UK guide, 2026 figures

How to sell a house fast

There are four realistic ways to sell a house quickly in the UK: an estate agent (high street or online), a traditional auction, the modern method of auction, or a cash house buyer. They trade price against speed and certainty in different ways. This guide compares them with current figures, then gives practical tips for selling faster on the open market.

Please note: HouseBought4Cash is a cash house buyer, so we are one of the options compared here. We have sourced every figure so you can check it yourself.

By Simon Dunn, HouseBought4CashPublished 22 October 2026Updated 22 October 2026

What is the fastest way to sell a house?

The fastest way is a direct sale to a genuine cash buyer: an offer within days and completion in as little as 7 days, typically at around 75% to 85% of open-market value.^{[10, 11]} The next fastest is a traditional auction, where contracts exchange on the day and completion follows about 4 weeks later.^[7] Selling through an estate agent gets the highest price but takes longest: about 2 to 3 months to find a buyer^[1] and around 5 months from sale agreed to completion,^[2] with roughly 1 in 4 agreed sales falling through.^[3]

Key figures

Average time to find a buyer: 66 days in 2025; 81 days in January 2026.^[1]
Average time from sale agreed to completion: 154 days.^[2]
Agreed sales that fell through in Q1 2026: 23.7%.^[3]
Average estate agent fee: 1.42% including VAT (sole agency).^[4]
Average conveyancing fee for a freehold sale: £1,317 including VAT, before disbursements.^[5]

The best ways to sell a house fast, compared

Timescales are national averages or standard contract terms; your area, price and property type will move them. Percentages of value are typical ranges, not guarantees.

Comparison of selling routes by time to sale agreed, time to completion, costs, share of value, certainty and who each suits
Route	Time to sale agreed	Time to completion	Costs to you	% of open-market value	Certainty	Best for
High-street estate agent^{[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]}	About 2 to 3 months on average (66 days in 2025, 81 in January 2026)	About 5 months after sale agreed (154 days on average)	Commission averaging 1.42% inc VAT on sole agency (0.9% to 3.6%), plus conveyancing of around £1,300	Full open-market price, less any negotiation or price cuts	Low to medium: about 1 in 4 agreed sales fall through	Sellers with time and a mortgageable property
Online or hybrid agent^{[3, 6]}	Similar to a high-street agent; depends on price and demand	Similar: the same buyers, mortgages and chains	Fixed fee (for example from £1,599 inc VAT at Purplebricks); check whether it is due if you do not sell; plus conveyancing	Open-market price, less negotiation	Low to medium: the same fall-through risk	Confident sellers who will do viewings and want to save on commission
Traditional auction^{[7, 8]}	On auction day, usually a few weeks after entering the lot	20 business days (about 4 weeks) after the auction under the common conditions	Entry fee of a few hundred pounds, commission of roughly 2% to 3% plus VAT (often with a minimum), and a legal pack	Set by bidding above your reserve; often below open-market value for properties needing work	High once the hammer falls (contracts exchange there and then); the lot may not sell	Unusual or unmortgageable properties where you want a fixed deadline
Modern method of auction^[9]	At the end of an online auction period	28 days to exchange plus 28 days to complete (56 days)	Buyer pays a non-refundable reservation fee, often around 4% to 4.5% inc VAT, which tends to reduce bids; you may pay agent fees	Usually below open-market value, because buyers price in the reservation fee	Medium: nothing is binding until exchange	Sellers who want a deadline but can wait around 2 months
Cash house buyer^{[10, 11]}	Offer within 24 hours to a few days	As little as 7 days; typically 7 to 28 days	Usually none with a genuine buyer: no commission, and legal costs often covered (check in writing)	Typically around 75% to 85% of open-market value	High with a genuine buyer that has proof of funds; check for late price cuts	Speed, probate, arrears, repairs, or properties lenders will not lend on

Selling through an estate agent

An agent markets the property on Rightmove and Zoopla, runs viewings and negotiates. You will usually achieve the highest price this way, but the timescale is set by the buyer: their mortgage, their survey and their own chain. Rightmove’s data puts the average at 66 days to find a buyer in 2025 (81 days in January 2026, a slow month)^[1] and 154 days from sale agreed to completion,^[2] so seven months or more from listing to moving out is normal. Around 23.7% of agreed sales fell through in the first quarter of 2026.^[3]

Estate agent fees for selling a house

The HomeOwners Alliance puts the average fee in 2026 at 1.42% of the sale price including VAT on a sole agency agreement; fees range from about 0.9% to 3.6%, with multi-agency agreements at the top of that range.^[4] Always compare quotes including VAT, which is charged at 20%.

On a £200,000 sale, 1.42% is £2,840.
On a £250,000 sale, 1.42% is £3,550.
On a £350,000 sale, 1.42% is £4,970.

Online and hybrid agents charge a fixed fee instead, for example from £1,599 including VAT at Purplebricks.^[6] Check whether the fee is due even if the property does not sell, and what viewings and extras cost. Whichever agent you use, you also pay a conveyancer: Property Solvers’ 2026 survey of 100 firms found an average of £1,317 including VAT for a freehold sale and £1,629 for leasehold, before disbursements.^[5]

Read the contract before you sign. Watch for a long tie-in period, “sole selling rights” (you pay commission even if you find the buyer yourself) and a fee that is still due if you later sell to someone the agent introduced.

Selling at auction: traditional and modern method

At a traditional auction, contracts exchange when the hammer falls and, under the standard Common Auction Conditions, completion follows 20 business days later unless the special conditions say otherwise.^[7] That is the closest thing to certainty on the open market. Sellers usually pay an entry fee, commission of roughly 2% to 3% plus VAT (often with a minimum) and the cost of preparing a legal pack, and pay the entry fee and legal pack even if the lot does not sell.^[8]

The modern method of auction runs online and gives the buyer 28 days to exchange and a further 28 days to complete. The buyer pays a non-refundable reservation fee on top of the price, which tends to reduce what bidders offer, and nothing is binding until exchange.^[9] Ask the agent exactly what the fee is and who keeps it.

Selling to a cash house buyer

A cash buyer buys with its own funds, so there is no mortgage valuation, no chain and usually no fee. The trade-off is price. The Office of Fair Trading’s study of quick house sale firms found sellers typically gave up 10% to 25% of market value,^[10] and the HomeOwners Alliance says offers are often around 75% to 80% of market value, in some cases up to 85%.^[11] The OFT also warned about firms that cut their offer late in the process, so get the offer in writing, ask for proof of funds and use your own solicitor.

Not every “we buy any house” company buys with its own money; some pass your details to investors. HouseBought4Cash is a cash house buyer based in Audenshaw, Greater Manchester: we buy where the numbers work, most often around Greater Manchester, and otherwise introduce you to a buyer who covers your area. See how much cash buyers pay, how to check a cash buyer is genuine and our comparison of house buying companies. If you have already decided on a cash sale, you can sell your house fast for cash and get an offer within 24 hours.

Tips to sell your house fast on the open market

If you are going down the estate agent route, most of the time is lost in two places: waiting for the right buyer, and the legal work after the sale is agreed. These steps shorten both.

Price from sold prices, not asking prices. Look up what similar homes on your street actually sold for on HM Land Registry data. Overpricing is the most common reason a house sits: Rightmove data reported in June 2026 showed homes that needed a price cut took 127 days on average to find a buyer, against 36 days for those that did not.^[12]
Choose an agent on results, not the highest valuation. Ask each agent how many similar homes they sold in the last six months, at what percentage of the asking price, and how long they took.
Instruct your solicitor before you list. Complete the property information and fittings and contents forms, find your title deeds and any guarantees or planning and building regulation certificates, and, for a leasehold flat, order the management pack early. Missing paperwork is a common cause of delay after a sale is agreed.
Have a valid EPC ready. You need an Energy Performance Certificate before marketing.
Fix the small things a surveyor will flag. Dripping taps, blocked gutters, cracked panes and missing certificates for recent electrical or gas work give buyers a reason to renegotiate.
Declutter and get good photographs. Most viewings are decided online. Clear surfaces, open curtains and a floor plan help more than redecorating.
Favour a proceedable buyer over a slightly higher offer. A first-time buyer or chain-free buyer with a mortgage agreement in principle is far less likely to fall through than one who still has a house to sell.
Keep the chain moving. Answer your solicitor’s questions the same day, and ask your agent for a weekly update on every link in the chain.

Will my house sell fast?

A house usually sells quickly when it is priced in line with recent sold prices, a lender will lend on it, and there is demand for that type of home locally. It is likely to be slow, whichever agent you use, if:

it has a problem that puts lenders off, such as subsidence, Japanese knotweed, spray foam insulation or a short lease;
it needs substantial work and has no working kitchen or bathroom;
similar homes nearby have been listed for months or reduced in price;
it is let to tenants who will stay, which limits you to investor buyers.

In those cases an auction or a cash buyer is often the faster route. See selling an unmortgageable property and selling a house as is.

Which route should you choose?

You have 6 months or more and a mortgageable home: an estate agent, priced realistically, will usually give you the best net price.
You want to save on commission and can run viewings: an online or hybrid agent. See also selling without an estate agent.
You need a fixed deadline and the property is unusual: a traditional auction.
You need to complete in weeks, or the house needs work, is in probate or you are in arrears: a cash buyer. Compare cash buyer vs estate agent on your own numbers, and get more than one offer.

Frequently asked questions

Selling a house fast: common questions

Decide first whether speed or price matters more. If you need to complete within weeks, a genuine cash house buyer can usually make an offer within days and complete in 7 to 28 days, at around 75% to 85% of open-market value. If you can wait several months and the property is mortgageable, price it at or just below recent sold prices for similar homes, instruct a solicitor and gather the paperwork before you list, and favour buyers who are chain-free with a mortgage agreement in principle.

A direct sale to a cash buyer is the fastest route, because there is no buyer to find, no mortgage valuation and no chain. Completion in as little as 7 days is possible where the title is clean. A traditional auction is the next fastest: contracts exchange on the day and completion follows about 4 weeks later. Selling through an estate agent typically takes around 2 to 3 months to find a buyer and then around 5 months to complete.

The HomeOwners Alliance puts the average estate agent fee in 2026 at 1.42% of the sale price including VAT for a sole agency agreement, with fees ranging from about 0.9% to 3.6% depending on the agent and whether you use more than one. On a £250,000 sale, 1.42% is £3,550. Multi-agency agreements cost more. You will also pay a conveyancer, typically around £1,300 for a freehold sale and more for leasehold, plus disbursements.

On the open market, Rightmove data shows it took 66 days on average to find a buyer in 2025 and 81 days in January 2026, and then around 154 days from sale agreed to completion. That is roughly seven to eight months from listing to moving out. A cash sale typically completes in 7 to 28 days; a traditional auction completes about 4 weeks after auction day.

It is more likely to sell quickly if it is priced in line with recent sold prices for similar homes nearby, a lender will lend on it, the paperwork is ready, and there is local demand for that type of property. Look at how long similar homes near you have been listed and whether their prices have been cut. Rightmove data reported in June 2026 showed that homes that needed a price cut took an average of 127 days to find a buyer, against 36 days for those that did not.

A traditional auction gives certainty on the day and lets buyers compete, but you pay entry fees, commission and the cost of a legal pack, the lot may not sell, and completion takes about 4 weeks. A cash buyer gives you a fixed figure before you commit, usually with no fees, and can complete faster, but the price is typically around 75% to 85% of market value and you cannot test it against other bidders unless you get more than one offer.

Yes, when the title is straightforward and your solicitor can move quickly, but most cash sales take 7 to 28 days. Leasehold properties, missing documents, or a sale that has to wait for a grant of probate all take longer. Ask any cash buyer for proof of funds and the date they would be ready to exchange.

Sources

Figures checked in October 2026. Market averages change monthly; follow the links for the latest data.

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