Buying a home in England and Wales can feel like an endurance test.
Months often pass between an offer being accepted and contracts being exchanged, leaving buyers and sellers vulnerable to delays, changing circumstances and deals falling apart at the last minute.
It is a system that stands in stark contrast to many other countries, where delays can be less frequent with buyers commiting financially much earlier in the process to avoid things going wrong.
Shorts
Property professionals say the result is a market where transactions are faster, buyers have greater certainty and sellers are less likely to see deals collapse after months of waiting.
