How Long Should a Cash House Sale Take?
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Content Written By: Raphael Kaye - Last Updated: 16/04/2025
Selling to a cash house buyer is undoubtedly the fastest way to sell a house, especially when compared to the average listing to completion timeframe of around 4.2 months.
It's not really a contested point that cash buyers are considered the fastest and most preferential way to sell you home but there are still a range of option in this regard:
Open market cash buyers
Investor cash buyers
Cash house buying companies
So it can be difficult to understand the differences in the timeframes involved with each of these options.
In this article, we’ll break down how long it takes to sell a house for cash, what you can expect in terms of when the funds will arrive in your bank account, and explore the key factors that can impact the speed of your sale.
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How long does a cash buyer take to buy a house?
Selling your home to a cash buyer can significantly speed up the process, cutting down the total time from several months to weeks, even days.
There are typically three types of cash buyers; individuals buying on the open market, investors and professional cash buying companies, such as ourselves, The Property Buying Company.
All types of cash buyers eliminate the need for mortgage approval, a step that normally adds around four weeks to the timeline of a typical sale.
While individual cash buyers can speed up the sale process, they still need to undergo the standard conveyancing process, similar to any other buyer. This process takes between one to two months. As a result, the average time for an open market cash buyer to complete a purchase is about 10 weeks, which can be longer if the buyer is involved in a property chain.
Cash house buying companies on the other hand, often have dedicated relationships with solicitors, and in our case, we have a nationwide panel of conveyancers. This allows us to complete purchases quickly — sometimes in as little as 7 days.
I had been struggling to sell my house…
I had been struggling to sell my house for months with no luck. When I contacted The Property Buying Company, I was pleasantly surprised by their efficiency. The initial phone call was very informative, and they scheduled a valuation appointment within a few days. The representative who came to evaluate my property was punctual, professional, and answered all my questions. Within a week, I received a fair offer and the entire process from that point was smooth. I sold my house in less than a month, which was a huge relief. Highly recommend their services!
Date of experience: July 28th, 2024
So, how long should it take to complete?
As mentioned, no chain buyers on the open market usually complete a house sale within an average of 10 weeks.
Cash house buying companies are always chain free and can buy your house in as little as 7 days. At The Property Buying Company, most of our sellers prefer to take 2 to 3 weeks to sell, which allows us to complete within that same timeframe.
| Step | Standard Sale | Open Market (Cash Buyer) | Investor (Cash Buyer) | Cash House Buying Company |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Receiving cash offer | 38 Days | 38 Days | Within 24 hours | Within 24 hours |
| Property assessment | 7-21 Days | 7-21 Days | 7 Days | 1-2 Days |
| Legal process & checks | 70 Days | 45 Days (reduces by an average of 25 days due to mortgage, according to Lloyds) | 30 Days | 5-10 Days |
| Completion | 129 Days | 97 Days | 38 Days | 7 Days |
| Explanation | The initial time to sell, arranging a RICs survey and mortgage approval process add significant time compared to cash buyers. | Generally less experienced and don't have all the required relationships with fast solicitors to move quickly, you will still have to list on the open market and wait the average sale time. The saving is made on mortgage approval in the legal process. | They are likely to have relationship with surveying companies and solicitors that can speed up the process. | We can operate quick, we have priority with surveyor and solicitors due to the amount of volume we can pass. |
How long does it take to receive cash?
When you exchange and complete, we will release the funds from your house sale immediately. Depending on which bank you use, the money could take a couple of days to transfer, or it could happen instantly.
We are one of the fastest cash house buying companies in the UK, providing an initial offer in 24 hours, and then complete within the same week.
What house selling method takes the longest?
The longest method of selling a house in the UK is the DIY approach, where the average selling time can range from 6 to 12 months. This method heavily relies on how well your house is marketed and priced. If your house is not listed correctly or marketed effectively, the process could take even longer.
Similarly, selling via a private house sale can also take 6 to 12 months. Both DIY and private sales prevent you from advertising on major property portals like Zoopla or Rightmove, forcing you to rely on alternatives such as local newspapers, Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace. Unfortunately, this increases the likelihood of attracting “window shoppers” rather than serious buyers.
On the open market, the longest selling method is through traditional or online estate agents, where sales usually take between 3 to 6 months. Traditional estate agents handle most of the work for you, but their services come with higher fees.
Online estate agents, while more affordable, require you to do much of the legwork. They will list your house on platforms like Rightmove and Zoopla, but if you need additional support, you’ll need to pay for extra service packages upfront.
Zoopla provide a great guide on the timeline of buying a home in the traditional way (going through an estate agent) with a breakdown of each stage.
Is buying a house with cash quicker?
When compared to private house sales, DIY selling, and using traditional or online estate agents, selling to a cash buyer is significantly faster. In fact, selling to a cash buyer can be up to 52 times quicker than a DIY or private sale and 26 times faster than selling through an estate agent.
You don't just have to take our word for it either, one of the largest estate agents in the UK, Hunters have also stated the benefits of how a cash buyer can speed up the process.
The pros & cons of selling to a cash buyer
Hopefully, by reading through all of the above, you know that selling to a cash buyer is far quicker, and although we have highlighted most of the pros, there are cons too.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| The process is far faster due to cutting out mortgage | You will likely get a lower than market value offer for your property - cash buyers know they are in a good position! |
| There's also less potential for it to fall through, with less legal steps | Apart from the mortgage step, they still require all the legal checks |
| There's no complication of having a property chain | Make sure there funds are liquid, a lot of people say they are cash buyers but will potentially require a bridging loan for example |
If you want to learn more about cash house buyers in general, outside of just the timeframes, then it may be worth exploring our in-depth cash house buying page.
How quickly can The Property Buying Company buy my house?
At The Property Buying Company, we can buy your house for cash in as little as 7 days. In some cases, depending on your circumstances and requirements, we can also help you complete the house sale within that 7 day window. This means that from the moment you agree to sell to us, you could have the transaction fully completed, and the funds transferred, within just a week.
However, many homeowners prefer a slightly longer timeframe to allow themselves time to find onward accommodation and manage the logistics of their move. We’re flexible and can work around your timeline.
What is the quickest a house sale can be completed?
While we usually say we can complete a sale in as little as 7 days, the fastest transaction we’ve ever completed was within just one day! This was a test to see how efficiently our team of solicitors, sales progressors and consultants could work together. Although this isn’t the norm, it does demonstrate our ability to complete extremely fast sales if necessary.
If you require an urgent house sale, such as if you are facing repossession, relocation or any other pressing circumstances, get in touch with our team. We may be able to accommodate your needs and speed up the process to suit your situation.
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What can slow down a cash house sale?
In a cash sale, the process is generally a lot faster since there is no need for mortgage approval or waiting for the house to sell on the open market. But, there are still some factors that can slow it down.
Conveyancing delays
Conveyancing involves the legal transfer of property ownership from the seller to the buyer. This includes property checks, drafting contracts and making sure all legalities are covered.
Conveyancing can cause 4 to 6 week delays if there are issues with miscommunication between solicitors, lack of availability of required documents or parties involved, or slow responses from third parties (such as mortgage lenders, or local authorities).
Using The Property Buying Company helps mitigate conveyancing delays, by offering the assistance of their panel of solicitors, who are experienced in fast house transactions. Our solicitors have streamlined processes that allows them to avoid unnecessary delays, and focus on the essential legalities associated with cash sales.
Local search issues
Local authority searches check for any potential issues related to the property, such as planning permissions, flood risks, roadworks or building regulations.
Some local authorities can take longer to process search requests, and sometimes potential issues uncovered need further investigation. All of which can extend the process by 6 weeks or more.
Because we are familiar with various locations, we may bypass the need for extensive local authority searches in certain cases, especially if we already have knowledge of the area, or if we are prepared to accept the level of risk. In some cases, we may use Indemnity Insurance to cover potential risks instead of waiting for local authority search results.
Leasehold properties
A leasehold property means that the buyer will own the property but not the land, which is owned by a freeholder. There are usually terms in the lease regarding service charges, ground rent, and rules for the property.
Leasehold documentation can be more complicated, with the need to review the lease, ground rent, service charges and any management company agreements.
The freeholder and managing agents may be slow to provide necessary information, and there may be issues with extending the lease or disputes over service charges. Leasehold related issues can add 4 to 6 weeks to the process.
We are familiar with buying leasehold properties, including understanding complex lease agreements, service charges, and freeholder issues. Here, at The Property Buying Company, we have established contacts with freeholders or management companies, allowing us to speed up the process of obtaining essential documents and negotiating any lease issues.
Additionally, because we are buying your property for investment purposes, we are less likely to be deterred by lease complexities that may stall a private buyer.
Difficult tenants in situ
If a house is sold with tenants in situ, there can be challenges with ensuring the tenants leave the property or comply with the terms of the sale.
Tenants may refuse to leave, which may require legal action or negotiation. Notice periods (under Assured Shorthold Tenancies) can delay vacant possession. Tenants may not allow access for viewings or surveys. If tenants are uncooperative, legal processes to evict them or resolve issues can take 6 to 12 weeks or longer, depending on the tenancy agreement.
The Property Buying is willing to buy houses with tenants in situ. Which is particularly beneficial in cases where private buyers may have demanded vacant possession instead. Because we are experienced in dealing with tenants, we can either manage the tenancy after the purchase or work with the tenants directly to make sure there is compliance with the sale terms.
Why choose us?
We are the UK’s most highly rated cash house buyer, which means we make sure our customers are protected at every stage of the buying process, following all regulations and industry standards to safeguard your interests. We pride ourselves on building strong relationships with our clients, allocating only one property consultant to your case.
This means you will have a dedicated point of contact throughout, providing consistency and personalised support.
Not only are we one of the UK’s most trusted cash buyers, but we also bring over 13 years of practical experience in the cash buying industry. Our team, with more than 100 years of combined expertise, knows the market inside out, allowing us to guide you through a quick, efficient and transparent process.
We recognise that selling your house can feel daunting, which is why we prioritise your peace of mind, offering support and guidance at every step. Not only this, but we will do all of it for free – meaning you will never have to pay a penny.
Want to find out more? Or maybe you want to make the leap and sell in as little as 7 days, whatever it is, fill out our postcode form below!
FAQs
Do cash house buyers still need a solicitor?
Yes, it's the exact same as a normal process with solicitors, apart from not requiring the redemption of a mortgage.
They may have solicitors they regularly work with, have their details on file and even prioritise them, allowing them to move quicker.
If there paying in cash, will they still want a survey doing?
Potentially, that is completely up to the buyer.
Although usually, as standard, mortgage companies will require you to get a survey on the property, a restriction they of course don't have.
How fast is too fast, should I be cautious?
It would be hypocritical of us to say that any speed is too fast, but we would advise to work at your own speed.
We often find a lot of the time that our sellers aren't quite ready enough to move as fast as sometimes we would like, and that's completely fine. You should never feel rushed. Choose a buyer that is transparent about timelines and flexible to accommodate your requirements.
Is there anything else I should be aware of with cash buyers?
You're likely to get a lower price; they are in a leveraged position compared to normal buyers, and they know it. You also want to make sure that they actually have the cash. Anyone can turn up to your home and tell you that they have the cash in order to get a better price on your property, but make sure they are able to prove it's readily available and they won't need a mortgage.
If you are dealing with a cash house buying company, make sure they are members of The Property Ombudsman & The National Association of Property Buyers.
Edit Log
16/04/2025 - Content edited by Raphael Kaye
16/04/2025 - Content updated in line with Editorial Guidelines (Reviewed by Mathew McCorry)
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