We Buy Any House

We buy any house in the UK, whatever the condition – tenanted, dilapidated or facing repossession

We buy any house in the UK, (Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales). If you need a ‘sell house fast’ firm in a hurry then we can help, fill in our online form and we’ll get at least acceptable one cash offer representing a fair price for your home.

‘Buy any house’ firms can help you to raise funds in a hurry

For most people, the highest possible price is the main priority. But for some people, time is of the essence. The need for a fast sale takes precedence over all other concerns. And in these circumstances, the traditional way of getting a sale of your property fast isn’t great; this is where we can help.

There are many reasons why speed might be more important than price to customers. For example, you might be in a hurry to relocate for a new job. You might want to begin your retirement without delay. Or you may even want to stop repossession proceedings before your credit rating is severely affected.

So-called ‘we buy any house for cash’ firms are there for people like you. They either acquire properties directly or represent genuine cash buyers who want to purchase property without the fuss. Decor, room sizes, location, and other concerns aren’t necessary so you can sell your home fast whatever the location or condition.

When we perform a quick Internet search, there are dozens of fast sale’ firms in the UK today. Many of them promise the Earth to get your business. But can they be trusted to deliver, do they all have your best interests at heart?

We’ve put together a useful guide to choosing ‘buy my house’ firms in the UK. We also ask the question: Is a quick sale firm the best way to go?

How does a ‘we buy any house’ firm operate?

‘We buy your home’ firms buy property directly from owners. In some cases, it’s the company that’s providing the funds. But many of these work in conjunction with partners to procure homes fast and without fuss.

National home buyers want to purchase property as quickly as possible. And we think, because they’re not bothered about aesthetic issues, they’re often willing to make an offer straight away.

• There’s no need for marketing
• There’s no need for property photos
• There’s no need for property viewings
• No negotiations are involved
• The legal process is simple
• There’s no upward property chain
• Enter your phone and email address for an instant quote

When you combine all of these benefits, the average time it takes to sell a home plummets from three months to as few as seven days by avoiding traditional estate agents.

We say there’s no such thing as a free lunch. In return for such a smooth and speedy transaction, the company needs to make money. Some firms will charge upfront fees (we don’t). More reputable ones make their money by selling the property on for a profit. You pay for the service in the form of a reduced price.

The main benefits of using property buyers

The need for speed is always the main reason people turn to home buying firms in the UK. In the right circumstances, you can get your hands on the cash you need within just a few days. Whether you’re keen to get on with the next chapter of your life or you need to settle debts, this speed could be invaluable.

There are many benefits involved in the sale of property this way; here, we think, are a few of the most impressive:

No fees to pay

Yes, there are a few firms that make money by charging upfront fees with no guarantee of a fast sale. Avoid these firms at all costs. Thankfully, there are several operators in the UK that pride themselves on charging absolutely no hidden fees or charges. These companies make their money by disposing of your property at a profit.

A reputable buyer will cover all the costs involved in purchasing a home, including valuation and survey costs. If struggling to make ends meet, this financial lifeboat could be just what you need.

We think you’ll probably have to accept that you won’t get the full market price for your home. But is that such a big deal? After all, you’d have a range of fees and costs to cover if you were trying to sell your property on the open market.

The reason for selling is irrelevant

If you’ve ever sold a home on the open market, the buyer may have asked your reasons for selling up, which is essential for some purchasers. After all, they don’t want to purchase a home that has structural issues, nuisance neighbours or other serious problems. But when you sell to a national house buyer, the reason is irrelevant.

Perhaps you want to downsize and free up cash for your future. Maybe you need to pay off your mortgage before your lender repossesses your home. There are many reasons why owners need to sell quick. But none of them is essential when you sell to a ‘fast sale’ firm.

As long as you’re the owner of the property and there are no legal impediments, we believe you can sell to a quick property sale firm, hassle-free.

Get a free home valuation

Beware of firms that ask for a valuation fee before they’ve made an initial offer. These operators want to make money out of the desperation of homeowners; in many cases, they make more from fees than they do reselling the homes purchased.

A reputable home buyer will provide a free, no-obligation valuation. They’ll do this based on a range of data that’s in the public domain. Recent property price history, sales data and market conditions are all used to value a property accurately.

If you don’t think the offer reasonable, don’t be afraid to haggle. And if it’s nowhere near your expectations, walk away. You shouldn’t have to part with a penny throughout the home selling process. And the only contract you should sign is the one that transfers ownership of the property.

Leave the hard work to someone else

Selling on the open property market always involves a degree of work for the owner. Even if you employ a talented estate agent, you’ll still need to help with the marketing of the property. You’ll have to oversee property viewings, conveyancing issues, and dealing with the various parties involved. We think this is taking on too much!

We believe when you sell to a property buyer, you’re leaving all the hard work and hassle to someone else. A right firm will take the reins from the outside. All you need to do is answer a few questions and sign the final contract when the time comes.

And make no mistake: selling a property involves a lot of legwork. You’d typically have to work with the estate agent to create a property description. You’d need to manage the property viewing process. And you’d probably need to take control of various conveyancing issues.

Property buying companies remove several stages of the sale process:-

No need for marketing, property viewings, negotiations and protracted conveyancing. Accept the offer, and let the property experts do the rest.

Initiating a property sale couldn’t be easier

All you need to do to start the ball rolling is make a phone call. Provide as many details about your home as you can, and the experts will give you a tentative valuation almost immediately.

If you’re happy with the offer, consent to a more formal valuation process, and answer a few questions over the phone. There are no long application forms to complete. In most cases, the seller can wait for the process to complete — and the money to hit their bank account.

What we buy any house scams should I be aware?

A lot of people who approach sell quickly firms are desperate to sell their home fast. And this desperation can be exploited by unscrupulous firms. When people need to get their hands on cash in a hurry, they’re more vulnerable to scams and deceptions.

We appreciate selling your home is a huge step — and a significant transaction. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. So, no matter how desperately you need to sell a home, we say, it’s always a good idea to think things through thoroughly.

What’s a common scam? In most cases, it looks like a genuine home sale opportunity. Scammers spend a lot of money on marketing, slick websites and friendly customer service teams. They do all of this to gain the confidence of their victims.

Never dive into an agreement without first doing your homework on the company. While a great offer might be very tempting, it may come with some dangerous strings attached.

Research the firm before accepting an offer

The need for a quick home sale combined with a seemingly generous offer might be cause for excitement. But we believe, never judge a book by its cover. The house buying firm might have a stunning website, social media accounts and a dedicated customer service hotline, but don’t take any of this at face value.

Ensure you’re dealing with a trustworthy company, there are a few checks you can carry out:

• Take part in online discussions about house sale experiences with these firms.
• Search for independent reviews and testimonials.
• Reach out to people who’ve sold a home to the company in the past.
• Check the National Association of Property Buyers to see if the firm is on their register.
• Check the company is signed up to The Property Ombudsman’s codes of conduct.
• Look for wild claims about guaranteed timescales (every property sold is different).
• Check the firm’s sales each month; some might not buy at certain times of the year.

Scammers and fraudsters use a variety of methods to trick homeowners out of money and value in their home. If prepared for all these various tricks, you’ll be able to identify them for what they are, before signing up.

The most common scams

Last-minute offer price reductions

Imagine you’ve accepted an offer from a quick sale firm. You need to sell your house fast to stop repossession proceedings. An offer on the table is just enough to pay off your mortgage, arrears and costs. But the night before completion, the company contacts you to reduce the offer on your home due to ‘unforeseen circumstances’.

Sadly, this scenario is common in the UK. We see owners waste time in the belief that the offer made by a house buyer is set in stone. Disreputable companies that buy properties for cash do this because they know you don’t have many options left at such a late stage of the process. And they make a lot of money as a result.

If you’re facing repossession in a matter of days, you may not have enough time to start the entire process from scratch with a different property buyer. In this situation, you’d be forced to accept the reduced offer, sadly, a practice that affects homeowners in the UK every day.

Unrealistic timescales for purchasing your home

So, if promised (verbally) that your home purchase completes within ten working days, then accept the offer on that basis, as you need to start a new job in a new area in just three weeks. But every property sale is different. And not even the most experienced property professionals can predict a timescale with such accuracy.

Scammers and fraudsters promise very short timescales for a reason — to win your business. Once you’ve signed an agreement (something you should never do), you’re at the mercy of the house buyer.

If someone promises to complete the purchase of your home within a week, proceed with caution. Research the company and look for examples of such short lead times. While a reputable company might estimate the timescale involved, they’d certainly never promise it.

Exclusivity contracts or tie-in options

Once an unscrupulous company has your attention, they don’t want to lose it to one of their competitors. And they’ll go to enormous lengths to stop that from happening.

If you’re asked to sign an agreement with a tie in option before you receive a formal valuation has taken place, then proceed with caution. Ideally, you should be free to compare two or three estimates before choosing the one that’s best for you, which might be impossible if you signed up to an exclusivity agreement at the very beginning of the process.

A reputable, trustworthy ‘we buy any house’ company will never ask you to sign up at the beginning of the process. Indeed, you should only be fully committed to proceeding with the transaction once you’ve signed a purchase contract. Before then, you should be free to compare offers and change your mind.

Inflated offers

A lot of property purchasing firms will go to great lengths to win your business. And if that means falsely inflating the value of your home, they will promise 100%’, meaning they’ll pay 100% of the property’s value. All they want to do is to get you to sign a contract at the earliest opportunity. They might say that the valuation is for a limited period, or that it’s predicated on you signing up today.

But if you’re fully up to speed with property prices in your area, you’ll be able to spot this type of scam immediately. Before you start approaching multiple house buyers, do some research to find current trends in your area. Look for recent house sales data from reputable data publishers, including Zoopla, Rightmove and The Land Registry.

If an offer seems high, we say you should raise the issue with the property buyer and how they arrive at the figure. Where did they get their data? Where is the precedent for such a high valuation?

Legal fees

Some property purchasing firms charge for valuations, surveys and other related services they offer. And that’s fair enough — if those charges are transparent and communicated fully at the very beginning of the process.

Sadly, a lot of questionable house buying operators hide their legal fees in the small print of contracts. Some property purchasers are forced to part with hundreds of pounds before contracts exchange.

Always check the small print in any contract before you sign it. Ask an expert to take a look for you if you’re not sure what you’re doing and don’t avoid asking about fees well within the first month you contact them.

Can I still sell if my home needs improvements?

We say the simple answer is yes; you can still sell your house; this is one of the main reasons people choose to sell their home to a quick house sale operator. In some cases, the money needed to repair or renovate a property is prohibitive. Rather than spend months trying to find a buyer the traditional way, more and more owners are choosing to speed up the process and leave the hard work to a house buying company.

A reputable house buying firm will consider property, regardless of its current state of repair. Of course, the offer they make will reflect the work needed to bring the property up to standard. But in many cases, the reduced price is well worth it. If repairs could run into tens of thousands, it’s often best to just cut and run.

Can I trust ‘we buy any home’ firms?

Yes, but we know there are several questionable sell house fast firms in the UK who employ a range of dodgy tactics to make their money. The trick to success is avoiding these firms and choosing ones that have the best interests of homeowners at heart.

There are a few signs that some firms may not be as trustworthy as they’d have you believe:

• Bold claims on their website that seem too good to be true
• Promises on timescales and a completion date
• An unusually high initial valuation
• Upfront fees
• The need to sign an initial agreement at the start of the process
• Bad customer reviews on third-party review sites such as Trustpilot

We buy any house reviews

We buy any house reviews for 2018, and 2019 are easy to find using the internet. Popular websites to check out a property buying company include Trust Pilot and Reviews.co.uk. Unfortunately, we suggest some property buying firms will post ‘fake reviews’ to encourage house sellers to choose them to buy their home. It’s worth browsing around and checking other reviews on websites such as Netmums and money-saving expert. Discussions on ‘sell quick’ firms can be a good source of weeding out the good from the bad operators but is only a part of the validation process. Check other credentials at Companies House and other trade bodies, etc.

Choose a firm that’s right for your circumstances

Of course, the price you get for your home is essential. But simply choosing the company that’s offering the most for your home isn’t always the way to go. For example, we believe, someone making a slightly lower offer might have a better track record of customer service and reliability.

We advise you to research house prices and your local property market BEFORE you start approaching a regulated professional firm to purchase your home. Our advice and experience are to be wary of wild promises and tying in contracts; do your research on the company’s history before you decide to sell. Choose the best house buying firm that suits your circumstances, and you’ll be able to plan for the future with confidence.

Call our United Kingdom team today, to chat with one of our experts about your property sale requirements, or complete the enquiry form, directed to our email address.