How Long Does It Really Take to Move?
How Long Does It Really Take to Move?
New Figures Put the North East Ahead
Ask most people how long it takes to move house and they will give you a number that turns out, in practice, to be optimistic. New analysis from Rightmove puts some hard figures against it — and there is at least some good news for anyone selling in this part of the country.
The headline numbers
Across Great Britain, the full process now takes an average of 216 days for a seller: 62 days to find a buyer, then a further 154 days to get from agreed sale to completion. That is the longest the whole process has taken at this point in the year on record.
The regional variation is striking. London is the slowest region in Great Britain, averaging 174 days from agreed sale to completion — close to six months, and the joint-longest figure for London at this time of year in Rightmove's records, which go back to 2012.
The North East, by contrast, is the fastest region in England at 141 days. That is 33 days quicker than London — more than a month of difference, on the same transaction, for reasons that have nothing to do with the property itself.
Scotland is faster still, at 98 days, largely because of a different legal process that front-loads information through Home Reports and gives both sides certainty earlier. At a local level, Clackmannanshire completes fastest in Great Britain at 76 days, while Slough is the slowest at 229. Outside Scotland, North East Derbyshire leads at 120 days.
What this means for a Wynyard seller
A regional average is a blunt instrument, and Wynyard sits at the upper end of the North East market, where transactions have their own characteristics. Two are worth drawing out.
The first is property type. Rightmove found flats to be the slowest to complete, at 169 days, against 149 days for terraced and semi-detached houses — a difference largely down to leasehold complexity. Wynyard's housing stock is overwhelmingly houses rather than flats, which quietly removes one of the more common sources of delay before a sale even begins.
The second cuts the other way. Higher-value homes often sit within longer chains, and chain length is one of the principal causes of individual delays. A buyer for a substantial family home frequently has a substantial home of their own to sell first. That can offset the regional advantage entirely, and it is the single factor most worth managing carefully.
Why the process has slowed
It now takes 36 days longer to complete a move than it did in 2019 — a 31% increase, despite considerable advances in technology over the same period.
The reasons are structural rather than local. Alongside chain length, searches and leasehold, a significant driver is the caseload carried by conveyancers and other parties working through a process that remains fragmented and largely manual.
The consequences are real. Rightmove's earlier analysis found that 23% of transactions initially fall through, and around 6% fall through and do not return to the market within a year. Long timelines and uncertainty are a key cause — the longer a sale takes, the more opportunity there is for circumstances to change.
Rightmove's chief executive Johan Svanstrom has called the current 154-day completion wait "simply far too long", and the company supports the government's home-moving reforms, which aim to cut delays through earlier information sharing and greater digitisation.
The practical takeaway
If you are planning a move, work backwards. Seven months from listing to keys is the national average, and being realistic about that is more useful than hoping for better.
Instructing a solicitor early, having documentation ready before an offer is accepted, and understanding your buyer's own position are the three things most within a seller's control — and they make a measurable difference.
If you would like to talk through the likely timeline on a move in Wynyard, we are always happy to give you an honest picture.
Thinking of Buying or Selling in Wynyard?
If you’re looking for guidance on Wynyard’s property market, our team is here to help. No one can predict the future with certainty, but at Anthony Jones Properties, we’re committed to helping you make the best decisions.
For expert advice, call us today on 01740 807107.