It takes around 25 weeks to sell a home once it’s on the market according to our data – that’s almost half a year. The quicker you sell your house, the quicker you can move to a new one, so it’s worth doing everything you can to speed things along.
Here are our top tips for a fast sale, including how to boost first impressions, make viewings work and get to completion smoothly.
Find out more about how long it takes to sell a house in our guide.
Thinking of selling?
Get the ball rolling with an in-person valuation of your home. It’s free and there’s no obligation to sell if you change your mind.
Tips on preparing your house for sale
Follow these tips to get your home looking its best before it goes on the market.
1. Declutter
Prospective buyers need to be able to imagine themselves living in a home and feel it has the space they’re looking for. If you can, get rid of anything unnecessary or consider using a storage unit to make your home look and feel more spacious.
2. Clean, tidy and repair
Making sure your house is thoroughly clean and tidy means there’s nothing to distract buyers from seeing your home in its best light. It's also worth fixing any minor issues you’ve not got round to dealing with, so that buyers don’t see any problems they might worry about.
3. Give rooms a clear purpose
If you’re advertising your home as a four-bedroom house, the fourth bedroom shouldn’t be used as a storage room or home office when buyers come to view it. And if there are any rooms or areas that don’t have an obvious purpose, set them up to suggest one.
4. Consider your kerb appeal
The outside of your home is the first thing potential buyers see so don’t forget to spruce it up too. Tidy up the front garden, give the front door a lick of paint if it’s looking scruffy and hide the bins.
What not to fix when selling a house in the UK
Tips on putting your house on the market
Smart decisions and preparation help to speed things up once your home is advertised for sale.
5. Choose the right time of year
The property market tends to get quieter in the run up to Christmas and during the summer holidays so these aren’t the best times to put your house on the market. Spring is ideal if you’re selling a family home as families often want to be ready to move house over the summer in time for the new school term. Autumn and January are also good times.
When should I put my home on the market?
6. Find the best estate agent
The right estate agent can be instrumental in a quick house sale. Choose one with experience in selling your type of property in the area it’s in. It’s also important to find one you have a good rapport with. Read our guide to how to find the best estate agent for more.
7. Be realistic about price
You want to get the best price possible for your home but if the price is set too high compared to similar properties in the area, you could have to wait longer for a buyer. On the other hand, pricing it too low for a quick sale means you’ll have less money to buy your new home.
Use our house prices tool to see what nearby homes in your area have sold for to get a good indication of what yours might fetch.
8. Instruct a conveyancer early
It’s worth choosing and instructing a conveyancing solicitor or licensed conveyancer as soon as you decide to put your house on the market. That way, you can get the initial paperwork done before you have a buyer so the sale process can start as soon as you do.
How to choose a conveyancer or solicitor
9. Prepare the documents in advance
You have to fill in a number of forms from your conveyancer about your property and provide other relevant documents. These are all sent to your buyer. The earlier you can fill in the forms and gather the other documents together, the better.
Find trusted conveyancers in minutes – no stress, just results
Save time and money with our quick and easy comparison tool, designed to connect you with trusted conveyancers across the UK.
Trusted by thousands of UK homebuyers.
Tips on achieving successful viewings
Get the best results from your viewings by following our advice below.
10. Be accommodating
People lead busy lives, so anyone looking for a new home needs to be able to fit viewings into their schedule. Be flexible with dates and times, such as by saying yes to evening or weekend viewings, so you don’t miss out on any potential buyers.
11. Make your home inviting
Turn the lights on in your home on a gloomy day or in darker areas to brighten it up and make it feel cosier. Also, ensure it smells good. Lighting subtly scented candles or displaying fresh flowers improves your home’s fragrance as well as its ambience.
12. Progress your purchase
If you’re buying and selling, you can’t move out of your current home until you have a new one to move to, so whatever you can do to speed up your purchase will help. You may be focused on getting a fast sale but don’t neglect your property search or the buying process.
13. Respond quickly
Reply to requests for viewings from your estate agent quickly and respond to any questions about your property promptly. If you don’t, prospective buyers could lose interest and look elsewhere.
How to get your home ready for viewings
Tips on accepting an offer and beyond
It’s not the end of the story once you get an offer so do what you can to get to the finish fast.
14. Choose buyers who can move quickly
If you’re lucky enough to receive offers from multiple buyers, be selective. Choosing a buyer not in a property chain, such as a first-time buyer, means the sale is likely to progress faster with less risk of falling through than if they are.
15. Keep in touch with the professionals
There may be times during the sale process when it feels like nothing is happening. Speak to your estate agent and conveyancer regularly for updates and to find out if there’s anything you can do to help it move swiftly.
16. Agree a target date for exchange
When you get far enough along in the sale process, ask your conveyancer to agree a target date for exchanging contracts with the buyer’s conveyancer. Then everyone knows what to aim for.
For more on how to sell a house, read our step-by-step selling guide.