House sales are taking 41% longer than buyers expect, with research from Open Property Data Association (OPDA) showing the process is stuck in the past.
The research found that people expected it to take 88 days from when their offer was accepted to exchanging contracts, but on average it actually took 124 days.
That is 36 days longer than planned.
Maria Harris, chair at OPDA, said: “It’s shocking that exchanging contracts still takes 40 per cent longer than expected, especially given that those expectations aren’t exactly high.
“The problem is that the home-buying process is stuck in the past.
“Embracing digitisation will allow us to modernise and enhance this established process, making it more efficient, seamless and aligned with the needs of the 21st century.”
Harris added: “Our vision and purpose align with the government’s objectives, and now is the perfect time to come together and drive digital transformation of the property sector.”
The research showed that in England and Wales, the process took 38 days longer than buyers assumed, while in Scotland it took 32 days more than expected.
Communication was a main barrier, with 40.61% of people saying it was the most challenging part and 39.47% said that chasing for updates made things worse.
The majority (62.3%) were asked to provide the same documents two or three times, leading to delays and higher risks of errors or data breaches.
When asked who they thought was responsible for delays, 44.3% named property lawyers or conveyancers, 28.8% pointed to estate agents, and 17.3% blamed mortgage lenders.
Meanwhile, 14.9% mentioned valuers or surveyors.
Research also revealed that older people were more likely to blame legal professionals, while younger buyers tended to blame estate agents.
Phil Spencer, property expert and founder of Move iQ, said: “Everyone knows the old saying about moving home being one of life’s most stressful experiences.
“But the reason it’s so stress-inducing isn’t just the cost; it’s more likely to be the uncertainty and delays that often plague the process.
“This research reveals that many of us also underestimate just how long it can take to buy a home.”
Spencer added: “The process is crying out for modernisation, and better transparency and digitalisation could shave weeks off the time taken to complete a purchase, making life better for buyers, sellers and property professionals.”
Additionally, OPDA has now called for digital property packs to be introduced.
These would give buyers and sellers a secure and accessible view of essential property details upfront, aiming to speed up transactions, reduce fall-through rates and build trust in the process.
According to the research, 82% of consumers thought digital property packs were a good idea and 77% said they would use one if it was available.
Harris added: “Our research shows that consumers are not only open to Digital Property Packs but are actively calling for them.
“With the Government’s commitment to digitisation, now is the time to push forward with the solutions and new customer journeys to make this vision a reality – it’s the best way to ensure buyers and sellers have the information they need at their fingertips.”
