Selling Your House Without an Estate Agent
Selling your house can be a long, drawn-out process at the best of times. With concerns over chain breaks, costly estate agent fees, and more all weighing heavily, deciding to sell is a decision rarely made lightly.
As a result, many homeowners look for a way to secure a sale that bypasses much of the expense, time and stress. The thing is, is that even possible? It’s safe to say that most homeowners aren’t seasoned property experts and look to a trusted estate agent to steer them through it, but then they take a huge chunk of your cash, and don’t even guarantee you the sale. So, is there another way? Could you go it alone, sell your house and bask in the glory of doing what the agents couldn’t?
Can I sell my house without an estate agent?
You sure can! Selling a house without an estate agent is certainly possible. It might require a bit of effort on your part, but you could pocket more cash than if selling via an estate agent.
You can pursue a variety of avenues without an estate agent, and some may work more seamlessly than others. We’ll go through them all so you can weigh up the best option for you.
Just be prepared; If you choose to sell privately, you’ll take on a fair bit of work. You’ll essentially be the estate agent, and this could see you feeling more stressed than if you appointed an agent in the first place! So, before we go any further, consider what matters most to you: the speed of the sale, the price you get or the management of the process.
How to sell your house without an estate agent
You’ve got a few paths to choose from when you sell a house without an estate agent. You could choose to sell privately ( the complete DIY method to sell a house), you could look at property auctions, or you might consider a cash house buyer. Each has its benefits, varying levels of cost and timelines for completion. It ultimately, as we mentioned earlier, comes down to what matters most to you.
Let’s dive into selling privately first.
Selling a house privately
If you decide that selling a house without an estate agent is best done completely by yourself, you should grab a pad and start jotting down all the things you’ll need to do:
- Determine the price you wish to sell at
- Take high-quality photos of the home.
- Arrange how and where the property is to be advertised.
- Write a detailed description, not filled with too much sales jargon, but enough to give the home a positive spin.
- Booking and conducting viewings
- Negotiating with buyers
- Appoint a solicitor or conveyancer to complete the legal aspects of the sale.
This may seem like a long list, but each one of these tasks shouldn’t be rushed. Conduct research to see how houses like yours are priced in your neighbourhood. Look at estate agent websites to get an idea of the kind of photos taken and language used. Then factor in how you’ll organise viewings. Remember, you have a regular life too, and you’ll need to fit viewings between school runs, mealtimes and work. For a while, your social life may slow down a little, especially if your home is in high demand!
Then look at appointing a solicitor, don’t be swayed by cost. Cheap doesn’t always mean bad, and expensive doesn’t always mean good! Look at reviews, ask about their processes and find out how busy they are.
The process of selling a house without an estate agent
Give the house a deep clean
Finish any outstanding DIY
Enhance the kerb appeal
Consider redecorating
Take your photos
Check the types of photos estate agents use and perhaps consider hiring a professional for the best results.
List the property
Book and host viewings
Be prepared for a host of questions. This is where estate agents come into their own and use their expertise. It’s your turn to do that now, so make sure you are prepared!
Accept an offer, negotiate if necessary and exchange
What are the other ways to sell your house without an estate agent?
If you think selling privately could be too much hard work or a little stressful, there are two alternatives. Both offer a faster house sale than if you were to sell privately.
Selling to a cash house buyer
The other option to consider when selling a home without an estate agent is through a cash house buyer. Companies like Sell House Fast purchase your home in a timeframe that matches your needs. In our case, for example, it can be completed in just seven days. What’s more, a selection of these companies will buy any home, regardless of condition, location or type. With all the legal fees covered too, it’s a way to sell your home without an estate agent without spending money either. You will be offered a little lower than the asking price. However, with a guaranteed sale, taking that slight hit on the price more than makes up for what you spend with an estate agent, solicitor or auction house where there is no promise of a sale.
Selling a house at auction
You could choose to sell a house via auction. You’ll complete a house sale in 28-56 days, depending on which auction type you choose. Of course, there is no guaranteed sale, and you’ll have to pay commission to the auctioneer along with other associated fees. So, it can be a risk. But with many buyers at auction being investors, they’ll often buy a house as is, meaning you don’t have to worry too much about fixing any lingering issues.
Specialist auction houses replace the role of estate agents and help put together advertising material for the home too. This will come at a cost, and in most cases, you’ll still pay for this, even if your house doesn’t sell.
Are there disadvantages to selling a house without an estate agent?
There are some disadvantages if you decide to sell a home without an estate agent. Namely, the lack of professional expertise and the smaller market you expose your property to.
With an estate agent, you can rely on them to answer the tricky questions posed by buyers and manage negotiations with your best interests in mind. Trying to do some of this yourself can prove difficult, especially during negotiations.
When it comes to reach, estate agents not only place you in the shop window and on their website, but their access to property platforms allows your home to be seen by more than just their local customers.
This gives you a greater chance to sell at the price you want, but as we said earlier, at a cost that could hit your final sales total hard.
How much can I save if I sell my house without an estate agent?
It varies between agents. The commission taken by an estate agent can be as low as 1% of the sales value, but could reach 3%-4% of your total value in some cases. Based on the current UK average house price of £268,000 (HPI April 2025), you could see anything from £2,680-£10,720 lost in fees! Then add the final selling price, which could be 5-10% lower than the asking price, and you’ve lost considerably more. Opting to go without an agent could see more of that cash sitting in your pocket.
Could I sell my house with an online estate agent?
This is another option you could investigate, but it should be treated with caution. Where high-street estate agents charge commission on the sale, online agents tend to charge upfront for a “package”. This could include all the photos, listings, booking of viewings and legal parts of the sale. This takes a great deal of work away from you, but in many cases, the fee is paid regardless of whether the home sells. You do have the added benefit of being listed on platforms like Zoopla and Rightmove, though, putting your home in front of more people.
Selling a house without an estate agent: Final thoughts
Selling your house without an estate agent may sound daunting, especially when you look at the workload you’ll take on. However, you can bypass all that work and sell without an estate agent by contacting a team like ours. We streamline the sales process so the worries of delays, costs and complications are removed.
We make an offer on your home, and if you accept it, we’ll complete the process in just seven days. Longer if you prefer. It won’t matter what condition your house is in, where it’s located, or even what type of home it is.
With the sale guaranteed too, you can avoid the potential pitfalls of an auction house, the costs of an online estate agent and the slow process of the high street agents. Call us today to find out more.
