Back to blog
Buying & selling
First-time buyer in the UK: the 2026 checklist
QuoteMyMove 20 January 2026 7 min read
Twelve steps from 'thinking about it' to keys-in-hand. The most useful first-time buyer checklist on the internet.
Buying your first home in the UK is genuinely complicated — there are around 14 separate professionals involved, and any of them can stall the process. This checklist follows the path roughly in order.
- Get a realistic deposit target. 10% is the common minimum; 15–25% unlocks much better rates.
- Get a Decision in Principle (DIP) from a whole-of-market broker — this is a soft credit check.
- Set your budget: deposit + stamp duty + survey + conveyancing + moving + 3 months of contingency.
- Register with 3–5 estate agents per area; tell them your DIP amount up front.
- View 10–20 properties before offering. Take photos, notes and video.
- Make a competitive but realistic offer in writing; ask for it to be removed from market.
- Offer accepted? Instruct conveyancing the same week — every day matters in a chain.
- Book a RICS Level 2 (modern) or Level 3 (period) survey within 2 weeks.
- Finalise your mortgage application — the formal offer takes 2–6 weeks.
- Searches return; sign and pay deposit; aim to exchange contracts (legally binding).
- Confirm building insurance to start at exchange (legally required even before moving in).
- Book a approved removal company; complete; collect keys; pour a celebratory cuppa.
Ready to move?
