My buyer hasn't ordered searches. Should I worry?

Waiting on a buyer can feel like staring at a phone that will not ring. Searches are often the first thing a seller checks for, because they are a visible sign that money is being spent and the sale is real. Before you read silence as bad news, it helps to know when searches are actually meant to happen, and what a genuine warning sign looks like next to a normal delay.

What are property searches, and when are they ordered?

A local authority search is a set of checks the buyer's solicitor runs with the council and other bodies to uncover anything that affects the property, such as planning decisions, road schemes, drainage and local land charges. They are ordered by the buyer's solicitor, not the buyer directly, and only after two things have happened: the solicitor has been formally instructed and the buyer has paid money on account to cover the cost. That is why searches rarely appear in the first week or two.

Is it normal for searches to be delayed?

Often, yes. The early weeks of a sale are taken up with the buyer choosing a solicitor, the contract pack being prepared and sent, and the buyer transferring funds on account. Any of these can run slow without the buyer having second thoughts. The difference that matters is whether the groundwork is being done at all.

How long do searches take once ordered?

Once ordered, the wait depends almost entirely on the council. The national average turnaround is about 10 working days, with a median of 8, but the range is wide: roughly a third of councils return results within 5 working days, while around 1 in 11 take longer than 20 working days. Some areas can take six to eight weeks. None of that is the buyer's fault, and it is worth knowing so a council backlog does not get mistaken for a cold buyer.

How do I tell if my buyer is actually committed?

The honest way to read a buyer is by what they have spent and instructed, not by how enthusiastic they sound. Money committed is hard to fake. The strongest signs of a real buyer are practical, paid-for actions:

• A solicitor formally instructed and paid money on account.
• Searches ordered (the very thing you are waiting for).
• A mortgage application submitted, not just an agreement in principle.
• A survey booked or already carried out.
• Straight answers, through the agent, about where they are in the process.

Set against that, "we love it" on its own is interest, not commitment. Around 1 in 4 agreed UK sales fall through, so reading commitment by actions rather than words is simply protecting yourself.

What should I do right now?

1. 1. Ask your agent for a factual update

   Ask specifically whether the buyer has instructed a solicitor and paid on account, not just whether they are still keen.

2. 2. Get your own pack moving

   Make sure your solicitor has sent the contract pack quickly, because searches cannot be ordered until the buyer's side receives it.

3. 3. Confirm the buyer's mortgage is progressing

   Check that a full mortgage application has gone in, since lenders and searches often run in parallel and one waits on the other.

4. 4. Move in step with the buyer, not ahead

   Match your pace to theirs; lining up your own solicitor early is cheap and keeps momentum, which is fine to do now.

5. 5. Hold the big spends and the market decision

   Wait until the buyer has put their own money down before paying for extra information packs or taking your home fully off the market.

How do I keep control while I wait?

Keep your side faultless and let the buyer's spending tell you how real they are. You stay safest by moving with them, not running ahead and exposing yourself before they have committed. ValuQ gives UK homeowners free, side-by-side property valuations from competing local estate agents, so if a sale does stall you can quickly see what your home is worth today and re-enter the market from a position of knowledge rather than panic.