Selling a house in Wales: the steps, the costs and how long it takes

The steps to selling a house in Wales

These are the eight stages almost every sale goes through. Do steps 2 and 3 before you go on the market, so your paperwork is ready when a buyer is.

1. 1

   Get a valuation and choose your agent

   An estate agent visits, looks at your home and what has actually sold nearby, and suggests an asking price. Ask how they reached the figure. A realistic asking price saves you time on the market. Once you pick an agent, they must check your identity under the anti-money laundering rules, so have your photo ID ready.

2. 2

   Order an EPC

   If you do not already have a valid Energy Performance Certificate, you must order one before your home goes on the market. You must make a copy available to buyers free of charge by their first viewing or the first written details, whichever comes first. An EPC lasts 10 years, so you may already have one.

3. 3

   Choose your solicitor or conveyancer

   Instruct one at the start, not after you accept an offer. They will send you property information forms to fill in. Doing those early saves time later.

4. 4

   Go on the market

   Your agent takes the photos, draws the floorplan, lists the home and books the viewings.

5. 5

   Accept an offer

   Your agent negotiates and checks the buyer can proceed: mortgage in principle, cash proof, and whether they have a home to sell first. An accepted offer is not legally binding in England and Wales. Either side can still walk away.

6. 6

   Conveyancing

   Your solicitor drafts the contract and answers the buyer's solicitor's questions, with your help. The buyer's side runs searches, reviews the title and arranges the mortgage and any survey.

7. 7

   Exchange contracts

   Both sides sign and swap contracts. From this point the sale is legally binding, and usually neither side can pull out without paying compensation. The completion date is agreed here.

8. 8

   Completion

   The buyer's money arrives, your solicitor pays off your mortgage and the agent's fee, and sends you the balance. You hand over the keys and leave the house as the contract says.

Want the house looking its best before the photos? See our guide on how to prepare your property for sale.

Do sellers pay Land Transaction Tax in Wales?

No. Land Transaction Tax is the Welsh version of Stamp Duty. It has applied to property sales in Wales since 1 April 2018. The Welsh Revenue Authority collects it, and the law places it on the buyer. You only pay LTT if you go on to buy another property in Wales, and then only if the price or the higher rates mean tax is due.

It still matters to you as a seller, because it changes what your buyer can afford. A buyer purchasing their only home pays these main residential rates, each on the slice of the price that falls in the band:

Main residential rates for transactions on or after 10 October 2022, still current on the gov.wales rates page on 10/10/2026.

So a buyer of a £210,000 home who is buying it as their only home pays no LTT at all. Buyers adding a second home or a buy-to-let, and companies, can pay higher rates. If you are selling your main home and buying another to replace it, the higher rates may not apply to your purchase. The Welsh Revenue Authority's calculator on gov.wales gives the exact figure for any purchase.

How long does it take to sell a house in Wales?

Across the UK, the average home goes under offer in about 38 days (Zoopla). Getting from sale agreed to completion then takes about 167 days, or 5.5 months (Rightmove, March 2026). These are UK-wide averages, not Wales figures. No law sets a timescale, and every home and chain is different.

Most of the wait comes after you accept an offer. A sale has two halves:

• Finding a buyer. Price, presentation and how fast enquiries are answered drive this. A buyer who is keen on Monday can be cold by Friday.
• Offer to completion. Searches, the buyer's mortgage and survey, the contract questions, and every other sale in the chain. This is where sales slow down, and where they quietly fall apart if nobody is chasing.

What speeds it up:

• Instruct your solicitor and fill in the property forms before you accept an offer.
• Have your ID, EPC and paperwork for past work ready.
• Check the buyer properly before accepting: mortgage in principle, deposit, and whether they need to sell first.
• Use an agent who chases the buyer, both solicitors and the chain every day, and tells you what is happening without you having to ring round.

Once you accept an offer, Morgan Jones chases every party daily until completion, and you hear the news from us.

Selling with Morgan Jones

The thing sellers fear most is the agent who goes quiet: buyers left waiting, the sale stalled with the solicitors, and you ringing round for news. We work so that does not happen.

• We answer. We answer buyer enquiries as soon as we see them. We book viewings while the buyer is still keen. You speak to real people in Swansea, not a call centre.
• We chase. After your offer is accepted we chase the buyer, both solicitors and the chain every day, and you hear the news from us.
• One fixed fee. £1,800 + VAT (£2,160 including VAT), paid only when your sale completes. No sale, no fee. Nothing upfront.
• Independent redress. We are members of The Property Ombudsman (TPO), which covers our sales as well as our lettings.
• Everything included. Free valuation, professional photography, a floorplan, marketing, hosted viewings, offer negotiation and daily sales progression.
• Extra buyers. Your home goes on the open market and in front of the hundreds of buyers already on our books, including landlords and investors. We have sold hundreds of homes across South Wales.

Full details, local prices and how it works are on our page to sell your house in Swansea. Selling a rented home with contract-holders still living there? That page also covers tenanted sales under Welsh law.

Questions sellers ask about selling in Wales