Buy a home in England from offer to completion

Use this guide once your offer on a home in England or Wales has been accepted, or just before you make one. Have your mortgage agreement in principle, your savings figures and the estate agent's details to hand. Scotland and Northern Ireland use different buying systems, so check local rules if you are buying there.

Step by step

1. Confirm the offer in writing and set conditions

   Email the estate agent to confirm the price, what is included (for example carpets, curtains or appliances), your intended timescale and your position (first-time buyer, chain-free, or selling). Ask them to take the property off the market; they do not have to, but many sellers agree. Wording that works: 'Please confirm in writing that our offer of [amount] has been accepted subject to contract and survey, and that the property will be marked as sold subject to contract.' Remember that nothing is legally binding in England until contracts are exchanged.