Once all of the searches have been completed, the contracts have been drawn up and the solicitors are happy to proceed, it is time to exchange contracts. This means that the sale is now legally binding and you cannot pull out of the sale without losing your deposit. Once you have exchanged you also choose a time to complete the sale. You can exchange and complete on the same day but this is quite unusual as most people need time between exchanging and completing to book removal vans and sort out logistics.
Usually you get the keys to your new house after lunch time on the day of completion. This gives the old owners time to move out and clean before they leave.
On the morning of completion, your solicitor will transfer the rest of the money from your mortgage advisor to the vendor. They will also pay your stamp duty (you will either have
paid this to your solicitor already or they will bill you after)
Check out our online mortgage comparison tool for the best rates and deals available for mortgages
Please feel free to leave a comment about this page
Was this page useful? Do you have something to add? Do you disagree?
If your comments meet our
guidelines then we will publish them (you do not need to register!)
Or why not tell a friend and email
this
page to someone