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    Our website is used for educational purposes only and may contain errors or inaccurate information. No information displayed throughout our website amounts to legal, financial or other related professional advice. Please contact an appropriate professional should you require specific advice in relation to your property purchase.

    BoE base rate · Updated

    Your free guide to
    buying a home
    in the UK

    Buying a home is one of the biggest steps you'll take - your own little world. From offer accepted to keys in hand, Home Ready sets out the main steps in plain English, with illustrative mortgage rates, a professional directory and free search analysis.

    Guides cover home buying in the UK. The stamp duty calculator uses England and Northern Ireland SDLT. Scotland uses LBTT and Wales uses LTT.

    Start the TimelineMortgage Calculator
    Always freeNo data soldIndependent
    British home with a Home Ready sold sign - floating island illustration

    How it works

    Six milestones from the nine-stage buying timeline, from offer accepted to completion.

    01
    Day 0
    Offer accepted
    02
    Day 1-3
    Instruct solicitor
    03
    Wk 2-4
    Mortgage & survey
    04
    Wk 4-8
    Searches complete
    05
    Wk 10-14
    Exchange contracts
    06
    Wk 12-16
    Completion day
    CompletedIn progressUpcoming
    Full nine-stage timeline

    Tools

    Stamp duty, buying costs, area lookup, Price Paid records, deposit and LTV, and an illustrative mortgage calculator.

    Stamp duty England & NI

    Illustrative Stamp Duty Land Tax for a residential purchase in England or Northern Ireland.

    Stamp duty calculator

    Buying costs UK ranges

    Illustrative ranges for conveyancing, searches, surveys, removals and stamp duty.

    Cost breakdown

    Area lookup UK postcode

    Published crime figures, nearby schools and transport links for a UK postcode.

    Area lookup

    Price Paid England & Wales

    Published sold prices from HM Land Registry Price Paid records for a postcode in England or Wales.

    Price Paid explorer

    Deposit and LTV Illustration

    An illustration of the deposit, the loan amount and the loan-to-value from a property price.

    Deposit and LTV

    Mortgage calculator BoE-based rates

    Illustrative monthly payments from a property price, a deposit, a term and an interest rate.

    Mortgage calculator

    Analyse search documents Search PDF

    A plain-English summary of a local authority, environmental or water search PDF.

    Analyse search documents
    “
    Why we built this
    Buying a home need not require a degree to understand. We built Home Ready to be a clear, honest guide that walks you through the buying process, at your own pace, without the upsell.
    The Home Ready team
    Independent · Always free · No data sold
    120days
    roughly the average from accepted offer to completion (MHCLG, June 2026)
    7-28days
    the usual gap between exchange and completion (MoneyHelper, checked Oct 2026)
    80+
    homebuying terms explained in plain English in the jargon buster

    A few things about the buying process

    An Agreement in Principle (AIP) shows estate agents and sellers that a lender has provisionally agreed to lend to you
    The legal work starts once a solicitor or conveyancer is instructed, which is usually after an offer is accepted
    A Level 2 (HomeBuyer) survey is the most common choice - Level 3 (full structural) is typically used for older or unusual properties
    Buying costs such as solicitor fees, surveys and stamp duty typically add 1.5-3% on top of the purchase price
    Local authority searches can reveal planning applications, conservation areas and other factors that may affect a property
    Lenders usually re-check finances close to completion, so changes like new credit or job moves during the process can affect a mortgage offer

    How this site works

    We think it's important you understand what Home Ready is - and isn't. We're a free, independent educational toolkit for people buying and owning a home in the UK. We aim to explain the process clearly and give useful tools and estimates, but we can't guarantee to be perfect - so you use the information at your own risk, and we can't accept liability if things go wrong.

    • The content on this site is for general education only. It is not legal, financial, mortgage or other professional advice, and we are not authorised by the FCA. Always get advice tailored to your circumstances from a qualified, regulated professional before acting.
    • Our calculators and figures are illustrative estimates - rates, costs and reliefs change and vary by provider, so always confirm the specifics yourself.
    • We sometimes link to other websites (such as the FCA Register); we can't be responsible for their content.
    • Home Ready is free to use and we do not sell your data. We don't currently earn anything from the site - no advertising, no referral fees - and if that ever changes, we'll say so clearly here.
    • Information can go out of date - we aim for accuracy when we publish, but can't guarantee it.