What happens after an offer is accepted on a house?

First: what “offer accepted” actually means

The seller has agreed to your proposed price and terms in principle. In England and Wales, the offer is not legally binding until contracts are exchanged. That means both buyer and seller can still withdraw before exchange, although doing so can have significant practical and financial consequences.

From this point, your purchase usually develops along three parallel tracks: legal work, mortgage/funding and survey/property checks.

Your first actions after the offer is accepted

1. Instruct a solicitor or licensed conveyancer. Give the estate agent their details so the legal teams can make contact.
2. Move from mortgage agreement in principle to the full application. Your lender will normally arrange a valuation and complete underwriting.
3. Arrange your own survey. A lender’s valuation is primarily for the lender; it is not the same as a survey of the property’s condition.
4. Prepare ID and source-of-funds evidence. Your conveyancer will need to complete regulatory checks and understand how the purchase is being funded.
5. Ask for the property to be treated as sold subject to contract. Discuss marketing/viewings with the estate agent if this has not already been agreed.

What happens in the legal process?

The seller’s side prepares the draft contract and supporting information. Your conveyancer reviews the title and contract papers, orders or reviews searches, considers your lender’s requirements and raises enquiries where information needs to be clarified.

The contract covers matters such as the sale price, boundaries, fixtures and fittings, legal rights/restrictions, planning matters, services and completion. Your conveyancer’s job is not simply to move paperwork; it is to help establish that the legal position is acceptable before you commit.

The three tracks that need to converge

You are usually ready to think seriously about exchange only when the important items across all three tracks are resolved.

What are searches?

Searches provide information that is not necessarily obvious from the property itself. Your conveyancer will usually arrange local authority, water/drainage and environmental searches after the offer is accepted. Depending on the property and lender, other searches may also be relevant.

Searches are different from your survey. The survey looks at the property’s physical condition; searches investigate legal, local and environmental information.

What are enquiries?

After reviewing the legal papers and other information, your conveyancer can ask the seller’s side questions. Enquiries may concern the title, searches, property information, mortgage requirements or other transaction details.

Some are answered quickly. Others depend on documents or third parties, which is why the enquiry stage can feel unpredictable.

When do you exchange contracts?

Exchange is the point at which the sale normally becomes legally binding in England and Wales. Before exchange, your conveyancer will want the necessary legal work resolved and you will normally need to be satisfied with the survey, mortgage/funding and completion arrangements.

A pre-exchange checklist may include completed searches and survey, a written mortgage offer, deposit funds and an agreed completion date, among other items.

What happens between exchange and completion?

After exchange, your conveyancer carries out the final steps needed for completion, including arranging funds and final legal checks. On completion day the purchase money is transferred to the seller’s conveyancer. Once completion is confirmed, the keys can be released and ownership passes to you.

Why the process can feel slow

A purchase is not one queue. Searches can be running while the mortgage is underwritten and the survey is taking place. Later, one unresolved item may hold up everything else. Common examples include missing leasehold information, unanswered enquiries, mortgage conditions, chain coordination and survey problems.

When you ask for an update, ask what is outstanding before exchange rather than simply asking whether the purchase is “progressing”.

Important geographical note

This guide describes the process in England and Wales. Scotland uses a different legal process, and Northern Ireland has its own guidance. If you are buying outside England and Wales, use advice and guidance specific to that jurisdiction.