What Happens After You Accept an Offer: A Guide to Sale Progression
You are not there yet, but when an offer does come in and you accept it, the process that follows can feel like a bit of a mystery if you have not been through it recently. There is a lot of terminology and a fair few moving parts between that exciting moment and actually completing on your sale.
This guide is here so you know exactly what to expect when the time comes.
Step One: Instruct a Solicitor or Conveyancer
If you have not already got a solicitor or conveyancer lined up, it is worth thinking about this now rather than waiting until an offer lands. The legal process cannot begin until one is appointed, and getting ahead of it means you will not lose time once things start moving.
Your solicitor handles all of the legal work involved in transferring ownership of your property to the buyer. They will prepare the contract, deal with enquiries from the buyer's solicitor, obtain official copies of your title from HM Land Registry, and manage the exchange and completion process from start to finish.
A good solicitor makes an enormous difference to how smoothly a sale runs. Ask around for recommendations, check reviews, and make sure whoever you appoint communicates clearly and does not take days to respond to a simple email. A slow or hard-to-reach solicitor is one of the most common reasons sales stall or fall through altogether.
Step Two: Complete Your Property Information Forms
Once a sale is agreed, your solicitor will send you a set of forms to complete. The most common are the TA6 (Property Information Form) and the TA10 (Fittings and Contents Form).
The TA6 covers things like boundaries, disputes, planning permissions, building works, and services. The TA10 records what you are leaving in the property and what you are taking with you. Both forms need to be completed accurately and thoroughly. Buyers and their solicitors rely on them, and inaccurate or incomplete answers can cause delays or legal complications further down the line. Take your time and ask your solicitor if anything is unclear.
Step Three: Your Buyer's Survey
Once the sale is agreed your buyer will almost certainly instruct a surveyor to inspect the property. The type of survey varies: some buyers opt for a basic mortgage valuation, others go for a more detailed HomeBuyer Report or full structural survey.
If the survey raises issues, the buyer may come back to renegotiate on price or ask for works to be carried out before completion. This is very common and not necessarily a reason to panic. Stay calm, take advice, and avoid making quick decisions in either direction.
Step Four: Legal Enquiries
Once your solicitor has issued the draft contract to the buyer's solicitor, a period of legal enquiries begins. The buyer's solicitor will raise questions based on the documents provided, the search results, and any survey findings. Your solicitor will need answers from you for some of these.
This stage can feel slow. It often is. The single most effective thing you can do to keep things moving is to respond to your solicitor quickly whenever they need something from you. The majority of delays at this stage come down to slow responses from one party or another.
Step Five: Exchange of Contracts
Exchange is the point at which the sale becomes legally binding. Both parties sign identical copies of the contract, solicitors exchange them, and a completion date is set. The buyer pays their deposit at this point.
Before exchange, either party can still walk away without legal consequence. After exchange, that changes, and walking away carries financial and legal penalties for both sides. It is the moment everyone in a sale is working towards.
Step Six: Completion
Completion day is when the money transfers, the keys change hands, and the property legally becomes the buyer's. You need to be fully moved out by the agreed time, usually midday, with all keys ready to hand over.
Your solicitor will receive the funds, redeem any mortgage, deduct their fees, and transfer the balance to you. HM Land Registry will then be notified of the change in ownership.
That is it. Your home is sold.
A Few Honest Tips for When You Get There
Do not wait to hear from your solicitor. Chase them. A quick check-in every week or two keeps momentum going and means nothing sits waiting longer than it needs to.
Keep the chain moving. If you are buying onward, your buyer's timeline and your seller's timeline need to align. The more everyone is kept in the loop, the smoother it tends to go.
Expect it to take longer than you think. The average time from offer accepted to completion in England is currently around three to four months, sometimes longer in a chain. Build that expectation in from the start and the wait becomes much easier to manage.