First things first then, what needs to happen once your offer has been accepted? You will need to:

Appoint a solicitor

One of the first things the estate agents will want from you is details of your solicitor to get the ball rolling. A solicitor will conduct all the necessary legal work and arrange for the searches to be done on your new property.

They will also take care of the financials such as collecting your deposit and holding and transferring the money for your purchase - as well as arrange for the appropriate paperwork to be signed.

You can either use a solicitor local to you, ask your mortgage/financial adviser for a recommendation, or see if the estate agent has a particular solicitor that they recommend (it is worth shopping around though, as prices can vary even if the service doesn’t).

Secure the mortgage on the property

If you haven’t already, you will need to make sure that your mortgage lender has approved your mortgage. The lender will also need to conduct their own survey on your property to make sure you are not paying over the odds -which will give you the peace of mind that you are paying a fair price for your new home.

Arrange insurance

You will need to start thinking about getting quotes for buildings insurance which is mandatory when you own a property. You will likely also want to take out contents insurance and the two can usually be taken out with the same provider for a discount. Another thing you might consider is taking out mortgage life insurance. In addition, critical illness care will protect your mortgage payments in the event that you cannot work due to ill health.

Get quotes from removal firms

While the moving in date might seem a way off yet, it is worth getting quotes for the cost of moving your possessions. Leaving it too late could put you in a very difficult position.

If you need more help your mortgage/financial adviser will be well placed to give you impartial guidance on the whole process. Please note that advisers may charge for their services.

As the solicitors carry out their work behind the scenes it can often feel a little like nothing is happening. However, once all the searches and relevant paperwork has been sorted - which can take a few months - then it will be time for your solicitors and the sellers solicitors to agree on two key dates:

The ‘exchange’ date

This is when the signed contracts between you (buyer) and the seller are actually exchanged. (Until this date, the transaction is not legally binding)

The ‘completion’ date

This is it – the day that the money changes hands and when you actually complete on and move in to your new home!

Once you have a confirmed completion date, you will need to:

• confirm the completion date with your removal firm/van hire company
• start packing the non-essentials to get ahead (unless your removal firm are doing this for you)
• settle any outstanding bills on your current property
• get the money ready to transfer for completion on your property
• once you have exchanged you will also need to ensure your buildings insurance is in place
• ensure that your contents insurance is in place from the date you move your contents into your new home

If you are selling a property then you will usually have to vacate by midday and take the keys to your estate agent. You can typically collect the keys for your new property any time after midday on the day of completion. However, you will have to wait for the solicitors to confirm that completion has taken place - meaning that the money has changed hands - before you can actually collect the keys to your new home.

Once you are in your new home there are a number of companies and institutions that you will want to inform straight away.

Download our handy checklist and tick them off as you contact them (PDF: 66KB

One of the first things you will want to do is take care of all your services and utility providers - whether you stick with the property’s current providers or opt to switch. In terms of your utilities, be sure to take the readings at your new property as soon as you move in, to make sure that you are not liable for any bills that remain outstanding from the previous owners.