I Want To Sell My House Urgently

Selling your house can be stressful, especially when you need to do it urgently. We understand the frustration of long waits, market uncertainty and unexpected delays. That’s why we’ve created this guide to help you navigate the process and find the fastest, most reliable way to sell your home.

Who are we?

We are The Property Buying Company and have been operating for just over 12 years, but have over 100 years of combined experience, and over 35 team members all working within the buying and selling industry. 

We are members of the National Association of Property Buyers and The Property Ombudsman, and have been featured on major publications like The Guardian, the BBC and NASDAQ.

I want an immediate house sale but don’t know where to start

Thinking about an immediate house sale? Here we will equip you with the essential steps to get started on a smooth and successful sale, tailored to your needs and current market conditions. 

Each step is designed to streamline the process and speed a faster sale. We’ll guide you through aligning your selling strategy with your goals and market realities.

What should you do if you need to sell your house urgently?

Life can be unpredictable, and sometimes circumstances arise that require an urgent house sale. While a traditional sale via an estate agent is ideal for getting the highest price, it isn’t always suitable for someone in an urgent situation. 

Sell urgently due to financial hardships: 

Unexpected job loss or mounting debt can create a pressing need for cash. Selling your home could eject immediate financial relief through equity release.

Contact a reputable debt charity like citizens' advice for free advice. They may suggest alternative solutions to a forced house sale, negotiating with creditors on our behalf.

Cash house buying companies like The Property Buying Company are often the fastest option, especially if financial pressure is severe. You will receive a below market value offer but get cash in days.

Sell urgently due to relocation: 

Whether it’s a new job opportunity in another city or the need to be closer to family, a sudden need to relocate can require a fast house sale.

If you have a little time, a good estate agent with local knowledge can find a buyer quickly. Be transparent about your urgent timeline to attract motivated buyers. 

A cash house buyer may also be a viable option if moving is time critical. Sacrifice a bit of potential profit for speed and certainty. 

Sell house urgently due to divorce or separation: 

The emotional and financial complexities of separation often need the quick division of assets, including the family home.

Ideally, both parties can agree on how to sell and divide proceeds. This could be through a traditional agent or, for speed, a cash buyer. But, we understand that this might not always be the case. 

If you are not in agreement with your partner, you may need to seek mediation or court orders to determine how to proceed with the sale.

Selling Inherited property urgently: 

Dealing with inherited property can be stressful, especially if it’s located far away or in need of repairs. A fast sale can make handling the inheritance more straightforward.

If the property is in good shape and there’s no immediate financial pressure you may be able to achieve a traditional estate agent sale to maximise the return on the inherited property.

However, cash house buyers may be ideal if the property is in poor condition, far away or you need to split the proceeds urgently among beneficiaries.

Selling a property with issues urgently: 

Structural problems, costly repairs, or even difficult tenants can make a home hard to sell traditionally.

Some investors specifically buy problem properties. They may offer slightly more than cash buyers, but the process could take longer.

The ideal solution is selling via a cash house buyers, especially if repairs are too costly or you don’t want the hassle of fixing issues before sale. Cash buyers often purchase homes “as-is”. 

Sell urgently due to downsizing: 

Changing life circumstances, from retirement to an empty nest, often inspire the desire to downsize to a smaller, more manageable property. 

Working with an estate agent gives you ample time to find your ideal smaller home while getting the highest sale price of your existing property. Alternatively, some builders may offer part-exchange schemes, purchasing your current home to facilitate a fast move into a smaller new build. 

If you’ve already found your dream home and need a fast sale, partnering with a cash buyer like The Property Buying Company streamlines the process. This allows you to secure your next property quickly without the delays of the traditional market.

Sell urgently due to avoiding repossession: 

When facing financial difficulties, selling your house urgently could be the lifeline you need to avoid the stress and long-term consequences of repossession proceedings.

If repossession looms, a fast house sale can offer much needed financial relief and help you avoid the devastating, long-term impact of losing your home.

Don’t wait until repossession is imminent. A quick house sale might be the solution, but exploring all options with a debt advisor or mortgage specialist is essential.

How long should each property sale take?

When discussing the duration of property sales, industry professionals often focus on ‘Time on Market’ - the period between a property being listed on the market and having an offer accepted. 

However, this metric provides an incomplete picture as it neglects the crucial time to the competition phase. This later stage covers all the necessary conveyancing activities to legally finalise the sale.

Typically, selling a property on the open market through an estate agent can be a lengthy process, taking on average, 9 ½ months. This timeframe can be broken down into three stages:

• Time to list: Around 28 days are needed to prepare the property, take photographs, create listings and begin marketing it to potential buyers.

• Time on market: The property actively seeks a buyer for about 126 days. This stage involves viewings, negotiations, and ultimately, securing an accepted offer.

• Time to completion: This final stage, focused on legal and administrative work, takes around 112 days. It includes due diligence, finalising contracts and arranging financing.

To put this in perspective,the process of selling a house via an estate agent often mirrors the duration of a human pregnancy! For many, this extended timeframe can pose financial strain or cause significant inconvenience.

Conversely, selling to a cash buyer dramatically accelerates the timeline. This method can condense the entire sale process to as little as seven days, often achieving completion within a month.

For those seeking a swift, hassle-free sale without the uncertainties of extended market exposure, a cash buyer offers a compelling advantage. This fast process not only simplifies the transaction but also eliminates much of the stress and uncertainty that often accompany traditional property sales.

How do you get your house up for sale straight away?

Selling your home urgently requires plenty of preparation from day one of contemplating putting your house on the market.

As we have touched on previously, the average time to list is 28 days, and this is the time period in which you instruct an estate agent, get your property valued, estate agent photography carried out and start marketing the property.

Below we have listed some of the best ways to get your house up for sale straight away:

1. Choose the right estate agent

You should prioritise agents with a strong track record of selling homes like yours in your area. Ask for evidence behind their suggested asking price. Avoid estate agents who promise unrealistic valuations. 

You should focus on the final amount you will receive after estate agent fees, and how quickly the agent can sell your home. 

When you choose your estate agent, you will also need to make sure that you agree on a realistic asking price from the start to attract serious buyers.

2. Prepare your documentation

In order to get your house up for sale straight away, you should gather these documents in advance to prevent delays with your solicitor:

• HM Land Registry Title Documents

• Gas/Electrical Safety Certificates

• Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

• Building permits, planning permission & completion certificates

• Any relevant guarantees or warranties.

3. Declutter and enhance your home’s appeal

Next, you should remove any excess belongings to make your home feel spacious and inviting. Open blinds and curtains to brighten rooms naturally. Deep clean and prioritise the kitchen and bathrooms as these will help you sell your home. 

If you have any outdoor space, a tidy garden and inviting entrance make a strong first impression.

4. Prepare for photography

Your estate agent will likely provide estate agent photography, be it included within their service or an extra fee. You should ensure that the photos are bright, high-resolution and showcase your home’s best features. 

Remember to protect your privacy by hiding personal information visible in photos, such as important documents.

What slows down a house sale?

There are numerous factors like property chain breaks, conveyancing issues, mortgage issues, and changes in sellers' circumstances that may affect the speed of selling a house, often making it a longer and more frustrating experience than anticipated. 

1. Property Chain Breaks

Property chains, where multiple house sales depend on each other, are a common part of the housing market. Buyers often need to sell their existing home to buy a new one, creating a linked series of transactions. While this can work smoothly, these chains are also vulnerable.

A property chain may break due to:

• Buyer withdrawal: Change of heart, finances falling through, or a bad survey result can all lead a buyer to pull out. 

• Delays with a linked sale: If another transaction in the chain hits a snag (e.g. mortgage issues), the whole chain can be held up. 

But, ultimately the consequences of a broken chain will ripple across multiple people’s property transactions. With everyone in the chain having to reset timelines and make new arrangements. 

Sellers may face expenses from a failed purchase on their onward home, while buyers could lose deposits or incur costs like extended storage for belongings. The uncertainty and frustration with a broken chain can be substantial for everyone involved.

2. Local Authority Searches

Local Authority Searches are vital for buyers (and mortgage lenders) to uncover potential issues with a property. These searches, conducted by your local council reveal things like:

• Planning restrictions.

• Nearby development plans.

• Environmental risks (like flooding).

• Road schemes that could affect the property.

It is common practice to provide slightly longer for local authority searches to be completed than normal, as it completely depends on your local council’s workload, with busy councils or those with staffing shortages naturally taking longer.

Another issue with councils is that they often have outdated processes or IT problems within the council which can create bottlenecks, with properties with unique history needing extra investigation taking even longer.

The impact of councils taking longer to process local authority searches means that it can drag out the entire sale process. This disrupts moving plans, mortgage offers and can stress everyone involved. Frustrated buyers may withdraw their offer if delays become excessive. 

3. Land Registry Changes

When buying or selling a property, changes to the title deeds (the official legal record of ownership) may sometimes be needed. These “deeds of variation” could involve updating boundaries, access rights, or removing old restrictions. 

The Land Registry, the government body that manages property records, must process these changes - and this can cause delays in your sale. 

Simple Land Registry adjustments get done faster than those involving disputes or multiple properties. But, when they are swamped, or facing staffing shortages, processing times lengthen. 

Mistakes in your paperwork mean it’s sent back, causing further delays. Mortgage lenders often won’t release the money to buy your home until the title is fully updated. Thus, any Land Registry slowdown directly impacts your financing. 

As a result, frustrated buyers may withdraw if delays get excessive, especially in a competitive market. If you’re relying on the sale proceeds to buy another home, a delay can ruin those plans as well. 

4. Slow Conveyancing

Conveyancing, the legal process of transferring property ownership, is often a frustrating bottleneck. When it’s slow, your entire sale is at risk. Here’s why delays happen:

• Unresponsive solicitors: Slow communication, missed deadlines and general inefficiency bogs down the whole process.

• Complex legal issues: Title problems, boundary disputes, or unresolved permits need extra investigation and negotiation which takes time.

• Chain reactions: If anyone in a property chain has conveyancing issues, it affects everyone in the chain. 

• Mortgage lender hiccups: Conveyancers must coordinate with lenders, and any delays with paperwork stall your financing. 

• Losing interest: Drawn-out sales frustrate buyers and sellers. Either side could withdraw, collapsing the deal.

5. Mortgage Issues

You’ve found a buyer, agreed on a price and are eager to move on - but then their mortgage hits a snag. This is frustratingly common, and here’s why it can derail your entire sale.

Mortgage lenders won’t finalise a mortgage until property searches are complete. If those searches are slow, it could make the buyer’s financing expire, meaning they have to reapply.

If the buyer’s job situation or creditworthiness changes during the process, the mortgage lender could reassess - and potentially deny - the mortgage altogether. Reapplications involve more paperwork, credit checks and frustrating delays for everyone.

Mortgage delays disrupt your moving plans, potentially costing you money in storage fees or temporary housing. Understandably, many sellers won’t wait forever. They may accept a backup offer from a buyer whose financing is already secured. 

6. Surveys and Valuations

Surveys and valuations are vital for buyers, but when they reveal problems it can seriously slow down the sale process.

This is because even basic surveys can uncover hidden issues like structural damage, faulty wiring or dangerous materials like asbestos. Buyers will likely either ask you to lower the price to cover repairs, or insist you fix the problems before they’ll buy - both lead to delays.

Sometimes a standard survey raises red flags; meaning the buyer may need to hire experts (like a structural engineer) for further assessment, which adds time and cost.

Mortgage lenders rely on valuations. If issues lower the property’s value, the buyer’s financing could be reduced or even withdrawn altogether. Bad survey news can make buyers hesitate. They may need time to rethink the purchase entirely, causing further delays.

7. Changes in your circumstances

Sometimes, you might find a house, find a buyer and start getting excited to move on but then something in your own life throws a wrench in the works. 

Losing your income or facing big bills can change everything. You might need to stay put for now, or ask for a higher price to cover your moving costs. 

Sometimes, even after listing, you realise you’re not ready to leave this home. Or maybe the market changes, and you decide to wait for a better offer. Marriage, divorce, illness - all of these can make you rethink your living situation entirely. You may need to find a different type of home, or delay the move altogether.

If the home you planned to buy falls through, you may have to pause your sale as well - especially if you were counting on that money for your new deposit.

8. Gazumping

You’ve accepted an offer, everything seems to be moving along smoothly, then you get a higher offer out of the blue. Gazumping, while tempting, can seriously disrupt your own plans and create unexpected risks. 

They’ve likely spent money on surveys and legal fees, and are emotionally prepared to move in. Gazumping them is unfair and could tarnish your reputation within the market. 

Even if your original buyer agrees to match the new offer, it will delay your sale. There’s new paperwork and potentially their mortgage lender needs to re-approve the loan at the higher amount.

If your original buyer is frustrated enough to walk away, you’re back to the open market. There’s no guarantee that a higher-bidding buyer won’t also have problems, leaving you even further behind. 

A reputation for gazumping can make it harder to sell future properties. Estate agents and buyers may be less willing to work with you. 

Sometimes the difference in offers is large enough to justify the hassle. But be honest with yourself - is the extra money worth the stress, delays and potential damage to your reputation?

9. Administrative errors

Even the smoothest property sale can be slowed down by paperwork problems. These errors range from simple typos to outdated processes, and they add unnecessary stress for everyone involved. 

No title deeds? Incomplete building permissions? The sale can’t proceed until everything is found or recreated, which can take weeks or even months.

When solicitors, estate agents or mortgage lenders drop the ball on emails or phone calls, it creates a frustrating chain reaction of delays. Many agencies involved in property transactions still rely on slow, manual processes. This leads to bottlenecks and backlogs.

A misspelt name or wrong address may seem minor, but on legal documents, even small errors require time consuming corrections. 

With so many people involved (solicitors, surveyors, buyers, etc) a lack of coordination means wasted time, missed deadlines and rescheduling hassles.

What is the fastest way to sell my house?

If you are looking for the fastest way to sell your house, it’s important to understand the different options available and which method might work best for you. Here are some of the fastest ways to sell your house:

1. Sell to a cash house buying company (7 to 28 days)

Cash house buying companies offer to buy your house directly, with no mortgage delays or property chains. You’ll receive a fast cash offer but below market value. 

Cash house buyers can often complete your house sale in days or weeks, avoiding estate agent fees, viewings and the uncertainty of the open market. Cash buyers will buy houses needing repairs or in less desirable locations. 

But, cash buying company offers are usually 70% to 85% of what you could get by selling traditionally. 

2. Sell house at online auction (28 days to 12 weeks)

Online auctions are great for properties that have struggled to sell on the open market as they can help properties sell in a month to 3 months, with competitive bidding driving prices above market value, especially in hot markets.

But, they do not guarantee a sale and sellers may incur auction fees regardless of whether the property actually sells on the market. 

3. Online estate agent (28 days to 12 weeks)

Online estate agents provide a similar service to traditional high street estate agents but operate solely online. This allows them to offer lower fees and increased digital management tools. 

Online estate agents are for sellers who are comfortable with managing some aspects of the sales process themselves and wish to save on fees while still accessing the broad market. 

They are generally cheaper than traditional estate agents due to lower overhead costs and normally either cover your fees in the profit or offer upfront costs. 

Sellers might have more control over the selling process, including scheduling viewings and negotiations. But, the speed of the sale still depends on market conditions.

4. Part exchanging your house to a new build developer (12 weeks)

Part exchanging involves trading in your current home as part payment for a new build property offered by a developer. It is ideal for buyers booking to transition smoothly into a new-build home, willing to accept a lower sale price for convenience. 

The process is relatively simple, with no property chain, making it quicker and less stressful. You can save on estate agent fees for selling your existing home. 

But part exchange offers will not reflect the full market value of your home, like you would for an online estate agent. They are also only applicable when buying new-build homes from participating developers.

Our sell house fast service

We buy any house, any condition, any location - and we do it urgently. No surprise costs, no hassle. We’ll get you a cash offer and close in as little as 2-3 weeks, not the months it takes with traditional estate agents.

Avoid the £5,000 in fees you’ll pay with house auctions or online agents. With us, the price we offer is the price you get. Get your free, no obligation cash offer today!

Our fast house selling hub

Need an urgent sale for your property? There are a couple of things you should consider before jumping into a fast house selling service such as ours, we’ve written a few in-depth guides on the topics for you below:

Other fast house sale alternatives

We’re more than just cash buyers! We offer a range of options to get your house sold urgently and on your own terms:

• Cash offer: Need cash fast? We’ll buy your house directly, as is.

• Online auction: Maximise your sale price with a fast, competitive online auction.

• Online estate agency: Take control of your sale with our low-cost, online estate agent services. 

Not sure what’s right for you? Fill out our quick postcode form below and a consultant will help you find the best solution for your property.

How to speed up a house sale

If you need to sell your house urgently, then there are a few things you can do to speed up a house sale, these include selling before you buy to avoid chains, getting on top of paperwork, choosing good solicitors and remaining proactive.

Are cash house buyers the fastest way to sell?

Selling your house to a cash buyer eliminates the delays and uncertainties of the open market. Here is how cash house buyers are the fastest way to sell:

• No property chains: Cash buyers aren’t waiting to sell another house first. This means your sale won’t get held up by other people’s transactions.

• No mortgage delays: They have the money ready, so there’s no waiting for bank or mortgage approvals. This can cut weeks, or even months off the process.

• “As-is” purchases: You don’t need to invest time or money in repairs before selling. Cash buyers take the property as it is. 

• Quick closing: Many cash buyers can complete the sale in a week or two, instead of the months it takes with a private seller or estate agent.

• Flexible timelines: If you need more time to move out, reputable cash buyers can usually work with you.

The bottom line is that if you need to sell your house quickly and avoid the hassles of the open market, cash buyers offer a streamlined and reliable solution.

Who is the fastest company to sell your house with?

We are the fastest, genuine cash buyers to sell your house with. We buy any house, in any condition, anywhere in the UK - and we buy it quickly. No surprises, no hassle. We’ll complete in as little as 2-3 weeks, not the months it takes with estate agents. 

We’re a leading UK property buyer specialising in residential, commercial and land in England and Wales. Our cash buying power means we pay competitive prices and complete sales faster than anyone else.

Our experienced team offers exceptional customer service. Need help finding a rental or negotiating your next purchase? We’re here to help you. We don’t just buy your property, we ensure a smooth, stress-free process while saving you money.

Our in-house progression team, with over 50 years of legal and conveyancing expertise, tackles any property-related issue. This guarantees quick completions and offers additional support, like guidance through the probate process.

Frequently asked house sale questions