selling a house with no chain takes an average of 8-12 weeks, although the sale could go through in as little as four weeks. A chain-free transaction is when the buyer doesn’t need to sell a property and the home they’re buying is already vacant.
One example of a chain-free house transaction is when a first time buyer buys a new build property.
How long does it take to sell a house to a cash buyer
Selling a house to a cash buyer can take as little as a few weeks. But exactly how long it will take will depend on several factors such as whether they want a survey and how long it takes to get local authority searches back. Read more in our guide Cash buyers explained.
How to speed up your house sale
To speed up the process of selling your house, here’s what to do:
Get the best professionals on board
Choosing the right professionals to help you sell your house is key:
Choose the best estate agent increases your chances of selling your house quicker and achieving a higher sale price. Read more in our guide to How to find the best estate agent?
You can instantly compare local estate agents based on how quickly they sell, success rate and likelihood of achieving asking price with our free local estate agent comparison tool.
When you’re researching the best estate agents, invite at least three agents for a free, no-obligation valuation of your home
When you have all this information you can decide a best estimate of the likely sale price the house might achieve. You can then decide your selling strategy.
Factors such as the speed at which you want to sell the house will affect what price you ask for it. Your estate agent should have local knowledge and expertise to advise on this.
Prepare your home for sale
Home staging may help you sell your house faster and make it more valuable too
Don’t forget how important your home’s kerb appeal is. According to our HomeOwner Survey, more than 68% of homeowners say kerb appeal was important in their choice of home. The most important factors were windows being in good condition, a well maintained roof and a tidy front garden and driveway/path.
Be responsive
When it comes to selling a house, many factors will be out of your control, but you can do your bit to speed things up by being responsive. David Hollingworth of L&C Mortgages says: “It is important to be on top of your game and answer queries quickly to keep things moving. If you look after your side of the process then hopefully the other parties involved will do the same.”
Consider ordering the searches
It’s normally the buyer’s conveyancer that orders local authority searches but if you’re worried about delays in your area you may consider ordering them then asking for the buyer to pay for them further down the line.
Local authority searches should take 10 days, but many local authorities miss this deadline. Recent turnaround times reported by Property Searches Direct in December 2024 revealed the worst offenders were taking more than 25 working days to return local authority searches.
See if improvements or staging could increase your home’s value and secure a buyer. With our partner, Flyp’s, ‘Staging to Sell’ service, they make improvements at no cost to you to make your property more attractive to buyers and get your property sold.
Consider selling your house for cash through a company offering an instant house purchase. Make sure they are members of the NAPB. Although expect to sell for much lower than market value. For more info, read our guide on quick sale firms and what to watch.
The most popular times to sell a house are traditionally Spring or early Autumn, with March being the month with the highest number of enquiries per property on sale, according to Rightmove. But don’t focus too much on targeting what is traditionally the most popular time. People are moving all year round. You need to consider trends in your local market too so choose a good estate agent and ask them to show you the figures tailored to your area and your property type. See our guide when is the best time to sell my house?
How much time does the average house viewing take?
A typical house viewing lasts around 30 minutes. It’s recommended that buyers view the house 2 to 3 times ideally at different times of day.
Why does it take so long to sell a house?
Selling a house can take a long time because there are lots of steps involved in the conveyancing process, mainly from the buyer’s side. Selling a house can be much quicker if it’s a chain-free transaction or you’re selling to a cash buyer. Delays can be caused if you’re in a chain or if there’s problems with the house such as a bad survey report.
How long does buying and selling a house take?
Buying and selling a house at the same time takes around 5 months on average. But it can take longer, for example if you’re in a long chain. Read our guide on Buying and selling a house: The full process.
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