Completed today! Our timeline as FTBs. South East
Edit: *Moved in today, completed 2 days ago. Clearly tired but excited :D
Long time lurker here. Can’t believe I’m posting this.
So we had very strict criteria for a home, needed to be semi detached, new build (this one unexpectedly came onto the market as sellers were relocating having only bought it 2 years ago as a new build from the developer), freehold and within walking distance of the station and town centre AND in an area we liked.
+ Needed to be under an hour from central London.
Fell in love with and put an offer on the only property that met all criteria (yes, the only property we viewed because we didn’t even bother viewing others that we didn’t like). Unusual, and did make us a bit nervous but we simply stopped looking as we knew we’d found the place.
What clinched the deal was it is 1 min walk from the riverside.
Completed two days ago, moved in today and writing this sitting on our sofa with a glass of bubbly.
Viewing - 6/12/25
After negotiation, offer accepted 7k under offer at £468k- 10/12/25
Mortgage secured - 16/12/25
L2 Survey - 16/01/26
Draft contract pack received - 19/02/26
Second viewing - 21/02/26
Revised mortgage interest rate at lower rate- 24/02/26
Searches + responses to further enquiries came back - 02/04/26
Pre-exchange viewing - 22/04/26
Exchange of contracts - 23/04/2026
Completion!! - 14/05/2026
The previous homeowners were lovely, met them at every viewing and they kept the house immaculate.
Feeling really lucky! Proof that you don’t have to settle for something that doesn’t feel right, when the times right the right home will come 🙂