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Yes, that's normal.
Often it can take weeks to get a surveyor round, especially with tougher mortgage lending, so usual practice is to pay a solicitor to start straight away so the mortgage application and conveyance run concurrently.
It's just as likely you'll want to back out due to searches as survey so there is no logic in doing one before the other.
Hefty-
I've had a think about it, and I think yes to running the conveyancing in parallel, but no to paying for both at the same time. The survey results will be done within a week (it's not busy this time of year) and I think I'll hold off spending £300 until I know there's nothing wrong with it.
@tommmmmmm it's off the Romford road next to the Woodgrange estate bit. Where have you bought? I'm trying not to get excited about being so close to the sports facilities i.e. the velopark. Cheers for the link, keeping everything crossed about the survey results next week..
onyerbike
It's taken me just under a week from having an offer accepted to getting the survey booked in on a property - various small holdups (i.e. First Direct having to post everything to me and me read it before committing). I find out in the meantime that the estate agent has been ringing up my solicitor, trying to get him to initiate searches on a property that hasn't even been surveyed yet, and then asking me to pay him the fee for the searches.
Is this normal?