How do 'we buy any house' companies work?

You give the address, the company makes a cash offer, usually 75 to 85% of market value, and if you accept it pays the legal fees and completes in one to four weeks. There is no chain and no mortgage, so there is no buyer's lender who can refuse the property.

Do they really buy any house?

Genuine buyers will make an offer on most houses and flats, including ones with short leases, cladding, subsidence or tenants. Some firms that advertise this way are brokers who pass your details to an investor, so ask whether the company buys with its own money and ask for proof of funds.

Why use one instead of an estate agent?

Because time and certainty matter to you more than the last pound. An open-market sale typically spends months finding a buyer, then around twelve weeks in conveyancing, and around a quarter of agreed sales fell through before completion in 2025. A cash buyer removes the chain, the mortgage and most of that risk.

Can a sale to a cash buying company fall through?

It can, which is why the buyer matters. The most common problem is a firm that cuts its offer just before exchange. Use a member of The Property Ombudsman, get the offer in writing, and ask what would make the buyer reduce it.

How fast can a 'we buy any house' sale complete?

Seven days is possible when the title is clean and your solicitor is ready. Two to four weeks is more typical. You should be able to pick the completion date rather than have one imposed.

We buy any house: how it works, and when it beats the open market

Name: The Quick House Buyers — London
Address: Level 6, Design Centre East, Chelsea Harbour, London, England, SW10 0XF, GB
Telephone: 020 3884 1561

Written and reviewed by Kris McClory, Head of PurchasesLast reviewed 6 August 2026

A "we buy any house" company buys your property for cash, usually at 75 to 85% of market value, pays your legal fees and completes in one to four weeks. People use them because the open market is slow and uncertain: months to find a buyer, around twelve weeks of conveyancing, and roughly one agreed sale in four falls through before completion. We offer 75 to 80%, in writing, and you pick the completion date.

Want a real number on your house?

Tell us the postcode and we'll come back with a price we can complete on. No fee, no obligation, no agent visits.

Get my cash offer »Just want a valuation Or call 020 3884 1561

Who searches "we buy any house"?

Almost always someone with a deadline. A new job in another city, a probate estate with bills running, mortgage arrears, a divorce settlement, a property a lender won't touch, or a sale that has already collapsed once. If you can wait six months and don't mind the risk, an estate agent will usually leave you with more money. If you can't, the question is how long and how certain the alternative really is.

What the open market looks like right now

These figures come from live UK listings data, refreshed monthly. Time on market stops the day a sale is agreed. Conveyancing, typically another ten to twelve weeks, comes on top.

Typical time on the market: 125 days
Median asking price: £289,956
Listings that cut their price: 26%
Average price cut: £17,477

Source: Outra listings data, Jul 2026, median of 113 UK postcode areas. Asking prices, not sold prices. Last refreshed 6 August 2026. Our side of the trade is set out in how we work out our offer.

A sale can fall through right up to exchange

In England and Wales nothing is binding until contracts are exchanged. Until then your buyer can walk away for any reason, or no reason, and so can anyone further up or down the chain. Around 26% of agreed sales fell through before completion in 2025. The common causes:

The buyer's mortgage. A down-valuation, a change in rates, or the lender refusing the property type.
The survey. Damp, subsidence, roof or wiring problems lead to a renegotiation or a withdrawal.
The chain. Someone else's sale collapses and takes yours with it.
Gazumping or a change of mind. Legal right up to exchange.

When it happens late, you've lost three or four months, paid for legal work, and you go back on the market with a listing buyers have already seen. That is usually when the price cuts in the panel above start.

Need to sell to a deadline

Can't wait months for a buyer who might pull out?

We buy with our own money, so there's no chain and no mortgage to fall through. You pick the completion date.

Written offer, usually within 24 hours
We pay your legal fees
Complete in as little as 7 days

Get my cash offer »Or call 020 3884 1561

We ask for the address, your timescale, and a number to call. Nothing else.

Cash buyer vs open market, side by side

Typical outcomes. Your own figures depend on the property and area.

Typical outcomes. Your own figures depend on the property and area.
	Estate agent sale	Cash buying company
Price	Close to market value, if it holds	75 to 85% of market value
Fees	Agent fee plus your legal fees	Usually none, buyer pays legal fees
Time to agreed sale	Local time on market (see above)	An offer within 24 hours
Time to completion	Another 10 to 12 weeks after agreeing	7 to 28 days in total
Chance of falling through	Around 1 in 4 before completion	Low with a buyer using its own funds
Condition	Buyer's survey and lender can block it	Bought as seen

How to pick a cash buyer you can trust

The risk with a cash sale is the firm, not the process. The Office of Fair Trading found companies that quoted high to win the instruction and then cut the price close to exchange. Before you accept:

Ask whether they buy with their own money, and for proof of funds.
Check they are a member of The Property Ombudsman.
Get the offer in writing and ask exactly what would make them reduce it.
Use your own solicitor. Never pay an upfront fee.
Be wary of anyone offering close to full market value for a seven-day sale.

Our cash buyer checklist covers each check in detail.

How we do it

We buy with our own fund, start from an independent valuation and offer 75 to 80% of it. Once the survey is done the figure is fixed in writing and we don't cut it unless something material was hidden. We pay your legal fees, you choose the completion date, and it can be as little as seven days. The full method is on what we pay.

Need to sell to a deadline

Can't wait months for a buyer who might pull out?

We buy with our own money, so there's no chain and no mortgage to fall through. You pick the completion date.

Written offer, usually within 24 hours
We pay your legal fees
Complete in as little as 7 days

Get my cash offer »Or call 020 3884 1561

We ask for the address, your timescale, and a number to call. Nothing else.

Common questions

How do 'we buy any house' companies work?: You give the address, the company makes a cash offer, usually 75 to 85% of market value, and if you accept it pays the legal fees and completes in one to four weeks. There is no chain and no mortgage, so there is no buyer's lender who can refuse the property.
Do they really buy any house?: Genuine buyers will make an offer on most houses and flats, including ones with short leases, cladding, subsidence or tenants. Some firms that advertise this way are brokers who pass your details to an investor, so ask whether the company buys with its own money and ask for proof of funds.
Why use one instead of an estate agent?: Because time and certainty matter to you more than the last pound. An open-market sale typically spends months finding a buyer, then around twelve weeks in conveyancing, and around a quarter of agreed sales fell through before completion in 2025. A cash buyer removes the chain, the mortgage and most of that risk.
Can a sale to a cash buying company fall through?: It can, which is why the buyer matters. The most common problem is a firm that cuts its offer just before exchange. Use a member of The Property Ombudsman, get the offer in writing, and ask what would make the buyer reduce it.
How fast can a 'we buy any house' sale complete?: Seven days is possible when the title is clean and your solicitor is ready. Two to four weeks is more typical. You should be able to pick the completion date rather than have one imposed.