18 July 2026 · Land a House guides

Buying your first home in the UK: the process, step by step

Buying in England & Wales typically takes 3–6 months from offer to keys, and the process is opaque until you have been through it once. Here is the whole journey in order, with the traps flagged. (Scotland's system differs meaningfully — offers there are usually binding much earlier.)

1. Work out your real budget

Lenders offer roughly 4–4.5× your annual income (joint income counts), adjusted for outgoings and credit history. Add your deposit, then subtract the costs people forget: conveyancing (~£1,200–2,000), survey (£400–1,500), moving costs, and stamp duty if the price is above your first-time-buyer relief threshold. Our free mortgage calculator gives you the monthly figure in seconds — nothing you type leaves your browser.

2. Get an Agreement in Principle (AIP)

An AIP is a lender's soft-check statement of what they would probably lend you. It takes minutes online, does not commit you to that lender, and estate agents increasingly will not take your offer seriously without one. Get it before you fall in love with anything.

3. Search — properly

No single portal shows the whole market, so serious buyers watch Rightmove, Zoopla and OnTheMarket together. For every shortlisted home, check the fundamentals that don't show up in the photos: crime rates (here's how), school catchments, transport links, what similar homes actually sold for (Land Registry, not asking prices), tenure (leasehold flats need extra scrutiny: ground rent, service charge, lease length) and council tax band.

4. View, then view again

First viewing for the feel, second for the faults — damp smells, cracks over doorways, the boiler's age, water pressure, phone signal, and the street at a different time of day. Ask why the seller is moving and how long the property has been listed; a listing that has sat for months or dropped in price twice is a negotiation signal.

5. Make an offer

Offers in England & Wales are not legally binding until exchange of contracts — for either side. Open below asking unless the market is hot, justify your number with sold-price evidence, and state your strengths: first-time buyer, no chain, AIP in hand. The agent must pass every offer to the seller.

6. Mortgage application, conveyancing and survey

Once accepted: apply for the mortgage in full (the lender values the property), instruct a conveyancing solicitor (they run local authority, drainage and environmental searches), and commission your own survey — a Level 2 HomeBuyer Report for conventional homes, Level 3 Building Survey for older or unusual ones. The lender's valuation is not a survey; it protects them, not you. This stage is where the 3–6 months go.

7. Exchange of contracts

The point of no return. You pay your deposit, both sides sign, and a completion date is fixed. Pulling out after exchange forfeits your deposit. Between offer and exchange, either side can still walk away — which is why keeping momentum (chasing your solicitor weekly) genuinely matters.

8. Completion — keys

Usually one to two weeks after exchange. The money moves, ownership transfers, and you collect the keys from the agent. Your solicitor registers you at the Land Registry and pays any stamp duty on your behalf.

The mistakes that cost first-time buyers most

Skipping the survey to save £500 (and finding £15,000 of roof repairs later). Comparing asking prices instead of sold prices. Ignoring leasehold details until the solicitor flags them in month three. Applying for new credit mid-purchase. And losing track of which house was which after fifteen viewings across three portals.

That last one is the problem we built for: Land a House saves every listing you and your partner shortlist — from any of the big three portals — into one shared list, with crime scores, schools, Land Registry sold prices and price-drop alerts attached to each card.

House-hunt like you mean it

Land a House is a free browser extension that saves Rightmove, Zoopla and OnTheMarket listings into one shared household list — with crime scores, schools, sold prices and price-drop tracking built in.

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