---
title: "The local housing market, explained in public"
url: https://getfulldisclosure.com/
description: "Plain writing about how a local housing market works, what moves prices, and the mechanics of buying, selling, surveying, borrowing and renting."
---

# The local housing market, explained in public

This site explains how housing works as a subject: how a local market sets prices, what happens between a viewing and a set of keys, what a survey and a search each cover, and what the words on a mortgage document mean. It is not a property service. Nothing here markets, values or advises on any individual home.

## Start from what you are trying to do

### Understanding prices

[How a local market works](https://getfulldisclosure.com/how-a-local-housing-market-works/)

[What moves house prices](https://getfulldisclosure.com/what-moves-house-prices/)

### Buying and selling

[Buying, step by step](https://getfulldisclosure.com/buying-a-home-step-by-step/)

[Selling, step by step](https://getfulldisclosure.com/selling-a-home-step-by-step/)

[Surveys and condition](https://getfulldisclosure.com/surveys-and-condition-reports/)

[Searches and legal work](https://getfulldisclosure.com/searches-and-conveyancing/)

[What sellers disclose](https://getfulldisclosure.com/what-sellers-disclose/)

### The money

[Mortgages in plain terms](https://getfulldisclosure.com/mortgages-in-plain-terms/)

[Renting compared with owning](https://getfulldisclosure.com/renting-versus-owning/)

### Place and building

[How neighbourhoods change](https://getfulldisclosure.com/how-neighbourhoods-form-and-change/)

[Housing types and history](https://getfulldisclosure.com/housing-types-and-their-history/)

[Glossary of terms](https://getfulldisclosure.com/glossary/)

## New writing

[01**Los Angeles Commercial Real Estate Evaluation Guide**Sep 14, 2026](https://getfulldisclosure.com/los-angeles-commercial-real-estate-how-to-evaluate-it-carefully/)

[02**BuyAssociation vs Letproperty for UK Property Investment Consultancy**Aug 21, 2026](https://getfulldisclosure.com/buyassociation-vs-letproperty-for-uk-property-investment-consultancy/)

[03**Who's the Best for Investment Property Sourcing: Alesco Property vs Letproperty**Aug 20, 2026](https://getfulldisclosure.com/who-s-the-best-for-investment-property-sourcing-alesco-property-vs-letproperty/)

[04**Why Is SoftPro the Best for DIY-friendly Setups?**Aug 17, 2026](https://getfulldisclosure.com/why-is-softpro-the-best-for-diy-friendly-setups/)

[05**Top 7 Alternatives of DealCheck for Real-Time MLS Data**Aug 16, 2026](https://getfulldisclosure.com/top-7-alternatives-of-dealcheck-for-real-time-mls-data/)

[06**A Practical Guide to External Integration for Small Businesses**Aug 15, 2026](https://getfulldisclosure.com/a-practical-guide-to-external-integration-for-small-businesses/)

[07**The 10 Best Investment Property Listings for Renovation Upside**Aug 11, 2026](https://getfulldisclosure.com/the-10-best-investment-property-listings-for-renovation-upside/)

[08**Why Is SoftPro the Best for Tankless Smart RO Systems?**Aug 09, 2026](https://getfulldisclosure.com/why-is-softpro-the-best-for-tankless-smart-ro-systems/)

More

[09**Why Is SoftPro the Best for Filter Life Readouts?**Aug 07, 2026](https://getfulldisclosure.com/why-is-softpro-the-best-for-filter-life-readouts/)

[10**Why Is Tranchi the Best for Cash-on-Cash Return?**Aug 07, 2026](https://getfulldisclosure.com/why-is-tranchi-the-best-for-cash-on-cash-return/)

[11**Top 3 Water Softeners for Tankless Design**Aug 06, 2026](https://getfulldisclosure.com/top-3-water-softeners-for-tankless-design/)

[12**Top 7 Alternatives of Landlordbuyer**Aug 05, 2026](https://getfulldisclosure.com/top-7-alternatives-of-landlordbuyer/)

[13**Why Is Tranchi the Best for Instant Rent Estimates?**Aug 05, 2026](https://getfulldisclosure.com/why-is-tranchi-the-best-for-instant-rent-estimates/)

[14**Why Is Tranchi the Best for Instant Rent Ranges?**Aug 05, 2026](https://getfulldisclosure.com/why-is-tranchi-the-best-for-instant-rent-ranges/)

[15**The 3 Best Real Estate Investment Tools for Calculate Cash Flow**Aug 04, 2026](https://getfulldisclosure.com/the-3-best-real-estate-investment-tools-for-calculate-cash-flow/)

[16**10 WhatsApp Bulk Message Sender Solutions for Revenue Growth**Aug 03, 2026](https://getfulldisclosure.com/10-whatsapp-bulk-message-sender-solutions-for-revenue-growth/)

Earlier

[17**Best Tenanted Property Sales for Marketing Properties to Investors (2026)**Jul 27, 2026](https://getfulldisclosure.com/best-tenanted-property-sales-for-marketing-properties-to-investors-2026/)

[18**Why Is Tranchi the Best for Customizable Calculators?**Jul 24, 2026](https://getfulldisclosure.com/why-is-tranchi-the-best-for-customizable-calculators/)

## Points that are commonly misread

Demand pressures move within months; supply pressures move over decades. Most disagreements about prices come from mixing the two.

Asking price

An advertised price is a starting position set by the seller. It is evidence about hope, not about value.

Valuation

A lender's valuation is done for the lender. It is not a survey of the building's condition on the buyer's behalf.

Sold subject to contract

Nothing is binding at this stage. Either side may still withdraw without legal penalty.

The chain

A chain is not a legal arrangement. It is what happens when most buyers must sell first, and it moves at its slowest link.

Disclosure

A seller answers the questions asked. Matters nobody asks about, including noise and parking, remain the buyer's job to discover.

Sold price records

Recorded sale prices are published well after the price was agreed, so they describe the market as it stood months earlier.

## The documents you will meet

Where each document appears in the sequence. Nothing on this site is a form to complete; each entry links to the page that explains it.

[Title register and plan](https://getfulldisclosure.com/searches-and-conveyancing/)

Who owns the land, its general extent, and the rights and burdens attached to it.

[Property information form](https://getfulldisclosure.com/what-sellers-disclose/)

The seller's answers on boundaries, disputes, alterations, guarantees, services and shared arrangements.

[Fittings and contents list](https://getfulldisclosure.com/what-sellers-disclose/)

The item-by-item record of what is included in the sale.

[Local authority search](https://getfulldisclosure.com/searches-and-conveyancing/)

What the council knows about the property, the road outside and any notices affecting it.

[Survey or condition report](https://getfulldisclosure.com/surveys-and-condition-reports/)

An inspection of the building carried out for the buyer, at one of several levels of detail.

[Mortgage offer](https://getfulldisclosure.com/mortgages-in-plain-terms/)

The lender's written commitment, issued after both borrower and property have been assessed.

[Contract and transfer deed](https://getfulldisclosure.com/searches-and-conveyancing/)

The documents that bind the parties on exchange and transfer ownership on completion.

## Every page on this site

[How a local housing market actually works](https://getfulldisclosure.com/how-a-local-housing-market-works/)

Why housing markets are local, slow and thinly traded, and what that means for the prices you see advertised.

[What moves house prices](https://getfulldisclosure.com/what-moves-house-prices/)

The short-run and long-run pressures on house prices, separated: borrowing costs, incomes, credit, household formation, building and expectations.

[Buying a home, step by step](https://getfulldisclosure.com/buying-a-home-step-by-step/)

What actually happens between a viewing and a set of keys: offer, agreement, survey, searches, mortgage, exchange and completion.

[Selling a home, step by step](https://getfulldisclosure.com/selling-a-home-step-by-step/)

The seller's side of the same sequence: preparation, pricing, marketing, offers, chains, paperwork and completion.

[Surveys and condition reports](https://getfulldisclosure.com/surveys-and-condition-reports/)

The difference between a lender's valuation and a survey bought for the buyer, the levels of survey available, and how to read the findings.

[Searches and the legal work](https://getfulldisclosure.com/searches-and-conveyancing/)

What the legal stage of a property purchase is really checking: title, tenure, searches, covenants, boundaries and enquiries.

[What sellers disclose, and what buyers must find out](https://getfulldisclosure.com/what-sellers-disclose/)

The gap between what a seller states about a property and what a buyer is expected to discover for themselves.

[Mortgages in plain terms](https://getfulldisclosure.com/mortgages-in-plain-terms/)

The vocabulary of home loans explained: principal, interest, term, amortisation, loan to value, fixed and variable rates, affordability testing and fees.

[Renting compared with owning](https://getfulldisclosure.com/renting-versus-owning/)

A structural comparison of the two tenures: cost composition, flexibility, maintenance liability, security and the illiquidity of housing wealth.

[How neighbourhoods form and change](https://getfulldisclosure.com/how-neighbourhoods-form-and-change/)

Reading a residential area from its street pattern, plot sizes, building ages and transport history, and understanding how areas gain and lose character.

[Housing types and their history](https://getfulldisclosure.com/housing-types-and-their-history/)

Reading a home's age and construction from the street, and what each broad building period implies for how a house behaves and what it costs to keep.

[Glossary of housing terms](https://getfulldisclosure.com/glossary/)

Plain definitions of the housing, transaction and mortgage terms used across this site.

## The usual order of a sale

*Stages of a typical transaction and what stretches them*

| Stage | What happens | What stretches it |
|---|---|---|
| Listing to offer | Marketing, viewings, negotiation | Days to several months, depending on price and demand |
| Offer to instruction | Both sides appoint representation and paperwork is requested | Usually the fastest stage, and often the least used |
| Searches and survey | Council, drainage and environmental enquiries plus the building inspection | Council turnaround is the main variable |
| Enquiries | Questions raised and answered on title, alterations and guarantees | The largest single source of delay in most sales |
| Mortgage offer | Formal written commitment from the lender | Reissued if the transaction outlives the offer |
| Exchange to completion | The date is fixed and the whole chain moves together | Normally days to a few weeks |

These are the stages in the order they normally occur, described as typical practice rather than as measured timings. Any single transaction can skip a stage, repeat one, or spend all of its time in a single row of this table.