Ways to sell your home

Seven ways to sell, and what each could leave you with. Compare the money, answer six questions to rank the routes, then read the fees, timings and risks. Typical ranges as of 30 October 2026.

What you'd walk away with, by route

What you'd walk away with, from a home worth £350,000

Selling privately

£348,000 to £348,400
Sale price about £350,000; costs £1,600 to £2,000. Extras £100–£500; no agent fee.

Hybrid or online agent

£347,000 to £348,000
Sale price about £350,000; costs £2,000 to £3,000. Fixed fee £500–£1,500, before hosted viewings.

High-street agent

£342,200 to £344,300
Sale price about £350,000; costs £5,700 to £7,800. Sole agency, 1.2–1.8% with VAT.

Modern method of auction

£313,100 to £313,500
Sale price about £315,000; costs £1,500 to £2,000. About 10% less; legal pack up to £450.

Part exchange

£278,500 to £313,500
Sale price £280,000 to £315,000; costs about £1,500. 80–90% of market value (Zoopla).

Quick-sale company

£261,000 to £296,000
Sale price £262,500 to £297,500; costs about £1,500. 75–85% of market value.

The discount is 15–25% of your home's value. Use only members of a redress scheme, and get a local agent's valuation first so you can see what the offer really costs.

Traditional auction

Enter a price below
Commission 2–3% plus entry fee and legal pack; VAT may be extra.

Typical published ranges, not quotes, and not a promise of any price. Sale price less the route's fees, your legal fees and the mortgage. It leaves out the EPC, removals and any early repayment charge: the full walk-away calculator has those. Selling a second home? Capital Gains Tax isn't included.

Which route fits you

1. How soon do you need the money?
2. What condition is the home in?
3. How do you feel about viewings?
4. Are you buying somewhere else?
5. Could a buyer get a mortgage on it?
6. Any lease or other problems?

0 of 6 answered. The ranking appears once all six are done.

The routes compared

Typical ranges from the published sources named under each route, as of 30 October 2026. Where we found no reliable figure, we say so. Many sources are firms with something to sell, and they're marked at the foot of the page.

High-street estate agent

Typical fee: 1.2–1.8% including VAT for sole agency; the average is 1.42% (HomeOwners Alliance, 2026), or 1.3% (Rightmove, 2025). Multi-agency costs more: about 3–3.6%. Usually paid on completion.

Typical price against the open market: The open market: this is the yardstick the other routes are measured against. No route can promise a figure, and the asking price isn't the sale price.

Typical time: About 7 months on average from listing to the end. TwentyCi: 82 days to sell, then 4.4 months from agreed sale to exchange (Q1 2026).

Risks:
  • Tie-in periods and “sole selling rights” wording: read the contract before signing
  • A high valuation to win your business can mean months of price cuts
  • Sales fall through: Quick Move Now reported 26% in 2025 (quoted by HomeOwners Alliance)

Partner slot: switched off. No firm is listed here and no firm pays to appear. If that changes, the firm will be labelled as a paid partner and the fee we receive will be shown here.

Sources: HomeOwners Alliance: estate agent fees, Rightmove: how much are estate agent fees, Mortgage Solutions on TwentyCi's Q1 2026 report (16 Apr 2026), HomeOwners Alliance: selling a house at auction.

Hybrid or online agent (such as Purplebricks)

Typical fee: A fixed fee: typically £500–£1,500 (Rightmove). Purplebricks advertises from £999 with VAT and nothing up front; HomeOwners Alliance lists £699, £999 or £1,099 by price band. Hosted viewings about £400–£499 extra.

Typical price against the open market: No current independent like-for-like figure found. Older studies disagree, so we don't quote one.

Typical time: No current figure found. Which? found online-only agents 38 days faster than traditional ones in 2017, which is too old to rely on.

Risks:
  • Many packages are paid up front, so you can pay and not sell
  • Pay-later deals can fall due at 10 or 12 months whether or not you've sold, sometimes through a credit agreement
  • You usually host the viewings and chase the sale yourself

Partner slot: switched off. No firm is listed here and no firm pays to appear. If that changes, the firm will be labelled as a paid partner and the fee we receive will be shown here.

Sources: Rightmove: how much are estate agent fees, Purplebricks: sell my house, HomeOwners Alliance: should I use an online estate agent, Which? on online and traditional agents (2017, dated).

Traditional auction

Typical fee: Around 2.5% (HomeOwners Alliance); 2–3% plus a £300–£600 entry fee and a £300–£800 legal pack (Springbok). Check whether VAT is on top. The entry fee is lost if it doesn't sell.

Typical price against the open market: Usually lower than the open market, but no like-for-like figure found. Published gaps of 25–43% compare averages, without allowing for condition, so we don't use them.

Typical time: About two months if all goes well: perhaps a month to reach an auction, then completion within 28 days of the hammer.

Risks:
  • Binding when the hammer falls: there's no backing out
  • If bids don't reach your reserve it's withdrawn and you've paid to try
  • Costs more in fees than the average agent

Partner slot: switched off. No firm is listed here and no firm pays to appear. If that changes, the firm will be labelled as a paid partner and the fee we receive will be shown here.

Sources: HomeOwners Alliance: selling a house at auction, Springbok Properties: auction fees for sellers.

Modern method of auction

Typical fee: Nothing to the seller in commission, usually: the buyer pays a reservation fee, usually at least 2.5% + VAT or £6,000 with VAT. You may pay for the legal pack, up to £450.

Typical price against the open market: “Around 10% less” than the open market (HomeOwners Alliance), and buyers may knock the reservation fee off their bid.

Typical time: Up to 56 days after the bidding ends: 28 to exchange, 28 to complete. Getting to the auction takes extra time; no figure found.

Risks:
  • Not as certain as a traditional auction: the sale isn't binding at the fall of the hammer
  • The buyer's fee can put buyers off, and may come out of your price anyway
  • Agents keep the fee either way, so may push less to finish the sale

Partner slot: switched off. No firm is listed here and no firm pays to appear. If that changes, the firm will be labelled as a paid partner and the fee we receive will be shown here.

Sources: HomeOwners Alliance: Modern Method of Auction explained.

Quick-sale company

Typical fee: No agent fee: the discount is the cost. Some firms advertise paying your legal fees; get that in writing.

Typical price against the open market: Often 75–80% of market value, sometimes up to 85% (HomeOwners Alliance). That's 15–25% less, which is a lot of money.

Typical time: Can be as little as a week, but some sellers report “quick” sales taking many months.

Risks:
  • Offers cut late: The Property Ombudsman's code says this needs a valid reason, and a bad survey can be one, so ask to see the report
  • The market is unregulated: without a scheme, your only route is the courts
  • Use only a firm that belongs to a redress scheme: check The Property Ombudsman's register, and that it's in the National Association of Property Buyers

The discount is 15–25% of your home's value. Use only members of a redress scheme, and get a local agent's valuation first so you can see what the offer really costs.

Partner slot: switched off. No firm is listed here and no firm pays to appear. If that changes, the firm will be labelled as a paid partner and the fee we receive will be shown here. Only redress-scheme members would be considered.

Sources: HomeOwners Alliance: quick house sale firms.

Part exchange (buying a new build)

Typical fee: Usually no agent fee: the developer pays or avoids it (Barratt, Miller Homes). Terms vary by developer, and one scheme asks for a £500 condition payment.

Typical price against the open market: 80–90% of open-market value (Zoopla). A new-homes site says 90–100%, so ask for the valuations. Some schemes market your home first, closer to its value.

Typical time: Tied to your new home's build: you stay put until it's ready. No general figure found. Barratt's scheme can buy eight weeks before the new home is ready if no offer has come in.

Risks:
  • Only with a developer's scheme, and usually only if the new home is worth at least 30% more
  • Harder to negotiate on the new home's price
  • New builds can lose value if you sell within a year or two

Partner slot: switched off. No firm is listed here and no firm pays to appear. If that changes, the firm will be labelled as a paid partner and the fee we receive will be shown here.

Sources: Zoopla: part exchange your home, New-Builds.co.uk: part exchange (22 Feb 2026), HomeOwners Alliance: part exchange, Barratt Homes: Part Exchange Xtra.

Selling privately

Typical fee: No agent's fee. Extras such as photos and a board usually £100–£500 (Springbok). You still need an EPC (£60–£120) and a conveyancer.

Typical price against the open market: No independent figure found. You keep the commission, but you do the pricing and negotiating yourself.

Typical time: Usually about as long as with an agent, often five to six months (Springbok).

Risks:
  • Rightmove and Zoopla don't take private listings: you need a fixed-fee online agent for those
  • You check buyers yourself, and give honest, full information yourself
  • Getting the price wrong can cost more than the commission saved

Partner slot: switched off. No firm is listed here and no firm pays to appear. If that changes, the firm will be labelled as a paid partner and the fee we receive will be shown here.

Sources: Springbok Properties: selling without an estate agent.