Recent data from Rightmove shows properties are finding buyers faster than at the start of the year. But faster sales-agreed timelines raises buyer and seller expectations for a quick completion overall – and title investigation, which can’t simply be rushed, is increasingly the stage where that expectation breaks down. Conveyancers who can turn around title investigations quickly are the ones protecting their referral pipeline, not just their current caseload, ntitle’s Nicola Ashley says.
Rightmove’s June house price index suggests homes are finding buyers faster than they were at the start of the year. While transaction volumes remain under pressure and wider market conditions continue to fluctuate, the average time taken to secure a buyer has fallen significantly.
At the start of 2026, it was taking an average of 81 days to find a buyer, but by June, that figure had reduced to 62 days. On the surface, it’s positive news for the property market – but it also creates a challenge for conveyancing firms.
The faster a sale is agreed, the sooner expectations start building. Buyers who have committed to a purchase expect to see progress, and sellers want reassurance that the transaction is moving.
The difficulty is that some of the most important stages of the conveyancing process simply cannot be rushed, and increasingly, title investigation is the point where that expectation is tested.
Where momentum gets lost
When a title investigation arrives, the assumption is often that the work is complete – but that isn’t always the case.
For many conveyancing teams, receiving a title report is the beginning of another stage of work. A fee earner still needs to review the findings, assess any issues identified, satisfy themselves that the investigation is complete and determine what needs reporting to the client.
That review process sits alongside every other responsibility they are managing. Files wait in queues, priorities compete, capacity fluctuates depending on workloads, holidays and staffing levels. None of this is unusual, it’s simply the reality of running a busy conveyancing department – but the challenge is that clients never see this stage.
That gap between activity and visible progress is often where confidence starts to erode.
The bottleneck after the investigation
Much of the industry’s focus in recent years has centred on speed – faster onboarding, document handling and access to information. But speed alone does not necessarily move a transaction forward.
An investigation that arrives quickly but still requires significant internal review may reduce one delay, while creating another. The work has arrived faster, but the file still cannot progress until someone with the necessary expertise has reviewed and completed the final stage.
As transaction volumes increase, those review requirements can become a significant pressure point.
Experienced conveyancers are among the most valuable resources within any firm. Their time is finite, and when more of it is spent reviewing investigations before a file can move, bottlenecks inevitably begin to appear.
This is particularly relevant in a market where buyers are reaching the conveyancing stage more quickly than they were earlier in the year. Expectations of pace have increased, but many of the operational constraints within firms remain exactly the same.
The difference between speed and progress
For conveyancing firms, the more useful question may no longer be how quickly an investigation can be produced. Instead, it is worth asking how much work still remains once the investigation arrives.
The distinction between a report that is ready to review and one that is ready to act upon may seem subtle, but operationally it can be significant. If a report still requires interpretation, amendments or further internal sign-off before it reaches the client, part of the investigation process is still sitting with the firm.
If that work has already been completed and the report arrives buyer-ready, the transaction can move forward immediately. In an environment where buyers are agreeing sales faster and expecting visible progress sooner, that distinction becomes increasingly important.
Keeping transactions moving
Ultimately, conveyancing firms are judged less by what happens behind the scenes and more by whether transactions keep moving.
Clients rarely remember how a title investigation was completed. They remember whether progress felt consistent, if updates contained meaningful news and when the process felt under control.
Reducing delays at key stages of the transaction is therefore about more than efficiency. It is about protecting confidence throughout the process.
About the author
Nicola Ashley is co-founder and director of ntitle, powered by ngine, an award winning UK based title investigation outsourcing service helping busy conveyancing firms to save time and money.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of Today’s Conveyancer.
