Conveyancing confuses most buyers because so much of it happens behind the scenes between solicitors. You hear nothing for weeks, then suddenly everything needs to happen at once. Knowing the stages helps you push things along and ask the right questions at the right time.\n\nChoosing a Solicitor — You can use a traditional high-street solicitor or a licensed conveyancer. Online conveyancing firms often charge less (typically 800 to 1,200 pounds plus disbursements for a straightforward purchase) but can be harder to reach by phone. Check they are on your mortgage lender's approved panel, otherwise you will need to instruct a second firm for the lender's work, doubling your costs.\n\nPre-Contract Stage — Your solicitor orders local authority searches (environmental, drainage, planning history), examines the title deeds for any restrictions or covenants, and raises enquiries with the seller's solicitor about boundaries, disputes, guarantees for any building work, and included fixtures. This stage takes four to eight weeks and is where most delays occur because sellers are slow to answer enquiries.\n\nMortgage Offer — Your lender issues a formal mortgage offer after their valuation. The offer is typically valid for six months. Your solicitor reviews the mortgage conditions and reports to you on the terms. If anything in the searches or title concerns the lender, they may impose additional conditions (such as indemnity insurance for a missing building regulations certificate).\n\nExchange of Contracts — This is the point of no return. Both buyer and seller are legally committed. You pay the deposit (usually 10% of the purchase price, held by the seller's solicitor). A completion date is agreed, typically two to four weeks after exchange but sometimes on the same day. Pulling out after exchange means forfeiting your deposit.\n\nCompletion — Your solicitor requests the mortgage funds from your lender, adds your deposit, and transfers the full amount to the seller's solicitor. Once the seller's solicitor confirms receipt, the keys are released. Your solicitor then pays stamp duty to HMRC (within 14 days), registers the transfer with the Land Registry, and sends you the final paperwork. Land Registry registration can take several weeks, sometimes months, but this does not affect your ownership.