Step-by-step how-to guides
Practical, ordered answers to the questions UK home sellers and buyers actually run into. Each guide is sourced, dated, and written for the person doing the work.
My estate agent has gone quiet. Can I leave them?
Yes, you can almost always move to another agent, but the timing is set by your contract, not your frustration. Check your tie-in period and notice period first; once both have passed, a short note in writing is usually all it takes to leave cleanly.
My buyer hasn't ordered searches. Should I worry?
A delay on searches is one of the most common early wobbles in a sale, and it usually means a slow start rather than a buyer pulling out. Searches are normally ordered once the buyer's solicitor has the contract pack and the buyer has paid them on account, so a quiet first few weeks is normal; a buyer who has not even instructed a solicitor is the part to watch.
My chain collapsed. What happens to my sale now?
A collapsed chain is one of the most common setbacks in a UK sale, and most sellers go on to complete with a new buyer or a repaired chain. Your sale is not legally over: nothing binds until exchange of contracts, so a chain break sends you back a step, not back to the start.
A buyer offered under asking. Accept or hold out?
An offer below your asking price is normal, not an insult: in early 2026 the average UK home sold for about 3.5% under its asking price. Whether to accept or hold out comes down to one question, which is whether the offer is close to what your home is genuinely worth, not whether it matches the figure on the listing.
My sale fell through. What do I do now?
A sale falling through is one of the most common setbacks in selling, and it is rarely the end of the road. Around a quarter of agreed UK sales collapsed in early 2026, so you are on a well-worn path, and a lost buyer does not change what your home is worth; it changes who ends up buying it.
My buyer went quiet after the survey. Is my sale falling through?
A quiet spell after the survey is one of the most common wobbles in a sale, and most of them pass. A survey almost always lists something, so a buyer going quiet usually means they are reading the report and getting quotes, not walking away.
Offer accepted weeks ago and nothing's happening. Is that normal?
In most cases, yes, this is normal. A typical UK sale takes around twelve to twenty weeks from the day an offer is accepted to the day you complete, and the first stretch is usually quiet on the surface while solicitors, searches and mortgage checks grind away in the background.
My neighbour sold for more. Is my house worth the same?
Not necessarily, and a neighbour's sale is one of the most misread numbers in property. Two homes on the same street can sell for very different amounts, because price comes down to condition, size, layout and timing, not just the postcode you share.
My buyer dropped their offer at the last minute. What now?
This is one of the most stressful moments in a sale, and it has a name: gazundering, when a buyer lowers their agreed offer late in the process. Take a breath, because you are not trapped: nothing is legally binding until contracts are exchanged, and you have clear, calm options.
My agent valued my house highest. Should I trust it?
Be careful. The highest valuation is not the same as the highest selling price, and the agent who quotes the biggest number is not always the one who will sell your home for the most.
Should I sell my house now or wait until next year?
There is no single right answer; it depends on why you are moving and whether you are buying as well as selling. The calmer way to decide is to weigh the cost of waiting against your own plans, rather than trying to time the market perfectly.
Should I accept a lower cash offer on my house?
A lower cash offer can be worth more than a higher one that depends on a mortgage, because cash removes two of the most common reasons a sale falls through. The right call comes down to how big the price gap is, and how solid each buyer really is when you look at what they have actually done, not what they have said.
A higher offer came in after I accepted one. Can I take it?
In England and Wales you can legally accept a higher offer right up until contracts are exchanged, because nothing is binding before that point. The harder question is whether you should, and that comes down to how genuine the new offer is and how much you would risk by dropping a buyer who is already moving.
What are the signs a house sale is about to fall through?
The clearest warning sign is a buyer who has stopped spending money on the purchase: no solicitor instructed, no searches ordered, no mortgage application moving. Most quiet patches are normal, but when a buyer goes silent and their costs stay at zero, that is the moment to pay attention.
My buyer's mortgage is taking ages. How long should it take?
From a full application to a formal mortgage offer usually takes about two to six weeks, and many straightforward cases come back faster than that. So a few weeks of waiting is normal; it only becomes a worry when weeks pass with no sign the buyer has actually applied.
A buyer offered below asking. Should I accept or hold out?
A below-asking offer is normal, not an insult, and in a flat market most homes change hands a little under their first asking price. Whether to accept comes down to three things you can check in an afternoon: how the offer compares to recent sold prices, how strong and ready the buyer is, and how long your home has been on the market.
My buyer needs to sell their home first. Should I accept?
Accepting an offer from a buyer who still has to sell their own home is common and often works out fine, but it adds a link of risk you can manage rather than fear. The trick is to treat it as a 'yes, if' rather than a flat yes: accept in principle, keep marketing, and judge the buyer by how far along their own sale already is.
Should I sell my house before I buy the next one?
For most movers in 2026, selling first is the safer path, because it tells you exactly how much you have to spend and makes you a far stronger buyer when you find the next home. Buying first can work if you have the cash or a bridging plan to carry two properties for a while, but it carries the real risk of paying for two homes at once if your sale is slow.
Two buyers want my house. How do I choose?
When two buyers want your home, the best offer is not always the highest number; it is the one most likely to complete. Pick the buyer with the strongest financial position and the simplest chain, because a slightly lower offer that actually completes beats a top offer that collapses weeks later.
My buyer's mortgage valuation came in low. What now?
A down valuation is when your buyer's mortgage lender values your home below the price they agreed to pay, so the lender will not lend the full amount. It is common, it is usually survivable, and there are several routes to try before anyone walks away.
My chain collapsed. What happens to my sale now?
When a chain collapses, one sale somewhere in the line falls through and breaks the run of linked moves, which can stall or end your own sale even when nothing went wrong at your end. Your sale is not always lost, and calm, quick action gives you the best chance of saving it.
My buyer wants money off after the survey. Should I agree?
A buyer asking for a price reduction after the survey is one of the most common moments in a UK sale, and it does not mean the deal is lost. You do not have to say yes, you do not have to answer on the spot, and the calm move is to see the evidence first, then decide your number.
Has my house gone up in value since I bought it?
There is a good chance your home is worth more than you paid, but the honest answer depends on where you live and when you bought, and the gap between regions is wide right now. You can get a clear, free picture in a few steps using public sold-price data and valuations from local agents, without guessing.
My house isn't getting viewings. Should I drop the price?
A house going quiet for viewings is one of the most common wobbles in a sale, and in most cases it points to the asking price or the listing itself, not to anything wrong with your home. Before you cut the price, give it two to three weeks of real marketing, read the viewing and enquiry numbers, and only adjust once the data tells you to.
My estate agent has gone quiet. Can I leave them?
Yes, in almost all cases you can leave an estate agent who has gone quiet, but the timing depends on the contract you signed. Check your tie-in period and your notice period first, because leaving the right way protects you from paying two agents for the same sale.
Should I instruct my solicitor before my buyer's mortgage offer?
Yes, instruct your own solicitor now, because lining one up the moment you accept an offer is cheap, keeps your sale moving, and commits you to nothing risky. What you should hold back is the bigger, harder-to-reverse spending, and taking your home off the market, until your buyer has shown real financial commitment.
My buyer hasn't ordered searches yet. Should I worry?
If your sale was agreed a few weeks ago and the buyer's solicitor still hasn't ordered searches, that is common and usually not a warning sign on its own. Searches are one of the later steps in conveyancing, often paid for only after the buyer has their mortgage offer, so a quiet first few weeks is normal rather than a sign your sale is failing.
My house sale fell through. What do I do next?
A sale falling through is one of the most common setbacks in the UK market, and it does not mean your home will not sell. Around 1 in 4 agreed sales fell through in early 2026, most of those homes go on to sell to a different buyer, and the steps below help you relaunch quickly and protect yourself the second time around.
My buyer went quiet after the survey. What should I do?
A quiet spell after the survey is one of the most common wobbles in a sale, and most of these sales still complete. The usual reason is simple: the buyer is reading the report, getting quotes for anything it flagged, and deciding whether to ask you to adjust the price, so a silence of a few days to a couple of weeks is normal.
What to do if estate agents value your house differently
If three agents value your home at very different prices, the highest number is often a sales tactic rather than the true market value. Ask every agent for the recent local sales that back their figure, and lean towards the price the evidence supports, not the one that sounds best.
How to choose between estate agents after a valuation
Choose your estate agent on the strength of their evidence, not the size of their valuation. Compare each agent's suggested asking price against recent local sold prices, weigh their fee and contract terms, and pick the one with the most convincing plan to sell your home, not the one who simply quoted the highest number.
How to set the right asking price for your home
Set your asking price from recent sold prices for similar homes nearby, not from the highest figure an agent quotes to win your instruction. Price it close to what the market will actually pay and you sell faster; over-price it and the home sits, then needs a cut that usually costs you more than getting it right from the start.
What to ask an estate agent at your valuation
Most sellers prepare nothing for the valuation appointment. The agent prepares everything. The questions below close that gap and give you a clean way to decide who actually deserves the listing.
How to compare estate agent fees in the UK
Comparing estate agent fees properly means looking at three things side by side: the percentage rate, the contract terms, and what's included for that fee. The cheapest headline number can easily turn out to be the most expensive deal once tie-in periods, add-on charges, and over-quoted asking prices are accounted for.
How to sell your house in a UK buyer's market
When buyers have more choice, the sellers who win are the ones who price right, present sharply, and pick their agent on strategy rather than the highest valuation. The UK has the highest stock of homes for sale in May since 2015, so the basics matter more than they have in years.
What to do if a buyer gazunders you
Gazundering is when a buyer who has already agreed a price lowers their offer at the last minute, usually just before contracts are exchanged. If it happens to you, pause before you answer: set your real walk-away price, ask for the buyer's reason in writing, and know that most sellers who hold firm still complete at the price they first agreed.
How much will I actually get when I sell my UK house?
In 2026 you typically walk away with the sale price minus around 2.5% to 3% in selling costs and whatever is left on your mortgage. On the UK average home of £299,313 (Halifax House Price Index, April 2026), that means budgeting roughly £7,000 to £9,000 in fees before you settle the mortgage and pocket the rest.
Sell house fast in Basildon: what works in 2026
A genuinely fast Basildon sale, through the open market and a chain-free buyer, can complete in 8 to 10 weeks from offer. The 'we buy any home' fast-sale companies offer 75 to 85% of market value in return for the speed, which is rarely a good outcome unless the seller's circumstances make speed worth the discount.
How to choose an estate agent in the UK in 2026
Choosing an estate agent comes down to three things: a valuation backed by recent sold-price evidence, a fee structure the seller has read in full, and a tie-in period the seller can live with. Most sellers pick on a gut feel and pay the cost over the following 6 months.