A new statistic surprised and shocked us this week:

• The average time a home took to exchange contracts (from the time an offer had been made) was a staggering 104 days. That’s over three months.
• The average time a leasehold home took to exchange contracts (from the time an offer had been made) was an even more staggering 155 days. That’s over five months.

That 104 days is made higher by the impact and slowness of leasehold sales, which in the main is flats and apartments. You might not be buying or selling a flat, but if there is a flat in your chain, then that transaction could slow down yours.

And remember that this is the time from offer to exchange. That’s not the period of trying to sell your house – making it ready for market, acquiring an estate agent, hosting viewings, etc, which could add on an additional two to three months. Nor does it include the period between exchange and completion, which could add another one or two weeks.

Selling your house can take a very long time in 2026.

Why is the slow pace of a sale bad news?

Apart from the stress and uncertainty, if a sale of a property is slow, then there is more likelihood that the sale will fail entirely. Chains collapse. Buyers and sellers change their minds, experience funding problems, and life changes around them (e.g. being made redundant). Currently 25-31% of house sales fall through. If you’ve paid out for surveys and other expenses, if a house sale fails, you could be out of pocket.

So how can you speed up your house sale?

Pre-offer

• Price it competitively:
  • if over-priced, buyers may try to negotiate downwards when the survey arrives, and time is wasted in discussions
  • if well-priced you will receive offers more quickly, and may find a potential fall-back buyer should something go wrong with your primary buyer
  • In a cooling market, sellers are often advised to price ‘well’ and try to create a bidding war.
• Declutter, make necessary repairs and present your home well. Buyers often want finished, well-decorated properties, or doer-uppers. The properties in the middle are often slowest to sell.
• Get relevant appliances serviced: boilers, wood-burning stoves, chimneys, etc.
• And once done, get your paperwork in order: service documents, installation paperwork, damp-proof warranties, etc.
• Get your EPC up-to-date.
• Instruct your solicitor. And choose wisely! When things get tricky, you need to be able to speak to your legal team, rather than wait patiently for email responses. We believe that having an office for meetings, to sign paperwork, to drop off documents instead of relying on the mail, is essential to overcome difficulties, and ensure transactions move swiftly.
• Find a good estate agent.

Choose your buyer well

Not all buyers are equal. For a faster sale, consider choosing these types of buyers:

• A first-time buyer
• A buyer not in a chain (e.g. they sold their house, and are renting)
• A buyer who is selling an easy-to-sell property, or one that might appeal to a first-time buyer.

A one-property chain is usually very simple; and we have seen these complete in just over 6 weeks. A three-property chain becomes more complicated. A five-property chain is difficult and fraught with the likelihood that it might break. Try and keep the chain small if you can, by selecting your buyer carefully.

And the other suggestion, is that you ‘break’ the chain. If you sell your house and rent for a period, you then shorten the chain, and can start your buying process with the advantage of being a ‘cash buyer’ and sellers may then prioritise your bids.

Keep on top of the process

• Prioritise dealing with the paperwork as it comes in, and ensure responses are given as quickly and as thoroughly as possible. If you have all the warranties and documents to hand, this should be an easy process.

• If you have a question about any of the questions on the forms, don’t procrastinate. Seek advice from your solicitor. Keep the process moving. Your speed and attention may encourage your buyers to move equally as quickly.

For expert advice and more information on all aspects of residential property, please contact Declan Hayes on 01756 692888 or email declan.hayes@awbclaw.co.uk

Declan Hayes, Solicitor and Director, Lexcel accredited, CQS accredited.

Further reading:

“Buyer beware” and “safe as houses”… two contradictory phrases.

When you’re in a pickle with your house sale, think indemnity insurance

How will the mansion tax work? And will it effect the property market?

The Explainer: a guide to HM Land Registry

Conveyancing delays push time to exchange contracts past 100 days