How to sell your house fast

The fastest realistic ways to sell a house in England or Wales are to price it to sell through an estate agent and pick a buyer with no chain, to sell at a traditional auction, or to sell to a cash house buyer. Each one trades some of the price for speed in a different way. Whichever route you choose, getting your paperwork and solicitor ready before you find a buyer saves weeks.

This guide covers the main routes, how long each one really takes, what each costs you in price and fees, and the steps that speed up any sale. It's general information for England and Wales; the rules are different in Scotland.

How long does a normal house sale take?

GOV.UK says selling a home takes about 5 months on average, and longer if you're part of a chain. The government's June 2026 home buying and selling roadmap says a purchase takes around 120 days on average to complete, about 60% longer than in 2007, and that around one in three transactions falls through.

So "fast" usually means beating those numbers in one of two ways: finding a buyer quickly, or cutting out the things that slow the legal work down (chains, mortgages and missing paperwork). For a stage-by-stage breakdown, see how long it takes to sell a house.

The realistic routes to a quick sale

Route	How quickly it can complete	Price	Main costs	Best for
Estate agent, priced to sell, chain-free buyer	Often a few months from listing, depending on the buyer and paperwork	Usually the highest of these routes	Agent's fee plus VAT, your legal fees	Homes in fair condition that buyers can get mortgages on
Traditional auction	Binding on the day; completion usually 20 working days later	Uncertain; depends on who turns up and bids	Auctioneer's fees, legal pack	Homes needing work, unusual homes, fixed deadlines
Modern (conditional) auction	Set by the auctioneer's terms, usually some weeks	Uncertain; buyers pay a fee on top, which can affect bids	Varies; read the terms	Sellers who want an auction-style sale with more time
Cash house buyer	Can be weeks; sometimes as little as 7 days	Usually below market value	Often none; some pay your legal fees	Speed and certainty matter more than price
Part exchange	Tied to the completion of your new-build purchase	Set by the developer's valuation	Usually covered by the developer	People buying a new-build home from that developer

1. Price it to sell through an estate agent

This is still the route most likely to get you the highest price, and it can be reasonably quick if you set the price right and choose your buyer carefully.

• Price from sold prices, not asking prices. Look up what similar homes nearby actually sold for on HM Land Registry's price paid search. Ask two or three agents for a valuation and the evidence behind it. An agent who suggests a much higher figure than the others may be trying to win your business.
• Choose the buyer, not just the offer. A first-time buyer with a mortgage agreed in principle, or a buyer who has already sold, can be worth more than a slightly higher offer from someone stuck in a long chain. Ask the agent to check each buyer's position.
• Read the agent's contract. GOV.UK warns that you must stick to its terms or you could be taken to court. Check how long you're tied in and what you'd owe if you switch to another agent or sell another way.
• Keep the agent working. Until contracts are exchanged, your agent must pass on every offer, and an offer isn't legally binding in England and Wales until then.

The downside is uncertainty. Even a well-priced home has to wait for the buyer's searches, survey and mortgage, and any chain behind them.

2. Sell at a traditional auction

At a traditional auction, the sale becomes legally binding when the hammer falls. RICS says completion usually takes place 20 working days after the auction where the RICS Common Auction Conditions are used. That certainty is the big attraction.

But you need time before the auction: the auctioneer has to list the home, your solicitor has to prepare a legal pack, and buyers need time to view it. You set a reserve price (the lowest you'll accept), but there's no promise anyone will bid above it. You'll pay the auctioneer's commission and any other charges in their terms, so ask for every fee in writing.

A modern method of auction (also called a conditional auction) gives the buyer longer to exchange and complete, and the buyer usually pays a reservation fee on top of the price. Because buyers factor that fee in, it can affect what they're willing to bid. Read the auctioneer's terms carefully. Our guide to selling a house at auction covers both types.

3. Sell to a cash house buyer

A cash house buyer is a company or investor that buys homes directly, with money it already has. There's no mortgage valuation, no lender's conditions and no chain, which is why these sales can complete in weeks. Many buy homes in any condition and pay the seller's legal fees.

The honest trade-off is the price. Cash buyers, including us, usually pay below market value, because they need to cover their costs and make a profit when they resell or let the home. When the Office of Fair Trading studied the quick-sale sector in 2013, it found sellers typically gave up between 10% and 25% of their home's market value, and sometimes much more. It also found that the advertised speed of a sale was often faster than the three to four weeks that was typical.

Not every "cash buyer" really is one. Some are brokers who look for an investor after you've agreed, and some just pass your details on. Our guide on how to check a cash house buyer explains what to ask, and what is a cash house buyer explains how they work.

If you want to see what a cash offer looks like, we make an offer within 24 hours, pay your legal fees, and you choose the completion date, from as little as 7 days to a later date that suits you. Our offer is below market value, and we explain how we worked it out from recent sales nearby. There's no obligation to accept.

4. Part exchange

If you're buying a new-build home, some housebuilders will buy your current home as part of the deal. The price is based on the developer's valuation, and it only helps if you want a new home from that developer. Get your own idea of value from sold prices first. See part exchange explained.

What speeds up any sale

Whichever route you choose, the same things cause the same delays. You can deal with most of them before you've found a buyer:

• Instruct a solicitor or conveyancer now, not after you accept an offer, so they can request your title documents and prepare the draft contract.
• Get an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). You need one before you market a home for sale, and it lasts 10 years, so check whether you already have one on the official register.
• Gather your paperwork. GOV.UK lists title deeds, planning permission and building regulations certificates, warranties for work done, surveys, electrical checks and party wall agreements.
• Fill in the property information forms early. Your solicitor will send forms such as the TA6 (property information) and TA10 (fittings and contents). Slow or incomplete answers are a common cause of delay.
• Order the leasehold management pack early if you're selling a flat. It comes from the landlord or managing agent and can take a while to arrive.
• Ask your lender for a redemption statement so you know what you owe, including any early repayment charge.
• Sort probate first if you're selling for an estate. You can market the home before the grant of probate, but you can't exchange contracts until you have it. GOV.UK says probate is usually granted within 12 weeks of applying.
• Answer questions the same day. Most sales slow down while someone waits for a reply.

When a fast sale isn't the right answer

Speed costs money, so it's worth asking whether you really need it.

• If your home is in good condition and you can wait a few months, an estate agent will usually get you more, even after fees.
• If you're behind on your mortgage, talk to your lender first, and get free, independent advice from MoneyHelper, Citizens Advice or StepChange. There may be options that let you keep your home or sell at a normal pace. See selling a house with mortgage arrears.
• If you're an executor, compare what the estate would get from each route after costs. A quicker sale can make sense when an empty house is costing money every month, but the beneficiaries may want the highest price.

Our cash offer vs estate agent calculator compares the two routes with your own figures, including the cost of waiting, and will show you when the agent route leaves you better off.

What's changing

In June 2026 the government set out plans to make sales quicker and less likely to collapse, including upfront "sales packs" with key information at the point of listing, and later, binding contracts earlier in the process. These aren't law yet, and the roadmap says the legislation will come by the end of this Parliament. For now, the best way to speed up your own sale is to have your information ready before a buyer asks for it.