Once a seller accepts an offer and a hand-over date, they are obligated to move out by the date specific. Only under difficult circumstances, can they request for an extension and even so requires the permission of the buyer. Many sellers would only look to buy when they have conditionally accepted an offer rather than buy first then sell later. So maybe you like the house but you can't move in when you want to but rather have to wait because the seller sets a condition that they will want to move out later than the normal 3 weeks which you have accepted in the sales purchase agreement. All this has to do with your negotiation skills as a buyer. We just had an offer accepted yesterday so in the same situation. We are not being represented by a buyer's agent but dealing with the seller's agent. I was advised by several people to use a Solicitor, and after starting the process today I am glad we have. Not sure where you are coming from but it soo different to buying a house back in the States. The Solicitor ordered the title, LIM report and then also checked over our sales and purchase agreement. She is also communicating with the building inspector, valuer and the broker/bank. The fee for this is approx $1250. Our bank is paying most of the legal fees. Hope this helps, just my 2 cents. I too have experienced how different this process is here to