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I'm a property expert that still remembers the days when having broadband was a selling point! My articles cover issues that homesellers face in the UK and answer the questions we're all asking. I've bought and sold properties and helped others do the same, so my writing comes from years of experience.
Read Full Bio >Six routes sell a house fast in the UK: a cash buying company, auction, a keenly priced agent listing, an online agent, developer part-exchange, or a landlord, investor or tenant — the faster the route, the lower the price.
Key takeaways
- A genuine UK cash buying company completes in 7–28 days at around 75–85% of market value — about 80% on average — with no seller fees.
- An open-market sale through an estate agent takes about five months, and roughly one in four agreed UK sales (about 24%) falls through.
- Auction is binding once the hammer falls and usually completes in six to eight weeks, but guide prices are set low and auction fees apply.
- There is no statutory regulator: the sector self-regulates through the National Association of Property Buyers, formed in 2013 after the Office of Fair Trading’s 2013 quick house sale study, and The Property Ombudsman’s Code of Practice, in force since 1 July 2014.
- Any quick-sale offer above about 90% of market value is usually a bait figure cut just before exchange — a practice known as gazundering.
What are the six ways to sell a house fast?
The six genuine routes are a cash buying company, auction, an aggressively priced estate agent listing, an online or hybrid agent, part-exchange with a developer, and a private sale to a landlord, investor or tenant.
You are speeding up from a standard agent sale of roughly five months, with about one in four agreed sales collapsing first. Every route completes through solicitors and is registered at HM Land Registry; all are in our sell house fast hub.
| Route | Completion timescale | Typical % of market value | Fees | Certainty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Cash buying company | 7–28 days | 75–85% (about 80%) | None to the seller | Very high |
| 2. Auction | 6–8 weeks | Set by bidding — unpredictable | Auction and legal-pack fees | High once agreed |
| 3. Estate agent, priced to sell | 3–8 months | Close to market value | Commission, around 1–1.5% + VAT | Low — chain risk |
| 4. Online or hybrid agent | 3–8 months | Close to market value | Fixed fee, often payable either way | Low — chain risk |
| 5. Developer part-exchange | A few weeks | Below market value | No agent commission | High (their new-build only) |
| 6. Landlord, investor or tenant | 3–5 months | Below market value | Solicitor only | Depends on their funding |
1. How fast is a genuine cash buying company?
A genuine cash buying company completes in 7 to 28 days and pays around 75–85% of market value, roughly 80% on average, with no fees to the seller. It is the fastest and most certain route.
It buys with its own funds, so there is no chain, no mortgage valuation and no viewings — see how cash home buyers work. The discount covers stamp duty, refurbishment, holding costs and resale: below 75% someone is taking advantage, around 80% is realistic, above 90% is usually bait. Read how much below market value buyers pay and what house buying company fees should never include.
- Pros: seven-day completion, a date you control, no chain, no viewings, no fees, any condition.
- Cons: you lose about a fifth of the value, and brokers pose as buyers — check whether cash house buyers are legit, and confirm the firm on the NAPB and Property Ombudsman registers and at Companies House.
- Best for: hard deadlines — repossession, probate, divorce, a collapsed chain — or homes no lender will touch.
2. How quickly can you sell a house at auction?
Auction takes six to eight weeks and becomes legally binding once the sale is agreed, removing fall-through risk entirely. It is the second fastest route.
In a traditional auction, contracts exchange on the fall of the hammer and completion follows within 20 to 28 days. The modern method gives the winner longer to arrange finance for a non-refundable reservation fee, pushing the total nearer eight weeks.
- Pros: binding on the day, no gazundering, and the natural home for tenanted, short-lease or unmortgageable property.
- Cons: guide prices are set low, so the final figure is unpredictable; auction fees apply; an unmet reserve wastes weeks.
- Best for: sellers with a hard-to-value property who will trade an uncertain price for a certain date.
3. Can an estate agent sell your house fast if you price aggressively?
Yes — price is the strongest lever on the open market, and listing a few percent below comparable homes typically pulls offers forward by weeks. But the chain, not you, sets the completion date.
A keen price front-loads viewings into the first fortnight and gives you a choice of buyers; a chain-free one moves far faster than someone awaiting a mortgage. You are, though, discounting to buy attention, then paying roughly 1–1.5% plus VAT on the lower figure — see the cost to sell a house and cash buyer vs estate agent.
- Pros: closest to full market value, and no-sale-no-fee costs nothing if it never sells.
- Cons: around one in four agreed sales collapses, and repeated reductions tell buyers to wait.
- Best for: sellers who want the highest price, have three to five months, and can cope with starting over.
4. Are online and hybrid estate agents any faster?
Online and hybrid agents get you onto the portals within days for a lower fixed fee, but they sell into the same open market, so completion is no quicker.
You are buying a cheaper listing, not a faster sale. Read how the fee is charged: many take it whether or not the house sells. Viewings and chasing the chain fall to you — see selling a house without an estate agent.
- Pros: quick to list, the same portal exposure, and a fixed fee well below commission.
- Cons: the fee is often payable even if you never sell, and chain delay is unchanged.
- Best for: hands-on sellers in an active market who want to cut costs, not weeks.
5. How does part-exchange with a developer work?
Many developers will take your home in part-exchange if you buy one of their new-builds, completing in a few weeks. It is chain-free and commission-free, but the offer sits below market value.
The developer commissions valuations, then deducts an allowance for speed and resale. Ask whether the figures come from a RICS-regulated surveyor or an agent’s appraisal. Eligibility is strict: your home must be worth meaningfully less than the new one, and properties needing work are often refused.
- Pros: no chain, no commission, no viewings, and you stay put until the new home is ready.
- Cons: below market value, little room to negotiate on the new-build, and no use unless you buy from that developer.
- Best for: sellers already committed to a new-build who would rather trade equity than juggle two sales.
6. Can you sell to a landlord, investor or your existing tenant?
Yes. A sale to a landlord, buy-to-let investor or the tenant already living there can complete in two to eight weeks, because there is no chain and no wait for vacant possession.
Selling with the tenancy in place turns your biggest obstacle into the selling point: the buyer inherits income from day one and you avoid a void period. Approach your tenant first, then local landlords. The catch is funding: a cash investor moves as fast as a buying company, but a buy-to-let mortgage adds weeks and a refusal risk.
- Pros: no chain, no vacant possession needed, no commission, and the home is valued on yield.
- Cons: a small buyer pool, a discount expected, and a mortgaged investor is not a fast buyer.
- Best for: landlords exiting a portfolio, and anyone with a reliable tenant.
How do you avoid losing money whichever route you pick?
Establish an independent market value first, then judge every offer against that figure.
- Get an independent valuation from two local agents or a RICS surveyor, so you know what 80% looks like in pounds.
- Take two or three offers, with proof of funds dated within 30 days and written confirmation the offer holds to completion.
- Never pay an upfront fee or tie up your property without a guaranteed purchase — see we buy any house scams.
Where does Springbok fit in?
Springbok has helped more than 19,000 UK homeowners since 2012, holds 11,700+ verified reviews, is an NAPB member and is registered with The Property Ombudsman. We buy with our own funds, charge no fees, and cover legal, valuation and survey costs. Our we buy any house service offers three routes, not one figure: Cash Sale, Fast Cash and Fixed Price. Judge us on the reviews.
Frequently asked questions
What is the fastest way to sell a house in the UK?
Selling to a genuine cash buying company is the fastest route, completing in 7 to 28 days because the buyer uses its own funds, with no chain and no mortgage. You typically receive 75–85% of market value and pay no seller fees.
How much less do you get for selling a house fast?
Expect around 75–85% of market value from a cash buying company, about 80% on average. Auction results are set by bidding and are unpredictable. Anything above roughly 90% is usually a bait figure cut just before exchange, a practice known as gazundering.
Is selling at auction faster than using an estate agent?
Yes. Auction, including the modern method, usually completes within six to eight weeks and becomes binding once the sale is agreed, whereas an open-market sale through an agent takes about five months. The trade-off is an unpredictable final price at auction.
Can you sell a house fast without an estate agent?
Yes. Selling direct to a cash buying company, at auction, to a developer through part-exchange or privately to a landlord or tenant all avoid an agent and the commission. Check any company is NAPB-registered, Property Ombudsman registered and can show proof of funds.
What is the fastest way to sell a house that needs work?
A cash buying company that purchases in any condition, because it buys as-is and prices the refurbishment in, so no repairs, viewings or mortgage valuation are needed. Auction is the alternative if the property is unmortgageable, though the price depends on who bids.
The bottom line
All six routes trade the same currency: speed and certainty against price. A cash buying company is quickest and most certain at about 80% of value; auction is binding but unpredictable; a keenly priced agent listing nets most if you can absorb five months and a one-in-four risk of collapse. Decide which you can least afford to lose, then pick on that.
