Selling · 3 min read
How to sell your house without an estate agent
A step-by-step UK guide to selling your own home privately: what an agent normally does, what it costs, the legal steps and how to stay in control.
Anyone can sell their own home in the UK. An estate agent is optional; a legal professional is not. Selling privately means you take on the agent’s jobs yourself: pricing, advertising, viewings, negotiating and keeping the sale moving.
What an estate agent normally does
A traditional agent values your home, writes the advert, arranges photos and a floor plan, lists it on property portals, books and hosts viewings, passes on offers, checks a buyer’s finances, and chases solicitors until completion. Some of that takes real time. None of it needs a licence.
What you cannot skip is the legal work. In England and Wales you need a solicitor or licensed conveyancer; in Scotland and Northern Ireland, a solicitor. They transfer ownership, deal with your mortgage lender and handle the money.
What you could save
High-street agents often charge a percentage of the sale price, plus VAT. On a £300,000 home, a fee of 1% plus VAT is £3,600. Online agents usually charge a fixed fee, sometimes payable even if you don’t sell. Selling privately removes that fee, but you still pay for:
- an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), or a Home Report in Scotland
- your solicitor or conveyancer
- your mortgage lender’s redemption fees, if any
- removals, and optionally professional photos or a floor plan
Step by step
- Check what you owe and what you own. Ask your lender for a redemption figure and confirm the property is registered in your name. Your conveyancer can download the title from HM Land Registry (or Registers of Scotland).
- Get your EPC before you advertise. GOV.UK is clear that you must have an EPC before you market your property. In Scotland, you need a Home Report instead, which includes the energy report. See our EPC guide and Home Report guide.
- Instruct a conveyancer early. Identity checks, the title and the property information forms can all be done before you find a buyer. That can save weeks later. See conveyancing when you sell privately.
- Set a realistic price. Base it on what similar homes have actually sold for, not on asking prices. Our pricing guide shows a simple method.
- Write the advert and take good photos. Clear daylight photos and an honest, specific description get more serious enquiries. See how to write a property advert.
- Handle enquiries and viewings. Speak to buyers before they visit, ask about their position, and never show people round alone if you can avoid it. See safe viewings.
- Negotiate and agree a sale. Ask for offers in writing and check how the buyer will pay. See handling offers.
- Share the sale details. Once you agree, send both solicitors the same summary: names, addresses, price, what’s included and any special conditions. Agents call this a memorandum of sale; you can write it yourself.
- Keep the sale moving. Answer your solicitor’s questions quickly and stay in touch with the buyer. Delays usually come from slow paperwork, not from the law.
- Exchange and complete. In England and Wales, the sale becomes legally binding at exchange of contracts. On completion day the money moves, you hand over the keys and the home is theirs.
How long it takes
GOV.UK says selling a home takes about five months on average, and longer if you are in a chain. Selling privately doesn’t change the legal timetable; being organised does.
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Is selling privately right for you?
It suits people who can be available for viewings, are comfortable talking about money, and will reply to their solicitor promptly. It is harder if you live far from the property, need to sell very fast, or would rather not negotiate face to face. You can always start privately and decide later.
How OpenSell fits in
OpenSell lets you list your home for free and receive enquiries from buyers who have verified a UK mobile number. We don’t value, survey or check ownership of homes, and we don’t take a fee. Your conveyancer still does the legal work.
Sources
Last reviewed . This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Rules differ across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and can change; check with a solicitor or conveyancer about your own sale.