Your Guide to a Private House Sale in the UK
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Content Written By: Jessica Buckley - Last Updated: 27/10/2025
Selling a house privately has become ever more popular since the recession in 2008. In fact, many of us are choosing to opt for this type of sale because it's perceived to be a way of avoiding an agent's fees.
Indeed, if you've already found a buyer, you won't really benefit from using an agent. Selling privately to a friend or family member is a prime example. However, if you're yet to find a buyer, private house sales come with a LOT of hurdles, which you need to be aware of before diving in headfirst. Read on and we'll make sure you're aware of them all.
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What is a private house sale?
Private house sales are when you sell your house without an estate agent.
By doing so, you're putting the responsibility for the entire process on your own shoulders.
So, this means that tasks like seeking an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), advertising the property, hosting viewings and handling negotiations are all things you will have to deal with yourself.
Read more: The government’s information on Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs)
The only time you'll need to call on someone external when selling your house privately is when you receive an offer and you need a solicitor to sort the legalities. You can find out roughly how much a solicitor might charge to sell your house here.
To summarise, private house sales mean:
You will be selling your house without an estate agent
You'll be responsible for each stage of the selling process
Any mishaps or errors during the process will fall on your shoulders
How to sell your house without an estate agent
Selling a house without an estate agent may seem simple on the surface, but the more you look into it, the more of a task it becomes. So, it's no wonder the 'selling house privately vs agent' debate is such a hot topic at the moment.
“If you are using an estate agent, the agent negotiates with the potential buyer(s) about the price. The estate agent should try and obtain the best possible price for you. If you are acting alone, you must negotiate yourself. You do not have to accept the first offer put to you and should not be rushed into making a decision quickly.”
| 1. Make your home worth buying | When selling your own house privately, your property first needs to look the part both inside and out, especially if you've got no agent with the sales patter to talk it up. At the end of the day, buyers will be looking for picking points, so by minimising them, you're more likely to achieve the best price. |
| 2. Write a description and set a price | The price you set is arguably the most important aspect of your entire property sale, regardless of whether you're using an agent or selling a house privately. It really does pay to do your research, so use all the tools you have at your disposal. Use online estimators to get a rough guide, use property portals and price indices to monitor changes in your area and even call a few estate agents to try to get a free valuation or two. |
| 3. Listing your property for sale | When selling a house privately, you don't have access to the main property portals (Rightmove, Zoopla etc). However, that doesn't mean you can't advertise online at all. Numerous sites are specifically designed for marketing private house sales, mostly for free, but don't underestimate the power of social media or even the local paper—great ways to market your property to local audiences. |
| 4. Arranging viewings | While the price can influence who views your property, it's the viewings themselves that are the deal breaker. Every time someone views your house, they make a judgment, so first impressions count when it comes to getting those offers. Filtering out all the time-wasters, as well as booking and re-booking, is just another chore to consider. |
| 5. Negotiating and accepting offers | Receiving an offer is one thing, but negotiating it is another skill in itself. To do so effectively, you'll need to develop a strategy and stick to it. When negotiating any offers, try to do so in person or, at the very least, over the phone. Buyers can easily hide behind a text or an email, but less so when put on the spot. |
| 6. Legal discussions | Do you need a solicitor to sell your house privately? Yes, you most certainly do. In fact, this is the one point in the entire process where you'll be able to relax. When choosing a solicitor, consider reviews, reputation, experience and, most importantly, speed. Slow solicitors can increase the likelihood of losing a sale. |
Top tip: Phone a few different solicitors and see which one calls back first—they could be the best bet for your business.
The pros and cons of selling your house privately
So, up to this point, selling your house privately doesn't appear to be that attractive. The popularity of selling some types of houses off-market actually decreased recently, according to Hamptons:
“High interest rates and a lack of confidence meant sellers in the mainstream market had to work harder to find a buyer last year than they did in previous years. Fewer homes were sold before being advertised on the property portals, with the proportion of all homes in Great Britain sold off-market dropping from the five-year high of 9.6% recorded in 2022 to 7.4% in 2023.”
However, don't let that discourage you. There are several pros to selling your house without an estate agent, so it’s important to weigh them up alongside the cons.
| Pros of selling without an agent | Cons of selling without an agent |
|---|---|
| ✔️ It can actually be quite cheap to sell privately. Advertising costs are small and, in some cases, free, and you don't even have to cover an expensive agent fee, which can often stretch into the £1,000s. Remember, that fee doesn’t include the VAT either. | ❌ You don't have access to the agent's contacts, which could drag out the sale or reduce the amount of interest. As we all know, low interest equals lower offers. |
| ✔️ You can get straight on with organising your sale, unlike an agent who could have 20+ sales going through at one time. | ❌ Any mishaps or schoolboy errors are on your shoulders (gulp), so experience can count for a lot. |
| ✔️ If you're selling a house privately to a friend, there's no need for you to hunt for a buyer. | ❌ Organising a property sale is time-consuming, especially if it's completely new to you. |
| ✔️ If you choose to sell your property privately through a cash buyer like us, you can cross the cons (right) off your list. We do all the admin for you. | ❌ Learning how to sell your house privately without estate agents can take some serious time, so it can get in the way of other aspects of your life. |
Is it worth selling your house yourself?
If you're cultured in sales and feel confident in selling a house to the best of its ability, then a private house sale may be the way forward for you.
That's if you have the time, of course, as selling your house privately does require a large commitment, but that's not to say it isn't worthwhile. You might even save enough to cover a whole year’s worth of mortgage payments…
If you are selling your house privately to a friend, you won’t really need to worry all that much about tense negotiations or attracting interest either.
However, if you're feeling a tad apprehensive about a private house sale, then you're likely to be better off leaving your property in the hands of a professional. That could well be an estate agent or a trusted cash buyer like us—the difference is that an agent will charge you a fee and we won't.
How long should a private house sale take?
The choice you make here won’t dramatically affect the speed of your sale all that much. Go with an agent or DIY and you'll still be reliant on the pace of the open market.
On average, houses in Manchester in the year to October 2025, for instance, spent 202 days on the open market, so the question you now need to ask is: ‘Should I sell through the open market or opt for an off-market sale?'
While you'd assume the open market is the way to go, when you consider all the factors you have to contend with, it typically turns out to be a lot trickier than an off-market deal.
Here’s an idea of what can affect sales and time on market via the traditional selling route of estate agents:
How to sell your property quickly
If you're not fond of waiting around to sell a house privately, then you obviously want to maximise your chances, so here are some handy tips to help you do just that:
Make a good first impression: Ensure both your exterior and interior are appealing; outside, clear your garden by mowing the lawn or weeding, while inside, make sure you clean and declutter.
Decorate: Even if you just add a lick of paint, it’s a cheaper alternative to other methods of sprucing up your home.
Make some quick fixes: Become handy by fixing cracks, holes or areas within your home that need mending—even the smallest fix can make a big difference.
Give the essentials a once-over: Check that everything is in working order, whether it's bits of plumbing or electrics.
Get your paperwork in order: Make sure you get your EPC done as soon as possible.
If you feel like the open market isn't the right place for your property, then don't worry—you still have a lot of options. You could:
Go to auction: While this is technically an on-market option, selling at auction is a way of clinching a quick sale, provided you get interest, of course.
Sell to a friend or family member: This could be either at the market rate or a heavily reduced rate.
Try a cash buyer: At The Property Buying Company, we will buy your house, no matter its location, condition or size, for 100% cash.
To sell your house quickly, all you have to do is enter your postcode and we’ll send you a free cash offer. We can complete in a timescale that suits you and have been known to do so in as little as seven days.
We’ll cover your fees, pay you in cash and deliver everything with excellent customer service—our Trustpilot reviews speak for themselves:
“I've had the pleasure of working with Kirsty at The Property Buying Company on multiple occasions, and I can't recommend her highly enough. Kirsty and the legal team are absolutely brilliant – always a pleasure to work with. Communication is consistently quick and efficient, and their knowledge and professionalism really stand out. It's clear they genuinely care about delivering a smooth and stress-free process. A fantastic team all round!”
Date of experience: Jul 8, 2025
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to issue a memorandum of sale if I sell privately?
No, you don’t need to issue a memorandum of sale if you choose to sell your house privately, as it’s not a legally binding document. It’s a document that’s typically issued by estate agents to lay out the terms of a proposed agreement, with a view to making them legally binding in a contract further down the line. All you need to exchange with the buyer are your respective solicitors’ contact details.
Can I sell my house privately without an estate agent?
Yes, you can sell your house privately without an estate agent if you are able to manage every stage of the sales process yourself. This includes advertising, viewings, negotiations and final agreements, but you will need a solicitor to help you with the legal side of that last point.
What risks are there in private house sales?
The risks involved in a private house sale include setting the wrong price, attracting ill-intentioned buyers, drafting documents that aren’t fit for purpose and lacking in sales expertise. It is not impossible to sell your house privately and many people do it every day, but it is a more difficult task than selling straight to a cash buyer or on the open market.
Edit Log
27/10/2025 - Content rewritten by Jessica Buckley
26/08/2024 - Content updated in line with Editorial Guidelines (Reviewed by Mathew McCorry)
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