For anyone looking to avoid a property chain, selling your house first, before buying a new home is a key consideration. There are lots of factors that will determine whether you should sell first or find a property before you put yours on the market.
For example, the local property market trends and your personal circumstances will be important in making the decision. If you are selling in Stratford and there are few local properties on the market right now, you will be in a strong seller position.
On the flip side, if you are looking for property in an area like Seven Kings or Redbridge, and there are not many properties coming onto the market, it could take you a while to find the right property. If you don’t want to be living in temporary accommodation for the foreseeable, it may be better to find a property first.
The time of year can also influence whether it is better to sell first and then wait until a better time of year to buy your next property. For example, you could sell your property around autumn but wait to look for a property in January when the property market tends to be more buoyant after the festive slump.
There are plenty of reasons why you should sell before you buy a new home:
Buying and selling at the same time?
Here are 10 things that could go wrong, and often do go wrong, and what, if anything, you can do to avoid them.
Buying and selling at the same time?
Here are 10 things that could go wrong, and often do go wrong, and what, if anything, you can do to avoid them.
There are also some disadvantages to consider before you decide to sell without finding another home:
Want to feel prepared before you sell? Discover property chain problems and avoiding key survey problems.
Another way to avoid a chain is buying a property before you sell. This is only open to you if you can afford to buy a second home, secure two mortgages or take out a bridge loan. But it will buy you the time to move at a more relaxed pace.
These are some of the main benefits of buying a house before you sell:
These are the disadvantaged of buying before selling:
If you decide to sell before buying, there will be two different processes to follow, the selling process and later the buying process.
These are the steps involved in selling your home before buying:
The first step is to get your property ready for the sale, this includes decluttering, fixing any minor issues and ensuring the property looks its best to attract potential buyers.
Decide which estate agent to use to sell your property and they will put the property on the market for you, arrange viewings and negotiate offers.
When you receive an offer that you are happy with, you can instruct your estate agent to accept it. As you are not in a rush to move into a new property, you can take your time to wait for higher offers rather than accepting the first decent offer.
You will need to use a solicitor to handle the legal work involved in selling your property, including the exchange of contracts and transfer of funds into your account.
The last step of the selling process is to move into your temporary accommodation while you look for your next property. Once you have sold your house, you now have time to find a new house, arrange a mortgage and not have the worry of the chain falling through.
Remember that, while the term ‘chain’ makes it seem like a long and precarious process, the average UK chain length is only three transactions.
Chains can break. You can’t always do anything about it, but you can do your best to keep your part of the chain moving smoothly:
As a buyer, you pay a deposit to the seller – usually 10% of the purchase price – when you exchange contracts. It’s normal practice for only the first buyer in a chain pay the deposit and for this to be passed up the chain.
If, as a second-time buyer, you are upsizing, 10% of your purchase price is likely to be higher than the deposit paid by the first person in the chain. This is not normally an issue, but some sellers and their solicitors may demand the full 10% from you – so you need to be prepared to come up with the funds at exchange.
Want to feel prepared before you sell? Explore the process of selling a house and our tips for selling your house.
If you have a mortgage and decide to move house, you can usually take it with you to the next property, increasing, or decreasing, the sum borrowed as necessary. This is known as porting your mortgage. If you decide to sell your home before you buy and move into rented accommodation, you may need to pay an early redemption fee to your lender – so it’s a good idea to talk to them at an early stage.
If you need to take out a new mortgage, do your research to find the best deals and lowest interest rates based on how much you will receive for selling your current home. You can use an online mortgage calculator to get an idea of how much you will be able to borrow to buy a house.
Renting while you search for your dream home will add to your costs and mean moving twice but is often worthwhile for the other advantages that come with selling before you buy. While you may find yourself tied into a lengthy contract, it is usually possible to find short-term lets, which may be cheaper – see if you can do a deal with an Airbnb or holiday home owner if you’re renting off-season. Alternatively, ask around in case family of friends can put you up.
The decision of whether to sell your home before buying, or vice versa, really is one for you to make based on your circumstances, reasons for moving and finances. However, with plenty of experience of helping buyers move smoothly, we’d be happy to help you through the process.
Call us to discuss your move and for a no-obligation valuation of your home in east London areas including Redbridge and Ilford.
Selling your house can be a complicated process, but breaking it down can make it less intimidating. That’s why we have compiled this step-by-step guide to the process of selling a house in east London. Whether you’re selling for the first time, are buying at the same time, or just aren’t sure what the current advice is in 2026, read on for tips on how to sell your house. We’ll talk you through everything from mortgage matters to professional photography. We also answer your frequently asked questions about the selling process. Find out more.
When you inherit a property, there will be decisions to make regarding whether to sell the property, live in it yourself or rent it out, and there will be legal processes to follow.
If you are wondering what the next steps are then this guide explains how the probate process works, what tax obligations you may have and which documents you will need if you decide to sell the property.
We also cover the different options you have for selling an inherited property and answer some of the most common questions about inheriting a property.
If you are looking for a fast house sale, there are several ways that you can improve the chances of a quick sale. Choosing an experienced local estate agent will help to speed up the sale but you can also get your paperwork prepared and make sure that your property is presented well to attract more viewings and prospective buyers.
Read our tips on how to sell a house quickly in East London for a full guide on the actions you can take to help to achieve a faster property sale.
