"RichardS" wrote
| hmmm, the survey being carried out before making the offer would be
| some cause for concern if I were a buyer - I could be throwing money
| away on surveys for houses that I utimately do not bid successfully for.
| I know that in Engerland our "glorious" govt are intent on compelling
| vendors to have the survey carried out, but I'd then have real concerns
| that the motivation would be wrong - the vendor after all wants as
| glossy a survey as they can find...

There are moves towards a single survey scheme here, I think with the survey
being paid for by the 'lucky' purchaser.

| From the sounds of it, the offer/acceptance of the bid appears to be
| the first (and binding) stage of exchange of contracts - does the
| Scottish system have a separate exchange stage?

Not AFAIK. The conditional offer is met with a conditional acceptance, and
they bounce back and forth until all the conditions are satisfied, at which
stage the "missives are concluded". Usually within a couple of weeks.

| And doesn't this both bump up the solicitor's costs of the vendor
| (they'll be clocking up time bashing out issues with 1 to n potential
| bidders' solicitors)

No, because the seller (or his solicitor) is only dealing with one
purchaser, the one whose offer the seller wants to go ahead with. (And most
solicitors don't charge purchasers for a reasonable number of unsuccessful
offers provided they get a conveyance out of it eventually.)

| and also lock out the purchasor from putting in bids for other
| properties whilst this is all going on? (though I suppose you're
| able to withdraw your bid right up till the point of formal acceptance?)

The prospective purchasor is not able to withdraw the offer because the
offer will say "this offer remains open for acceptance until ...".
(Obviously if it's not accepted by then, then it lapses.) Typically, if the
closing date is set for noon, the seller will choose which offer to accept
(it will usually be the highest after all) almost immediately, and a
qualified acceptance will be back in the hands of the purchasor's solicitor
later that day.

Owain