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 buyer changed jobs. Will their mortgage still go through?
Usually yes, and a job change is one of the more recoverable problems in a sale. What matters to the lender is not the move itself but whether the income behind the offer is still there, so a sideways step on similar pay rarely causes trouble while a drop in guaranteed pay or a switch to self-employment can.
I've viewed loads of houses and none feel right
Viewing fatigue is normal, it is measurable, and it usually means your brief needs rewriting rather than that the right house does not exist. New survey data published on 12 August 2026 found excitement peaks around the fourth or fifth viewing and stress climbs steadily after the tenth, so if everything has started to blur, you are exactly where the data says you would be.
My buyer's deposit is a gift from family. Should I worry?
A gifted deposit is ordinary and it is not a warning sign about your buyer. It adds one round of paperwork to their mortgage and to the money laundering checks their solicitor runs, so the thing worth watching is not the gift itself, it is whether the person giving it has been asked for their documents yet.
My buyer changed solicitors mid-sale. Should I worry?
A buyer switching conveyancer partway through is usually a sign they were unhappy with the service, not a sign they are backing out. It will cost you time, typically a few weeks, and the one thing worth checking straight away is whether the searches already paid for can be carried across to the new firm.
My buyer's solicitor wants an indemnity policy. Should I?
In most sales the answer is yes, and it is one of the cheapest problems you will be asked to solve. An indemnity policy is a one-off insurance premium, commonly between £20 and £300, that lets a sale move past a gap in the paperwork instead of waiting months for the paperwork itself.
It's completion day and the money hasn't arrived. What now?
Almost always the money is already moving and it lands later the same afternoon, because funds pass through every solicitor in the chain in order and the last transfer is the slowest. If it does not arrive at all that day your sale does not collapse: the contract has a set process for late completion, and the side that caused the delay pays for it.
Someone in my chain is holding up my sale. What can I do?
A chain that has gone still is usually waiting on one link, and in most cases that link is a slow solicitor or a lender, not a buyer who has changed their mind. You can find out which by asking one specific question up the chain and one down it, and the answer tells you whether to wait or to act.
My buyer wants a long completion date. Should I agree?
A long completion date is common and often perfectly reasonable, so this on its own is not a warning sign. The move that protects you is to separate the two dates: agree to the long completion, but exchange contracts early, because once contracts are exchanged the buyer is legally committed and the waiting no longer carries risk.
My flat sale is stuck waiting for the management pack
Waiting on the management pack is the most common stall in a leasehold sale, and in most cases the sale is not in trouble, it is simply queued behind a managing agent with no legal deadline to meet. Packs typically take two to six weeks, sometimes longer, and there are six things you can do this week to move yours along.
Should I take my house off the market and relist in autumn?
Taking your home off the market only gives you a genuinely fresh listing if you stay off for long enough, and on Rightmove that is 14 weeks for a sale property. A short break and a relist usually keeps the original date, so the honest question is not when to relist but what you would change if you did.
My buyer's searches flagged a problem. What now?
Most things that turn up in a buyer's searches are recorded facts about the area rather than faults with your home, and the great majority of sales carry on past them. Get the exact wording from your solicitor first, find out which of three categories it falls into, and only then decide whether anything needs to change.
My lease is under 80 years. Will that stop my sale?
No, a lease under 80 years does not stop you selling, and flats in exactly your position change hands every week. What it does is narrow the pool of buyers who can get a mortgage and raise the cost of extending, so the real question is not whether you can sell but whether you extend first or price for the buyer who will.
Can I sell if I still have a Help to Buy equity loan?
Yes, and you do not have to repay the loan before you sell. The equity loan is settled out of your sale proceeds on completion, but there is a separate approval process running alongside the sale, and starting it late is what pushes these completions back by weeks.
Can I sell my house with tenants living in it?
Yes, you can sell a property with tenants still living in it, and thousands of landlords do it every year. The real decision is whether you sell it tenanted to an investor buyer, or get the property back empty first, because since 1 May 2026 that second route in England takes four months' notice and comes with rules attached.
My buyer wants to exchange but I haven't found a house
This is one of the most common pressure points in a chain, and it does not mean you have to exchange before you are ready. You can hold the sale together while you keep looking, as long as you are straight with your buyer about the timing and you agree a shape that protects you both.
My agent already has a buyer. Should I sell off-market?
An agent who says they already have a buyer may well be telling the truth, and a quiet sale can be a perfectly good sale. The question to settle before you agree is whether one buyer, chosen by your agent, will pay what several competing buyers would.
I've inherited a house. How do I sell it?
GOV.UK advises not putting an inherited property on the market until probate has been granted, and grants of probate took an average of five weeks from application in the first three months of 2026. Before then your job is to value the house as at the date of death, keep it insured and secure, and agree in writing with anyone else who inherits how the sale will work.
My buyer pulled out. Can I get my money back?
In England and Wales a buyer can walk away at any point before contracts are exchanged, and you cannot recover what you have already spent from them. What you can do is work out which of your costs still carry value into the next sale, and most of them do.
I have no building regs for my extension. Can I sell?
Yes, you can sell a home with work that was never signed off, and it happens in thousands of sales a year. There are two settled routes through it, an indemnity policy or a regularisation certificate, and the one thing that costs sellers money is picking up the phone to the council before deciding which route they want.
My buyer's survey found Japanese knotweed. What now?
Knotweed on a survey is a delay far more often than it is a dead sale, and the route through it is well worn. Since the RICS professional standard took effect on 23 March 2022, surveyors judge knotweed by whether it is being managed rather than by how close it grows to the house, and most lenders will proceed on a treatment plan from an accredited contractor backed by a 10 year guarantee.
When should I instruct my solicitor after an offer?
Instruct your solicitor the moment you have accepted an offer, ideally the same day, because getting the legal work moving early is the single biggest thing you can do to keep your sale on track. Instructing a solicitor is cheap and easily paused, so it is one of the few big steps you can safely take before your buyer has proved they are serious.
Should I reduce my asking price to attract buyers?
If your home has sat without offers, a well-judged price reduction is often the single most effective way to bring buyers back, and in mid-2026 you are far from alone in making one. The key is to reduce early and by a meaningful amount rather than in small, repeated drops, because today's market rewards homes that look sensibly priced from the start.
Should I use the solicitor my estate agent recommends?
You are never obliged to use the conveyancer your estate agent recommends, and it is worth pausing before you say yes. The recommendation can be perfectly good, but agents often receive a referral fee for it, which they must disclose to you, so the choice should be yours on the merits rather than made by default.
One agent valued my house much higher. Should I pick them?
A much higher valuation from one agent is common, and on its own it is not proof your home is worth more. The highest number is the easiest one for an agent to say and the hardest one to actually deliver, so treat it as a claim to be tested, not a prize to be grabbed.
A full-price offer on day one: accept it or hold out?
A fast offer at or near the asking price usually means your home was priced right and a ready buyer moved quickly, not that you set the price too low. Do not reject it on a hunch, but do slow down long enough to check the buyer is real and to weigh a solid offer in hand against the hope of a better one that may never come.
A buyer offered but needs to sell first. Should I accept?
Yes, you can accept an offer from a buyer who still has their own home to sell, and plenty of these sales complete happily. The trick is to judge the offer on how far along their own sale is, not on how keen they sound, and to keep your big decisions gated on real progress.
My buyer keeps delaying completion. Should I worry?
A completion date that shifts once or twice is common and usually down to solicitors, mortgage paperwork, or getting everyone in the chain onto the same day. It becomes a worry when the date keeps slipping with no clear reason, so the job is to find the cause and, if you have already exchanged, use the tools that force a firm date.
Should I sell my house now, or wait for a better market?
For most people, the right time to sell is when your own life is ready to move, not when you think you have called the top of the market. Trying to time house prices rarely beats a clear plan, and in mid-2026 the market is steady enough that a well-priced home is still selling.
My house has been on the market for months. What should I do?
A home that has sat unsold for months almost always comes down to one of three things: the price, how it shows in photos and viewings, or the agent behind it. All three are fixable, so a stale listing is a solvable problem, not a dead one.
My buyer's mortgage was declined. What happens to my sale?
A declined mortgage does not automatically end your sale, and it happens more often than most sellers realise. Your buyer may still be approved by a different lender, so the first job is to find out why it was refused before you assume the worst.
Should I accept a cash buyer or one with a mortgage?
A cash buyer usually means a faster, safer sale, because there is no mortgage that can be declined or down-valued along the way. But a higher offer from a mortgaged buyer can still be the better deal, so the choice comes down to how much certainty is worth to you against the size of the offer.
My buyer wants to wait for a cheaper mortgage rate. Should I?
If your buyer wants to hold off to grab a slightly lower mortgage rate, a short and dated pause is usually fine, but an open-ended one is not. The safe move is to let your own side keep moving, set a clear deadline, and read the buyer by what they have actually spent rather than what they say.
I'm getting viewings but no offers. What should I do?
Viewings without offers almost always points to one thing: the home is good enough to visit but something is stopping people committing, and nine times out of ten that something is the price or a repeated piece of feedback. The fix is to gather the feedback, test your price against real sold data, and act within a couple of weeks rather than waiting and hoping.
My buyer's solicitor keeps raising enquiries. Is that bad?
In almost all cases this is normal, not a warning sign. Raising enquiries is exactly what a buyer's solicitor is paid to do, and a long list usually means they are being thorough, not that your sale is in trouble.
How do I know if my buyer is actually serious?
You judge a buyer by what they have spent and instructed, not by what they say. A serious buyer books a survey, submits a mortgage application, and instructs a solicitor; a hesitant one keeps talking while spending nothing.
My buyer's mortgage offer is about to expire. What happens?
A buyer's mortgage offer running out rarely ends a sale. Most lenders will extend the offer or re-issue a fresh one when the buyer asks, so the usual result is a short delay, not a collapse.
My buyer wants to move in before completion. Should I?
In almost every case the safe answer is no, at least not before completion. Letting a buyer in early hands them the keys to a home they do not yet own or pay for, and it can be very hard to remove them if the sale then collapses.
My estate agent wants me to drop the price. Should I?
If your agent is suggesting a price cut, it usually means your home has had time on the market without the offers you both hoped for. Sometimes that advice is exactly right, and sometimes it is a sign the home was valued too high at the start, so the way to decide is to look at the viewing and offer data, not the agent's opinion alone.
My buyer's survey flagged damp. What should I do?
A damp note on a survey is one of the most common findings in UK homes, and it is rarely the dealbreaker it feels like. The calm first move is to find out exactly which type of damp the surveyor saw before you agree to any price cut or any repair.
My buyer wants to drop the price after the survey. Should I?
A survey-driven request to cut the price is one of the most common moments in a sale, and it does not mean the deal is dead. Look at what the survey actually found, decide what it is fairly worth, and you stay in control of the number.
Should I take my house off the market when I accept an offer?
There is no rule that forces you to come off the market the moment you accept an offer, and the choice is yours. The safe move is to gauge how committed your buyer really is first, then come fully off the market once they have put their own money down.
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 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 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.
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 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.
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 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.