Offer accepted weeks ago and nothing's happening. Is that normal?

How long should it take after an offer is accepted?

A clean sale with no chain often completes in around eight to twelve weeks. The realistic average across all sales is closer to twelve to twenty weeks, and figures gathered in 2026 put the typical run nearer twenty weeks once normal delays are counted. So a quiet few weeks after agreeing a sale is not a warning sign. It is the shape of almost every sale.

Why does it feel like nothing is happening?

Because most of the work is invisible to you. Searches are requests sent to the local council and other bodies, and the results can take around five weeks to come back. While everyone waits on those, there is genuinely little to report, so the phone stays quiet even though the sale is moving forward.

What is normal, and what is worth chasing?

What should I do while I wait?

1. 1. Confirm both solicitors are instructed

   The single best sign a sale is real is that both sides have instructed and paid a solicitor. If that has not happened weeks in, that is the first thing to fix.

2. 2. Check the buyer has applied for their mortgage

   Ask the agent to confirm the buyer has a mortgage application in, not just an agreement in principle. A submitted application is real commitment.

3. 3. Ask for a simple weekly update

   Request a short status note from the agent or solicitor once a week. You are entitled to know which stage you are at without chasing every day.

4. 4. Keep your own paperwork ready

   Have your ID, title documents and any guarantees or certificates to hand so you never become the reason for a delay.

5. 5. Do not run ahead of your buyer

   Lining up your solicitor early is cheap and sensible. Spending on big-ticket items or taking the home fully off the market before your buyer has committed money is the risk you control.

How do I protect myself if the sale is real but slow?

Read your buyer's commitment by what they have spent, not what they say. A solicitor instructed and paid, a survey booked and a mortgage application submitted are real money on the table. We love it is not. Around one in four agreed UK sales still fall through, so this matters.

Move in step with your buyer rather than ahead of them. It is fine to instruct your own solicitor early to keep momentum, but hold the larger costs and the decision to come fully off the market until your buyer has put their own money down. That keeps you safe without slowing the sale.

Where ValuQ fits in

A slow sale is easier to sit out when you started from a confident price. ValuQ is a UK platform that gives homeowners free, side-by-side property valuations from competing local estate agents, so you choose your agent and your asking price from a position of knowledge. The sale still belongs to you, and so does the timeline.