Buying guide · 2026
Buying a home is one of the biggest things you'll ever do. This is the plain version — no estate-agent spin. Know every step, what it costs, and how long it actually takes.
Or read the full step list ↓Before you start
You can afford roughly 4 to 4.5 times your annual income as a mortgage, plus your deposit. So a couple earning £40,000 each can usually borrow somewhere around £320,000–£360,000.
Deposit
Most lenders ask for at least 5% of the purchase price. 10% gets you noticeably better rates and more lender choice.
Costs on top (~3%)
Stamp duty, legal fees, surveys, and moving costs. On a £300,000 home, budget around £9,000 over and above the deposit.
Mortgage in Principle
A free, no-commitment indication from a lender, usually sorted in 24 hours. Our explainer walks you through it.
The seven steps
Every UK property purchase moves through the same seven stages. Click a step to read what happens, how long it takes, and what it costs.
Step 1 of 7
You can search Woosh, Rightmove, Zoopla, OnTheMarket. Filter by location, price, and bedrooms. Save the ones you like.
Then book viewings. Go more than once if you're serious. Visit at different times of day. Check water pressure, mobile signal, and what the road's like at school pickup.
If something's wrong — damp, weird smells, big cracks — walk away. There's always another house.
Step 2 of 7
Once you've found one, you offer. Usually you go in below asking, but in hot markets you might need to match or beat it.
Offers are made through the seller's agent (or directly via Woosh). The agent will check you're "proceedable" — meaning you have your mortgage in principle and a deposit ready.
If the seller accepts, congrats. You're now STC (Sold Subject to Contract). Nothing's legally binding yet — either side can pull out — but the property usually comes off the market.
Step 3 of 7
Two things start in parallel now.
Your mortgage: turn that Mortgage in Principle into a full application. The lender will do a proper affordability check and valuation. This usually takes 2–4 weeks.
Your solicitor (conveyancer): they handle the legal side. They check the title, run searches, raise enquiries, and eventually transfer the money. Pick one early. Cost: typically £1,000–£2,000 including disbursements.
Step 4 of 7
You're spending hundreds of thousands on a house. Pay £400–£900 for a survey to check it isn't falling down.
There are three levels:
If the survey turns up problems, you can renegotiate the price or pull out.
Step 5 of 7
Your solicitor does this. They:
This is the slowest stage. It's also where chains break. Stay in touch with your solicitor weekly.
Step 6 of 7
Once everything's clean and your mortgage offer is in, both solicitors exchange contracts. This is the moment it becomes legally binding. You pay your deposit (usually 10%) and agree a completion date — typically 1–4 weeks later.
If you back out after exchange, you lose your deposit.
Step 7 of 7
The remaining money moves. Your solicitor pays stamp duty. You collect the keys from the estate agent. You officially own a home.
Open a bottle of something nice.
How Woosh shortens this
Most of the time wasted in a property purchase is people waiting on people. Your solicitor's chasing the seller's solicitor. The agent's chasing the buyer. Nobody knows whose turn it is.
Buyer, seller, agents, conveyancers, mortgage brokers, surveyors — all on a shared timeline. No dropped emails, no "waiting on the other side".
Everyone can see what's outstanding, what's done, and whose turn it is. Chains move faster when there's nowhere to hide.
Every document, every milestone, every conversation in one place. No phoning your solicitor for updates that should already be in your inbox.
Common questions
The legal minimum on a standard mortgage is 5% of the purchase price. On a £250,000 home that's £12,500. A 10% deposit unlocks better mortgage rates and more lender choice. Smaller schemes (5% government-backed, shared ownership) exist but tighten income requirements.
The UK average from offer accepted to keys in hand is 12–16 weeks. Chain-free purchases are quicker (8–10 weeks). Long chains and leasehold properties can take 20+ weeks. The slowest stage is almost always local authority searches.
No, but you'll need one before any offer is taken seriously. Most estate agents won't pass your offer to the seller without proof. A Mortgage in Principle is free, takes about 24 hours, and is a soft credit check — no impact on your score.
Budget roughly 3% of the purchase price for stamp duty (less if you're a first-time buyer under £500k), legal fees (£1,000–£2,000), a survey (£400–£900), and moving costs (£300–£3,000 depending on the move).
Yes, up to the moment of exchange. Either side can walk away with no legal penalty — though you'll usually have spent on a survey and legal fees by then. After exchange, pulling out as a buyer means losing your 10% deposit.
Start with the property. Or start with the mortgage. Either way, do it on one platform.
