Buying, stage by stage
Timescales are typical rather than fixed. Every purchase moves at its own pace.
Timescale: Before you start looking
You: Get in touch with a member firm
Your solicitor estate agent: Explains how it works in your area
Starting here saves time later. A solicitor estate agent can tell you what’s realistic in the area you’re looking, how competitive it’s likely to be, and what you’ll need in place before you can offer. It also means someone is ready to act the moment you find something.
Timescale: 1-2 weeks
You: Speak to a mortgage adviser
Your solicitor estate agent: Factors your budget into the search
Get an agreement in principle from a lender before you start viewing. It tells you what you can borrow and shows sellers you’re serious – in a competitive area, that matters. Remember to budget beyond the purchase price: LBTT, legal fees and removals all need covering.
Mortgage advice is regulated. Speak to a qualified adviser about your own circumstances.
Timescale: Varies widely
You: Register with your local SPC and view properties
Your solicitor estate agent: Flags suitable properties, arranges viewings
Register for alerts with the centre covering your area so you hear about new listings early. Viewings are usually arranged through the selling firm. Go and see plenty – it’s the fastest way to work out what you actually want.
Timescale: Before you offer
You: Read it properly
Your solicitor estate agent: Explains what it means for your offer
Every property marketed in Scotland must have a Home Report. It contains a single survey and valuation, an energy report, and a property questionnaire filled in by the seller. It’s free to request from the selling firm.
The valuation matters because most lenders will lend against it rather than the price you agree. If you offer well above it, you may need to cover the difference yourself.
Timescale: Days
You: Decide your figure
Your solicitor estate agent: Submits the offer formally
Offers in Scotland are made in writing by your solicitor. A verbal offer isn’t binding on anyone.
Most properties are marketed at “offers over” a set figure, which is a starting point rather than a guide to what it’ll sell for. If several buyers are interested, the selling firm may set a closing date – a deadline for everyone to submit their best offer at once. You get one shot, so your solicitor estate agent’s read on the local market is worth a lot here.
Note your interest early. It means you’ll be told if a closing date is set.
Timescale: 2–6 weeks
You: Submit your full application
Your solicitor estate agent: Works to your lender’s timescale
Once your offer is accepted, the agreement in principle becomes a full application. Your lender will instruct their own valuation, usually relying on the Home Report. This is often the stage that sets the pace of everything else.
Timescale: 2–8 weeks
You: Approve the terms
Your solicitor estate agent: Negotiates and concludes
Missives are the formal letters between your solicitor and the seller’s. They cover the price, the date of entry, what’s included, and any conditions on either side. When missives conclude, you have a binding contract – this is the point of no return in Scotland, and it happens earlier than it does in England.
Timescale: 1–4 weeks
You: Book removals, arrange insurance, redirect post
Your solicitor estate agent: Handles the funds and the title
Between conclusion and the date of entry, your solicitor transfers the funds, registers the title and deals with LBTT. On the day, keys are released once the money has arrived. Arrange buildings insurance from the date of entry – you’re responsible for the property from that point.
How offers work in Scotland
If you’re moving from elsewhere in the UK, this is the part that works most differently.
Offers over means the advertised price is a minimum, not a guide. What a property actually sells for depends on demand, and in some areas that gap is significant. Your solicitor estate agent will tell you what similar properties have been going for.
Noting interest tells the selling firm you’re serious. It costs nothing and means you’ll be told if a closing date is set.
A closing date is a deadline for best offers. Everyone submits once, in writing, by a set time. There’s usually no second round.
Nothing is binding until missives conclude – but once they do, both sides are committed. There’s no equivalent of pulling out at the last minute without consequence.
What it costs to buy
Beyond the purchase price, budget for:
- LBTT – Land and Buildings Transaction Tax, set by the Scottish Government and calculated on the purchase price. If you’re buying an additional property, the Additional Dwelling Supplement applies on top.
- Legal fees – your solicitor estate agent’s fee for the conveyancing.
- Registration dues – for registering the title in your name.
- Mortgage costs – arrangement fees and any lender valuation.
- Removals and practicalities – including buildings insurance from the date of entry.
Buying in Scotland from elsewhere in the UK
The main differences: the seller provides a survey and valuation up front in the Home Report, so you don’t commission your own. Offers are made in writing through a solicitor. Properties are usually advertised at “offers over” rather than a fixed asking price. And the contract becomes binding when missives conclude, which is earlier in the process than exchange in England and Wales.
If you’re not sure which part of Scotland you’ll end up in, start with the map – each centre covers a defined area.