Selling a house that needs work
If your property needs major work, has structural problems or a buyer's lender won't lend on it, an open-market sale can stall. We buy houses and flats in any condition for cash, so a mortgage valuation can't hold things up, and we make an offer within 24 hours of hearing from you. You still have to tell any buyer, including us, what you know about the property's problems.
Who this is for
- Owners of houses needing full renovation, rewiring, a new roof or damp treatment
- Properties with structural movement, subsidence or problem insulation
- Homes that buyers' lenders have refused to lend on
- Sellers whose previous sales fell through after a survey
How it works
Address, what you know about its condition and any survey you've had.
Within 24 hours. We don't need a mortgage, so a lender's valuation can't change the deal.
Fast exchange, or a later completion if you need time to move.
Why some properties are hard to sell
Most buyers need a mortgage, and lenders won't lend on some properties until problems are fixed: serious structural movement, no working kitchen or bathroom, non-standard construction, or certain types of spray foam insulation are common examples. When that happens the sale either falls through or the price is renegotiated late on.
Selling to a cash buyer avoids the lender's valuation and survey conditions altogether. It doesn't remove the need to be open about the property: consumer protection law requires estate agents not to leave out material information buyers need (National Trading Standards publishes guidance on what that covers), and the property information forms your solicitor sends ask about known problems.
Source: Unfair commercial practices guidance, CMA207 (Competition and Markets Authority)
What we buy
We buy properties that need anything from cosmetic updating to full refurbishment, including houses with foam insulation to remove, Victorian homes needing work throughout, and properties where two previous sales have fallen through. After buying, we refurbish or redevelop them using our in-house team.
Local examples
Properties needing work that we bought quickly, from Christchurch to Poole.
Questions we're often asked
Do I need to do any repairs before selling to you?
No. We buy as seen. Don't spend money on repairs to sell to us; it rarely changes the price enough to be worth it.
Will you need a survey?
We assess the property ourselves and sometimes bring in a specialist for structural issues. On some purchases we've exchanged without formal surveys.
My sale fell through because the buyer couldn't get a mortgage. Can you help?
Yes. That's one of the most common reasons people call us. As a self-funded buyer, a lender's decision can't hold up our purchase.
Do you buy flats as well as houses?
Yes, including flats with short leases or other issues. Tell us the details and we'll say straight away whether it's something we can buy.
Sources
Planning rules change. These links were checked when this page was last updated; your council's website has the current position.
Tell us about the property
No obligation, no pressure. Just a straight answer from the people who make the decisions.
