Same Day Buying and Selling Your Home in Scotland

07 Apr 2025

By Cheryl Edgar, Partner, Residential Conveyancing, Gilson Gray

For the majority of homeowners these days, bridging finance is not an option and so they have to seriously consider when buying and selling, to move homes on the same day.

This means that the seller has to be ready to move out their own house with all furniture packed by ideally no later than midday, followed by a swift transfer over to the home they are buying with their furniture unpacked and the removers away by 5pm!

At the time your agree entry dates, perhaps consider selling one day and buying the next working day and have your possessions stored by the removers overnight and stay with family or friends for this one night. This can relieve the stress of waiting for the finances to move all on the same day.

Not only do you have the practical issues as a home mover, but your solicitor needs to ensure that all the legal processes and finances have been set up to move seamlessly and efficiently on the day, however, they can only be responsible for their part of the transaction and cannot control the actions of buyers and sellers and their solicitors.

This scenario can be fraught with stress, and so to help minimise anxiety on the day, here are some top tips to make the process smoother:

1. Make sure your mobile phone (and a charger or battery pack) are with you at all times with the sound ON and ringer volume turned up. This will enable your solicitor and removals team to make contact with you at all times without you missing their calls amidst the last-minute packing and cleaning.
2. Pack an essentials box to tide you over for moving, plus the first day or two. Kettle, a few cups and plates, sleeping bags or blankets, a change of clothes, camping chairs, snacks, and toilet roll!
3. You may wish to consider leaving valuable items and important documents (that you don’t need for the move) with family or close friends for the duration of your move. While your removals team will always treat your belongings with care, it’s inevitable that something will usually get broken or damaged when moving, no matter how careful you are
4. Before the move, speak to your removal team and make sure they have flexibility on timings on the day. You should also establish what their position is if the move gets delayed to later on in the afternoon. If they have strict timescales then ask them to quote for storing your belongings overnight, how that can be organised, and when they need to know by.

Doing your own move when buying and selling on the same day, whilst it may be cheaper, is the most stressful option as you will have no professional help. Even if you are organised and reckon you can be completed by 6pm for the return of a hired moving van, remember that there may be others in the process who are not, and you could find yourself with very little time to move in reality.

At Gilson Gray, all of our Conveyancers have had years of experience in dealing with same-day transactions, and whilst we have all the legal know-how to get your transactions over the line, we can also offer practical advice too!

Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you are looking to buy or sell and need assistance with your transaction or have a question about moving homes on the same day.