How Does "We Buy Any House" Work?

"We buy any house" companies work by purchasing your property directly for cash, usually at 75–85% of its open-market value, and completing in as little as 7 to 28 days. Instead of listing with an estate agent and waiting for a mortgaged buyer, you deal with a single principal buyer who funds the purchase from its own cash reserves, covers your legal fees, and gives you a fixed completion date. You trade a slice of the sale price — typically a 15–25% discount — for speed, certainty and the removal of chains, viewings and fall-throughs. It is the right route for a minority of sellers in a genuine hurry, and the wrong one for anyone who can afford to wait for full market value.

• 75–85%of market value paid
• 7–28 daystypical completion
• £0agent or legal fees to you
• £270,080average UK house price, 2026

What "we buy any house" actually means

The phrase describes a specific business model: a company — or a network of investors behind one — that buys residential property directly from the owner for cash, in its current condition, without requiring a mortgage. Because the buyer is not borrowing, there is no lender, no mortgage valuation, no chain above or below, and no risk that a third party pulls out at the last minute. The company owns the funds, makes the decision, and completes on a date that suits you.

That is fundamentally different from an estate agent. An agent markets your home to find a buyer and earns a commission, typically 1–3% plus VAT, when the sale completes; the agent never owns your property and cannot guarantee anyone will buy it. A "we buy any house" firm is the buyer. It takes the property onto its own balance sheet, then refurbishes, re-sells or lets it. Its profit is the gap between what it pays you and what the property is ultimately worth — which is exactly why the offer is below full market value.

In 2026 the average UK home is worth around £270,080 according to the HM Land Registry UK House Price Index, with prices up roughly 3.8% over the year. England sits near £291,000, Wales £212,000 and Scotland £192,000. Those averages matter because every cash offer you receive is a percentage of your own home's realistic open-market value — so understanding that value first is the single most important thing you can do before engaging any quick-sale company. Our how much is my house worth guide explains how to establish it independently.

The step-by-step process

Although wording differs between companies, a genuine "we buy any house" transaction follows a predictable seven-stage path. Knowing each stage helps you spot where a less scrupulous operator might try to chip the price.

1. Enquiry and basic details. You submit your address, the property type, and a rough idea of condition online or by phone. Reputable firms ask only enough to research comparable sales — they should not pressure you for a decision at this point.

2. Desktop valuation. The company researches recent sold prices on your street and in your postcode, plus current listings, to estimate open-market value. This is where it calculates the figure that all subsequent offers hang off.

3. Initial (indicative) offer. You receive a verbal or written indicative offer, usually expressed as a percentage of the estimated market value. This is not binding and is the figure most likely to be revised later, so treat it as a starting point, not a promise.

4. Survey and formal offer. If you are interested, the company arranges a RICS survey or sends a valuer. After this it issues a formal offer. An honest firm's formal offer is close to its indicative figure; a "lowballing" firm uses the survey as an excuse to drop the price significantly.

5. Legal instruction. Solicitors are instructed on both sides. Genuine cash buyers pay for your conveyancing or contribute to it. You should still use an independent solicitor, never one chosen and controlled solely by the buyer.

6. Searches, enquiries and contracts. Because there is no mortgage lender, the legal work is faster — but local authority searches, title checks and standard enquiries still happen. This is the stage that determines whether "7 days" is realistic for your property.

7. Exchange and completion. Contracts are exchanged (the point at which the sale becomes legally binding) and completion follows, sometimes on the same day. The cash lands in your account and the property changes hands.

What they pay — and why the discount exists

Across the UK market in 2026, genuine cash house-buying companies pay in the region of 75–85% of open-market value. Some volume operators sit lower, around 70–80%, and you should be sceptical of any firm advertising "up to 100%" or "full market value" for a fast cash sale — those figures rarely survive the survey. The discount is not arbitrary; it reflects four real costs and risks the buyer absorbs on your behalf.

First, speed has a cost. To complete in days rather than months, the company ties up cash, fast-tracks legal work and accepts the property as-is. Second, risk: the buyer takes on any hidden defects, market movements and re-sale uncertainty once it owns the home. Third, holding and transaction costs: stamp duty, refurbishment, insurance, council tax and the cost of eventually re-selling all come out of that margin. Fourth, certainty: the buyer is effectively selling you an insurance policy against the roughly 24% chance an open-market sale collapses.

A worked example

Take a home with a realistic open-market value of £250,000.

• At 85%, a strong cash offer is about £212,500.
• At 75%, a typical offer is about £187,500.
• So the cash route costs you roughly £37,500–£62,500 versus a full-price open-market sale.

Now offset the savings and avoided costs. On the open market you might pay an agent 1.5% (£3,750), spend months on mortgage payments, bills and possibly a price reduction, and still face a one-in-four chance of the sale falling through and starting again. If you would otherwise face repossession fees, an empty-property insurance premium, or a bridging loan at 0.75–1% per month, the true gap narrows. The cash discount is rarely "free money lost" — but it is real money, and you should size it precisely before deciding.

• Open market 95–100%
• Estate agent assisted sale 90–95%
• Genuine cash buyer 75–85%
• Lowball / revised-down offer 65–72%

How long it really takes

The headline "buy your house in 7 days" is achievable but not typical. A clean freehold with clear title, no tenants and a cooperative seller can complete in 7–14 days. Most genuine sales land in the two-to-four-week window once searches and enquiries are done. Leasehold flats, probate properties awaiting a grant, or homes with title defects take longer — sometimes 4–8 weeks — because the legal complexity, not the funding, is the bottleneck.

Compare that with the open market. In 2026, sellers are taking roughly 60 days just to find a buyer, and the average time from agreement to exchange has stretched to around 134 days. Add it together and a conventional sale routinely runs 16–24 weeks, with no guarantee of completion at the end. That contrast — weeks versus months, certain versus probable — is the entire value proposition of the model.

Any condition, any situation — what that covers

The "any" in "we buy any house" is largely accurate, and it is the model's genuine strength. Because the buyer plans to refurbish or re-let, condition is rarely a dealbreaker. Companies routinely purchase homes with structural problems, short leases, fire or flood damage, sitting tenants, non-standard construction, and properties that simply will not sell on the open market.

The situations it serves best tend to share one feature: time pressure or complexity that a normal sale cannot accommodate. Common scenarios include facing repossession, where a fixed completion date can clear the mortgage before a court hearing; selling an inherited or probate property from a distance; separating finances quickly in a divorce; relocating for work; releasing equity to fund care; landlords exiting with tenants in situ; and breaking a broken chain so another purchase can proceed. Our guides on selling a house fast and cash house buyers go deeper on each of these.

Who it suits — and who it does not

Honesty matters here, because the wrong seller using this route loses tens of thousands of pounds for no reason. A fast cash sale is the right choice when speed or certainty has genuine financial value to you: avoiding repossession, stopping interest accruing on a bridging loan, ending the drain of an empty inherited property, or simply removing the stress of a sale that has already collapsed twice.

It is the wrong choice when you have time and a saleable home. If your property would sell on the open market within a few months and you do not urgently need the money, accepting 75–85% means handing a stranger £25,000–£60,000 of your equity. In that situation, a good high-street or online agent, or at most a part-exchange or assisted-sale arrangement, will almost always serve you better. Be especially wary if a salesperson tries to manufacture urgency where none exists — that pressure is a tactic, not your reality.

The risks and red flags to watch

The model is legitimate, but it is lightly regulated, and that attracts a fringe of poor operators. These are the warning signs that separate a genuine buyer from one that will waste your time or chip your price.

Price reduction near completion. The classic tactic: a high indicative offer to "win" you, then a sharp reduction days before exchange, banking on the fact that you are now committed and out of time. A genuine buyer's formal offer barely moves from its written figure.

Offers that are too good to be true. Any company promising 90–100% of market value for a fast cash purchase is almost certainly either not a cash buyer at all (it may be a broker hunting for an investor), or it intends to renegotiate later.

Tie-in periods and exclusivity contracts. Be cautious of lengthy lock-in agreements that stop you talking to anyone else while the company takes weeks to "find a buyer" — that is a sign you are dealing with an intermediary, not a principal.

Upfront or hidden fees. A genuine "we buy any house" firm makes its money on the purchase, not on charging you. You should never pay an upfront fee for a valuation or to "reserve" an offer.

No verifiable proof of funds. If a company cannot show evidence it actually holds the cash, it cannot guarantee anything. This is the single most important check, covered below.

How to get a fair offer and verify the buyer

You can use the model safely. The protection comes from a short checklist that genuine companies pass easily and poor ones fail.

Establish independent market value first. Get two or three estate-agent appraisals and check recent sold prices yourself before you speak to any cash buyer. You cannot judge whether 80% is fair if you do not know what 100% is.

Check NAPB and Property Ombudsman membership. The National Association of Property Buyers, formed in 2013, is the trade body for the sector. Its members commit to a Property Ombudsman Code of Practice covering offer transparency and fair conduct, and must be registered with The Property Ombudsman (TPO) — a free, independent redress scheme you can escalate to after eight weeks if a dispute is unresolved. Buying only from NAPB members with TPO registration is the simplest safeguard available.

Demand proof of funds. Ask for written evidence — a bank statement or a solicitor's confirmation — that the company holds the cash to buy your home outright. A true cash buyer provides this without hesitation.

Use your own solicitor. Never rely solely on a conveyancer appointed and paid for by the buyer with no independent advice on your side. If the buyer pays your legal fees, that is fine — but you still choose and instruct the firm.

Get everything in writing and compare offers. Obtain the offer, the percentage, the completion date and the fee position in writing, and put it side by side with at least one other genuine buyer. Comparison is the strongest discipline on price.

• 2013NAPB founded
• 8 weeksbefore you can escalate to TPO
• ~24%open-market sales that fall through
• 1 visitsurvey, instead of endless viewings

Alternatives worth weighing first

A direct cash sale is one option on a spectrum, not the only fast route. Before committing, weigh these:

Estate-agent assisted sale. Some companies will market your home at full price for a fixed period, only buying it themselves (at a discount) if it does not sell. You keep the chance of full value while retaining a guaranteed fallback.

Modern method of auction. Sale by online auction can complete in around 56 days and often achieves closer to market value than a cash buyer, while still being faster and more certain than a private-treaty sale.

Part-exchange with a developer. If you are buying a new-build, the developer may take your existing home in part-exchange, removing the chain — though again at below market value.

A faster open-market sale. Sometimes the answer is simply a sharper asking price, better photography and a proactive agent. Our best house-buying companies and we buy any house below market value guides help you benchmark each route, and you can review the wider numbers in our UK property selling statistics.

Frequently asked questions

Is "we buy any house" a scam?

The legitimate firms are not a scam — they are real companies buying property for cash at a discount, a recognised and lawful model. The risk is not fraud so much as poor practice: lowball revisions, exclusivity tie-ins and inflated initial offers. Sticking to NAPB members registered with The Property Ombudsman removes almost all of that risk.

How much will I actually get for my house?

Expect a genuine cash offer of 75–85% of your home's realistic open-market value, with your legal fees usually covered and no agent commission. On a £250,000 home that is roughly £187,500–£212,500. Be cautious of offers above ~82% until they are confirmed in writing post-survey.

How quickly can the sale complete?

A straightforward freehold can complete in 7–14 days; most sales take two to four weeks. Leasehold flats, probate properties and homes with title issues can take 4–8 weeks because of the legal work, not the funding.

Will I have to pay any fees?

With a genuine buyer, no. There is no estate-agent commission, and the company typically pays your conveyancing costs. You should never pay an upfront valuation or "reservation" fee — that is a red flag.

Can they really buy a house in any condition?

Largely, yes. Because buyers refurbish or re-let, they purchase homes with subsidence, short leases, damp, fire damage, sitting tenants and non-standard construction that struggle to sell on the open market.

Should I get more than one offer?

Always. Establish independent market value first, then compare at least two genuine cash offers in writing. Comparison is the single most effective protection against an unfair price.

The bottom line

"We buy any house" works exactly as it says when you deal with the right company: a direct cash purchase, in any condition, completing in days or weeks, with your legal fees covered and no agent commission — in exchange for selling at 75–85% of market value. For a seller facing repossession, probate, divorce, a collapsed chain or a property that simply will not sell, that trade can be genuinely worth it. For a seller with time and a saleable home, it usually is not. The deciding factor is always the same: know your home's true market value, calculate the discount in pounds, verify the buyer through NAPB and The Property Ombudsman, and only then decide whether certainty is worth the cost.

Ready Steady Sell is independent and free to use — we are paid by the vetted buyers we introduce, not by you — and our role is to help you compare genuine cash buyers without the sales pressure. Founder Lisa Hayes built the service around a simple principle: no homeowner should accept a lowball offer because nobody showed them the real numbers. If you want to weigh your options, start with our cash house buyers guide, sense-check the jargon in our property jargon explained resource, and review the market evidence in our industry data hub.