Compare Options
Compare Every Way to Sell Your House
The four main ways to sell are an estate agent (highest price, slowest, fees), an auction (binding, medium speed, fees), a cash buyer (fastest, 75–85%, no fees) and an investor (closer to market value, flexible, a little slower). The right one depends on whether price or certainty and speed matters more for you. This page lays out the honest comparison on speed, price, fees and certainty, then helps you pick — and see real numbers for your home.
What is your property worth?
Get genuine offers from checked & vetted buyers.
- 4 routesagent · auction · cash · investor
- 7 daysto months — the speed range
- £0fees on the cash route
- 1 in 4open-market sales fall through
Which selling route fits you?
Five quick questions on your deadline, property and priorities — then the route that fits, and how to use it safely.
What’s your real deadline?
Speed vs price — where do you sit?
What is the property like?
What’s driving the sale?
Appetite for viewings and chains?
A vetted cash or investor sale fits you best.
Your deadline and property point to a direct sale — days to a few weeks, and no chain to collapse. Compare several vetted cash and investor offers at once so they compete, rather than taking the first number you’re given.
Compare offers →A couple of routes fit — compare them.
You want speed but not at any price. Get a valuation and a couple of genuine offers, and weigh a fast cash or investor sale against an auction or a well-priced agent. Decide with the numbers in hand.
Get offers to compare →A well-priced agent sale may serve you best.
With time and a desirable home, an agent is likely to net you more. Keep a vetted cash sale in reserve in case a chain breaks. A free valuation will tell you what’s realistic.
Get a free valuation →The four routes at a glance
Use the table below to weigh speed, price, fees and certainty side by side, then get genuine offers to see real numbers for your home.
| What matters | Estate Agent | Auction | Cash Buyer | Ready Steady Sell |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time to complete | 16–24 weeks | 6–10 weeks | 2–6 weeks | 7–28 days |
| % of market value | 95–100% | 75–90% | 75–85% | Best of several offers |
| Fees to you | 1–3% + VAT | 2.5%+ buyer premium | £0 | £0 |
| Certainty of sale | Chain risk | Medium | High (if funded) | Highest — we vet funding |
| Any condition | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Typical UK ranges, illustrative only.
Estate agent
The highest headline price (around 92–100% of value) but the slowest and least certain — months end-to-end, agent fees of 1–3% + VAT, and exposure to mortgage and chain risk, with roughly one in four sales collapsing. Best when you have a desirable, mortgageable home and time to spare.
Auction
A binding sale once the gavel falls, completing about 28 days later, which suits unusual or problem properties. You pay fees and the price isn’t guaranteed until the day, and prep adds weeks beforehand. See selling at auction for the detail.
Cash buyer
The fastest and most certain route — own funds, no chain, any condition, 7–28 days, no fees — at roughly 75–85% of value. Ideal for repossession, probate, divorce, a broken chain or a problem property. See how to find a genuine cash buyer.
Investor
Often closer to market value than a cash company, with flexible terms, because an investor lets rather than flips — and ideal for tenanted and portfolio sales. A little slower than a pure cash sale. See selling to an investor.
How to choose
Compare the net outcome, not the headline. A cash sale at 80% with no fees, no months of mortgage and bills, and no fall-through risk can be far closer to a “full price” agent sale than the percentages suggest — especially once you count the cost and stress of a sale that drags or collapses. Start from your real value, then judge each route as a percentage of it.
See real numbers for every route
Tell us your deadline and property and we’ll put several checked & vetted cash and investor offers side by side — and tell you honestly if an auction or agent would serve you better. Free, no obligation.
Compare my options →Compare every way to sell — honestly
Several checked & vetted offers, side by side, plus straight talk on agent and auction. Free, no obligation, no fees.
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers, no sales talk
What’s the fastest way to sell a house?
A genuine cash buyer is fastest, completing in 7–28 days with no fees, at typically 75–85% of market value. An investor is a little slower but can pay more; estate agents and auctions take months end-to-end.
