Your complete guide to how to sell a home fast for cash
As a homeowner, it’s easy to imagine how good it will feel to sell my house fast. To feel free of debt and the threat of repossession. To feel free from the ties of a failed relationship. To feel free to access your inheritance. Or maybe just to feel free from the drag of waiting to sell your home, watching your dream home come and go.
It’s also easy to imagine what will happen if I don’t sell my house fast. Stuck with the stress of your debts. Unable to get a clean break from your divorce. Unable to lay hands on the money you should have inherited.
Selling a house fast for cash, can solve so many problems, and solve them so much sooner. But how can I sell my house fast? What are my options and why should I choose a cash buyer to sell my house quickly, rather than waiting for an open market sale?
Table of Contents
What’s stopping me selling my house fast?
According to the Office for National Statistics, there were over 700,000 residential property transactions in the year ending March 2023, and further Government statistics show over 600,000 residential sales in the financial year ending March 2024.
That means that there’s a lot of competition when it comes to selling my house quickly. No wonder 31.3% of home sales fell through in the first quarter of 2024, according to the Home Owners Alliance.
What is the average time to complete a house sale?
When it comes to selling a house quickly, you have three main options:
Sell to a cash home buyer – this can take as little as 7 – 14 days, and your sale can be arranged to complete on any day that suits you.
Sell through an estate agent – Zoopla research found that the average estate agent sale takes 25 weeks and ranges from 17 weeks to 34 weeks.
Sell at auction – this can take at least 8 weeks and will often take longer since 20%-25% of auction properties do not sell first time according to Auction Link
What is the best way to sell my house fast?
The best way of selling a house quickly will depend on your individual circumstances. If you need to get the highest price, then you will have no choice but to sell through an estate agent on the open market. This will take longer, but there are some things you can do to speed up your sale, such as decorating and adding home improvements, holding an open house and being proactive in keeping your estate agent focussed on selling your home quickly.
By selling a house at auction, you will sell quicker, but you’ll get a little less for your home. However, as shown above, there are no guarantees that your home will even attract a bidder. Auction sales are also much less flexible, with set timescales for exchange of contracts and completion, which may not suit your plans.
If you’re wondering how to sell my home fast, then a sale to one of the companies that buy houses for cash is your best bet. The best cash house buyers (UK) will offer you a guaranteed sale, at a guarantee price, with a convenient completion date to suit your plans.
How can I sell my house fastest?
Selling to one of the companies that buy houses for cash is far and away the fastest way to sell a house. Most cash house buyers will be able to buy your house in around 14days, with the cash deposited in your bank the same day that the sale is completed. Imagine having the cash from your home sale in just two week. It could change your life!
Some companies that buy houses for cash can even buy quicker than this. Tell them that you want to sell my house quickly and they may be able to complete the purchase in just seven days. However, you may need to accept a lower offer for this speed of service, as the buyer will not have time to carefully check the property and so will be taking a bigger risk.
Why would I choose to sell my house fast to a cash buyer?
There are lots of reasons why you would choose to sell to companies that buy houses for cash:
- Speed – the average time to complete a house sale with these companies is just a couple of weeks
- Simplicity – you won’t have to do repairs or redecorate to get ready to sell
- Convenience – there’s no constant stream of viewers, no surveys and no haggling
- Certainty – a cash house sale is guaranteed, unlike an open market sale that has a one in three chance of falling through
- Set price – a cash house sale price is guaranteed, with no haggling after surveys
- No fees – with the best companies that buy houses for cash, there are no estate agents to pay, no legal fees and no extras
Whatever the reason you’re thinking that I’d like to sell my house fast, there’s no quicker and easier solution that selling to a cash house buyer.
What are the drawbacks of selling my house fast for cash?
When thinking about how to sell my house fast, you need to be aware of the drawbacks as well as the benefits. There are two main issues if you are considering selling my house fast, the lower price and the risk of rip offs.
- Lower price – you will get less for your home from a cash buyer, with an average offer of 80% of the market value. That said, it’s worth bearing in mind that most houses do not sell for the asking price anyway. Yopa research found that the average home sale went through at 17% below the original asking price – and that’s after you’ve paid 1-2% to your estate agent and hundreds of pounds more in legal fees.
- The risk of rip offs – while the best companies that buy houses for cash will act in an open and honest manner, many others won’t. Check out the independent reviews here in the Property Sale Watchdog to find the best cash house buyer for you.
Your step by step guide to how to sell my home fast for cash
The first step if you are thinking that I want to sell my house fast, is to find out exactly what it will cost you to sell my house quickly. Click the link below to get an instant estimate of the kind of offer you could get for your home.
If this seems too high a price to pay, then you can walk away with no obligation to go any further. If you can work with this sort of price for your home, then the next step is to give us a few details about your home, your area and your personal circumstances, and we will put you in touch with one of our carefully selected and fully vetted companies that buy houses for cash.
They will give you a formal offer initial for your home, based on the details you supply. Once again, you’re under no obligation to proceed, but if you do, then the company will do a little more research before they confirm this offer. Unless there is a major issue with your home that you haven’t disclosed, this offer should not change, and the price they offer should be the price they pay.
Watch out for red flags
If you tell a company that I want to sell my house quickly, and they ask you to sign a contract, then you should walk away. These contracts are never phrased in your favour and you could find yourself tied into a sale that takes months to complete. You’ll still get around 20% less for your home, but with none of the benefits of selling your home fast.
Getting out of these contracts can often involve a payment of thousands of pounds, and some companies that buy houses for cash make most of their money from these fees. They sign you up, behave so badly that you pay to get away, and they pocket the cash and move on to their next victim.
If you have told a company that you need to sell my house fast, some will exploit your circumstances by dropping their offer at the last minute. They know how much you need to sell, and they know that by that point you may have little choice but to accept their lower offer. It’s not an honest way to operate, and it’s definitely not fair, but sadly it’s a common tactic of companies that buy houses for cash.
Find the best cash house buyer (UK)
With so much at stake, it’s important to find a cash house buying company that you can trust, with no contracts to sign and no last-minute price drops. Finding the best cash house buyer for yourself could take weeks of painstaking research, but fortunately, the Property Sale Watchdog has done all of that work for you.
If selling my house quickly is your priority, check out our comprehensive, impartial guides to find the best cash house buyer (UK) from the hundreds of companies available. Alternatively, you can simply get a cash offer estimate below, and then ask us to connect you to the cash house buyer that best suits your home and your circumstances.
Can I really sell my house fast for cash?
Yes you can. Despite the terrible reputation of companies that buy houses for cash, there are some out there who offer a fair, open and honest service in exchange for a reduction in the price of your home.
With the help and support of the Property Sale Watchdog, you can get a guaranteed sale, at a guaranteed price, in as little as 14 days or less, so you can move on with your life, free of the hassles of selling your home. Instead of sitting in a dead housing market, waiting for a buyer, your home sale will be done and dusted, the money will be in your bank, and your home selling nightmare will be over.
Frequently asked questions
How fast can I sell my house for cash?
The average cash home sale completes in just 14 days and some companies can buy your home for cash even quicker than this.
What is the average time to complete a house sale?
Selling through an estate agent takes around 25 weeks on average. Selling at auction takes at least eight weeks and often takes more. However, the average time to complete a house sale to a cash buyer is just 14 days.
How much will I get if I sell my house fast?
Companies that buy houses for cash normally pay around 80% of the market value of your home. This value is the price that it is estimated your home will actually sell for, not necessarily the original asking price. It is possible that a cash buyer can pay up to 85% under very specific circumstances, such as where a sale fixes a broken sales chain.
Can I get a better offer to sell my house quickly?
Less reputable companies may tempt you in with offers over 80%, but they rarely pay that much. If an offer seems too good to be true, it generally is, and you will find that they drop this offer at the last minute – often to a lower price than you could’ve got from a reputable cash buyer.
Do cash house buyers pay what they say?
The better companies that buy houses for cash will honour their offers, but not all of them do. Check out the independent reviews on the Property Sale Watchdog to see who you can trust to stick to their offer.
How do I avoid getting conned by companies that buy houses for cash?
The most important way to avoid getting conned when selling my house fast is to never sign a contract. No reputable company will ask you to do so, and it is a serious red flag. If you are asked to sign a contract, walk away. There are plenty of other companies that buy houses for cash to choose from.
How do I find the best cash house buyer (UK)?
The best way to choose your cash house buying company is to read the impartial reviews on the Property Sale Watchdog. Our experienced, expert team have compared dozens of the best cash house buyers, on a wide range of measures, to find the very best companies that buy houses for cash.
How can I sell my house quickly?
You can start by getting a free, no obligation estimate using the PSW cash offer calculator. If you like the price, we can connect you to a recommended cash house buying company.