What has to happen before I can market my property?

In Scotland the Home Report must be instructed and available to prospective buyers before the property is advertised on the open market, so it sits ahead of photography and listing in every plan.

When is the sale legally binding?

Not at the point an offer is accepted. The sale becomes binding when missives are concluded between the two solicitors, which is normally some weeks before the agreed date of entry.

Back to home

Selling in Scotland

How long will selling take? Build your own timeline

Scotland's order of events is fixed — Home Report first, then marketing, then a closing date, then missives — but the length of each stage is largely yours to set. Choose how long you want to spend on each one and the planner shows when you would be on the market and when you would hand over the keys. These are planning assumptions, not predictions: how fast a property sells is decided by the market.

Decide and prepare the property

Decluttering, garden and paintwork, gathering paperwork such as guarantees, factoring details and any building warrants.

Pre-survey repairsOptional

Anything visible you would rather fix before a surveyor records a repair category — damp, roof, windows, external woodwork.

Home Report instructed and delivered

The seller commissions it. It must be available to prospective buyers before the property is advertised.

Choose your solicitor and marketing route

Comparing solicitor estate agents, traditional agents and online listings, and agreeing fees in writing.

Photography, floor plan and going live

Preparing the listing and getting it onto the portals.

Marketing and viewings

Open viewings, private appointments and notes of interest. This is the stage the market decides, not you.

Closing date and accepting an offer

Once there is enough interest your solicitor sets a closing date, offers are compared and one is accepted.

Concluding missives

Solicitors negotiate the terms. Nothing is legally binding until missives conclude.

Settlement and date of entry

Keys handed over, funds transferred, mortgage discharged.

What will it cost?

The companion estimator for Home Report, conveyancing, fees, discharge and repairs.

The Seller Academy

Six modules walking through each stage of this timeline in detail.

About Lothian Property

An independent starting point, not an estate agency

Lothian Property is an independent property information and introduction service. We are not an estate agency. We help homeowners understand their property, their options and their local market, and — where appropriate and only with your permission — introduce them to independent estate agents and other property professionals who can assist.

How Lothian Property works

Ready to start the clock?

Begin with a property review: your home, your area and the current market, before you speak to anyone.

Start my property review