Zoopla recently warned sellers half of properties never sell. And added that it usually comes down to price. Their advice to sellers is clear: “realistic pricing remains critical for sellers looking to secure a sale in a competitive market.”
Unlike traditional agents who look at other listing prices for guidance and often quote aspirational figures to win business, our valuations are based on what comparable properties have actually sold for recently — taking into account condition, location, features, and whether the property is sold tenanted or vacant. The result is a valuation grounded in evidence — exactly the kind of “realistic pricing” Zoopla says sellers need.
If you live in the property you’re selling and you can wait for a buyer to pay the highest prices, it might make sense to wait but if you’re selling a vacant property, the running costs can quickly drain any cash reserves and cause major financial strain on monthly living costs.
Add up the costs of evicting tenants, preparing the property for sale and running vacant property with no rental income and we’re confident the money you have left in the bank after the sale will be much more similar than the headline figures suggest.
The man difference you’re left with after selling with vacant possession for best price or selling tenanted is the process you go through to get to that point.
Traditional option: Sales in England and Wales regularly take 6–12 months. Our solution: We use a fixed 28-day marketing period to create urgency while maximising exposure across Rightmove, Zoopla, and our database of more than 30,000 active buyers including investors, owner-occupiers and cash purchasers. All buyers agree to complete within 56 days, and we proactively coordinate solicitors, surveyors and all parties to keep transactions moving.
Traditional option: Nearly 30% of high street property sales fall through. Our solution: Accepted buyers secure the purchase with a non-refundable reservation deposit, giving sellers greater certainty and dramatically reducing the risk of wasted months, failed chains and aborted costs.
We do more than any other estate agent to solve the sorts of problems that cause sales to collapse.
We recently sold a property in Lincoln consisting of 2 totally separate flats let to students as a combination of 6 bed HMO and a 3 bed flat after the seller had been trying to sell her property for almost 2 years.
We quickly identified that the valuation she had been given by other agents didn’t take into account the selling price of similar recently sold properties in the same area. Or in Zoopla’s words “wasn’t realistic”.
We normally agree a price the offer is happy to accept and then take our fee from any sale over that amount so sellers know exactly what they will be walking away at the end of the sale. However, in this case, to reassure the seller about the validity of our expectations, we also agreed to cap the amount we could make over the agreed offer and share any excess with 90% going to her.
This is an option that is open to all sellers worried by valuations that are lower than they would hope for – just talk to our consultants before an offer is made and we will include the additional term in writing with the offer.
We found 2 buyers, both wanting to buy the property with the tenants in situ – a cash offer for the fastest sale, and a higher offer from a mortgage buyer with a Mortgage Decision in Principle (MIP) for the amount offered. She accepted the higher offer from the mortgage buyer and the deposit was paid, securing the sale.
During conveyancing, it emerged that the MIP was given on a 9 bed HMO, rather than a 6 bed HMO and separate 3 bed flat; threatening to jeopardise the sale due to the lender’s concerns that the sale price was higher price than their own commercial valuation.
Rather than the seller having to accept a lower offer to satisfy the lenders concerns, or let the sale collapse, we liaised with Lincoln council to get the HMO license increased to 9 rooms and Sui Generis planning.
We solved every problem the lender put forward as a justification to lower the amount previously agreed until the lender was satisfied and agreed to lend the full amount of the MIP.
That’s the difference between simply listing property and actually getting it sold. If you are comparing valuations, don’t just ask “What price could I get?”
Ask:
- How long will it take?
- What will it cost me while I wait?
- How likely is the sale to actually complete?
- And how much money will I really have left at the end?
Want a sale that actually completes, not just a valuation designed to win your instruction?
Then you already know who to call. Landlord Sales Agency specialises in helping landlords sell faster, with less stress, more certainty, and solutions other agents simply do not offer. We have an extensive database of over 30,000 active, chain free buyers looking to purchase anything from a single property to a full portfolio, allowing us to quickly match you with the perfect buyer.
Our team of landlord experts is the best in the country at managing tenants, access and compliance.
Fast, realistic, structured sales managed by experts that complete with zero fuss.
So, if you’re a landlord looking to get the job done, we’re ready to get going. Because when things get tough, the tough get going. That’s us.