Before You Sign: 10 Things Home Movers Wish They Knew
October 22, 2026
Almost three quarters of home movers wish they knew more before making or accepting an offer as property professionals call for reform
Almost three quarters (73%) of people who have recently bought or sold a home wish they had known more about the property or its location before making or accepting an offer, according to new research from Landmark Information Group. The findings reveal growing agreement between consumers and property professionals about what needs to change in the home-moving process.
The findings, published in Landmark’s new independent cross-market research report, Property
Transaction Reform: What the Market Wants Next, expose the information gaps, uncertainty and inefficiencies affecting the residential property transaction process. Drawing on the experiences of 500 home movers, who have bought or sold a home in the last 18 months, and 250 property professionals spanning estate agents, conveyancers and mortgage lenders, the report highlights the challenges facing consumers and businesses alike, as the industry prepares for the Government’s home buying and selling reforms.
The challenges facing home movers extend beyond the point of offer. More than two-thirds (67%) experienced some or significant uncertainty or delays after an offer had been accepted. Among those who experienced uncertainty or delays, more than half (52%) said this increased their stress levels, 46% found it harder to plan their moving date, and a third (33%) reported additional costs or an impact on their budgeting.
As a result, there is considerable appetite among consumers for a more transparent and certain process. Almost all respondents (95%) agreed that having key property information available at the point of listing would make moving less stressful, while 92% said knowing their estate agent, conveyancer and lender were working from the same information would help them feel more informed, confident and in control.
The consequences of this uncertainty and disconnected transactions are being felt across the property industry. Professionals estimate spending an average of 34% of their working day chasing stakeholders or responding to requests for updates, while 74% agree that rising transaction fall-through rates are having a significant impact on business performance. When asked what could improve productivity and business success, 72% identified at least one measure relating to upfront information and data readiness, while 67% selected improvements to visibility and communication.
These findings underpin four priorities identified in the report: closing the upfront information gap, mitigating unexpected issues, reducing chasing, and connecting the market through better information sharing and communication.
This call for more coordinated action comes as the property industry prepares to implement significant changes under the Government’s Home Buying and Selling Reform roadmap, published in June 2026.
More than four in five property professionals (81%) agree meaningful reform is long overdue, with 71% anticipating significant or moderate operational change from earlier buyer and seller commitments, and 67% from standardised upfront property information. However, only 68% believe there is sufficient clarity for organisations to start considering the changes required, while 64% feel the roadmap is being developed with sufficient collaboration across the sector.
Simon Brown, CEO, Landmark Information Group said: “The direction for reform has been set, but the real challenge is how we turn that ambition into practical delivery. Our research shows that home movers and property professionals are experiencing many of the same problems, whether that is making important decisions without the right information or spending valuable time trying to understand how a transaction is progressing.
“There is growing agreement about where improvements are needed, and the industry is increasingly coming together to address them. The opportunity now is to translate that shared understanding into action by making information available earlier, improving visibility and enabling trusted data to move more effectively between parties.
“Through LandmarkConnect, we are bringing people, technology and data together with digital hubs designed to support more connected transactions. With clearer standards, better communication and stronger collaboration, we can build a transaction process that gives consumers greater confidence and professionals a stronger foundation to deliver.”
Additional cross sector analysis and commentary
Estate agents face growing frustration with transaction timescales and communication
For estate agents, transaction length is now the most frequently cited frustration, selected by 41% of respondents, up from 32% in 2025. Frustration with poor communication between transaction stakeholders has also risen from 19% to 36% over the same period, highlighting the pressure that disconnected processes continue to place on the sector.
Ben Robinson, Managing Director of Landmark Estate Agency Services, said: “Estate agents have an important opportunity to shape how a transaction progresses from the very beginning. Too often, essential information is still being gathered after a buyer has made an offer, leaving agents managing expectations and resolving problems that could have been identified much earlier.
“Making transaction readiness part of the instruction process would give buyers more relevant information to make confident decisions, while providing conveyancers and lenders with a stronger starting point. Earlier preparation can help reduce avoidable friction later in the process and allow agents to spend more time progressing transactions.”
Conveyancers identify earlier information as a route to reducing rework
For conveyancers, workload and insufficient resources are now the biggest individual frustration, cited by 40% of respondents. However, the research also points to signs of progress, with conveyancers estimating that the average proportion of cases requiring additional enquiries due to missing, incomplete or inaccurate information has fallen from 51% in 2024 to 33% in 2026. More than three quarters (77%) identified improvements to upfront information and data readiness as having the potential to improve productivity and business success.
Rob Gurney, Managing Director of Ochresoft, said: “The reduction in additional enquiries is encouraging, but conveyancers are still dealing with too many issues that could have been identified before a transaction reaches the legal process. When risks emerge after buyers and sellers have already invested time and money, resolving them becomes more difficult and uncertainty increases for everyone involved.
“Earlier access to accurate information would allow conveyancers to identify and prioritise genuine legal risks sooner, reducing unnecessary rework and giving clients greater confidence about what lies ahead. The opportunity is to move away from reacting to problems later in the transaction towards preventing avoidable delays in the first place.”
Lenders look to trusted data and earlier risk visibility
For mortgage lenders, access to reliable property information is becoming increasingly important to transaction certainty and decision-making. Almost all lenders surveyed (96%) use property risk data to at least some extent in valuation decisions, while 82% anticipate significant or moderate operational change from the reuse of verified property data through common standards and trusted sharing protocols.
Graeme Edwards, Managing Director of Landmark Valuation Services, said: “For lenders and valuers, confidence in property information is fundamental to making sound decisions. The challenge is ensuring the right information is available early enough to be useful, and that it can be trusted and reused across the different stages of a transaction.
“Verified property information, such as an upfront building condition reports, help lenders to identify potential issues earlier. If these findings are shared early and trusted by lenders, they could support greater use of digital valuations and faster mortgage offer turnaround times. Shared data standards and better-connected processes will be essential to reducing duplication and strengthening confidence across the lending and valuation process.”
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