How to Sell Your House Without an Estate Agent
Selling your house privately (For Sale By Owner or FSBO) is the fastest way to save the 1-3% commission, netting you thousands more profit. However, you are swapping that fee for a huge workload. You become the valuer, marketer, negotiator, and administrator.
You need a realistic plan detailing the exact work, potential costs, and legal steps required to successfully bypass the agent and keep the profit.
Getting your legal and financial foundations ready
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Instruct your solicitor immediately
Do not wait until you accept an offer. You must instruct your solicitor first. The agent's role is pre-sale admin; your solicitor handles the legal transfer.
They must be ready to receive the buyer's offer details and draft the Contract Pack (the draft contract and required property forms) as soon as you accept an offer. This readiness is crucial in preventing lengthy and costly delays once a buyer is found.
- 2
Get an accurate, competitive valuation
Your asking price must be rational, not emotional. Use recent sold prices data from online portals (Rightmove, Zoopla) to understand the market reality in your postcode.
We strongly advise commissioning two independent RICS valuations (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors). This provides a reliable, rational figure to set a competitive asking price that serious buyers will trust.
- Fixed, competitive legal fees with no hidden costs.
- Expert conveyancing solicitors with proven local knowledge.
- No Sale, No Fee protection for your transaction. Terms apply.
- On 99% of mortgage lender panels.
- Fast completions.
- We can solve any property challenge.
Marketing, presentation, and legal compliance
You are now the marketer. Your goal is to attract genuine buyer interest online, which means competing directly with listings from professional estate agents.
- 1
Online exposure (the portal problem)
A reality of the housing market is that you cannot list privately on the major portals like Rightmove or Zoopla. You must pay a fixed fee (typically £100–£500) to a Hybrid or Online Listing Agent to get your property seen, where 98% of buyers search. Factor this cost into your savings.
- 2
Professional presentation
Your visuals are critical. Do not rely on mobile phone photos.
- Invest in professional photographs. This is non-negotiable for generating serious interest.
- Create a video tour of the property. If your plot is large or unique, consider aerial drone footage to showcase the boundaries and location.
- While not a strict legal requirement for the sale itself, a professional floor plan is mandatory for most listing agents and is expected by serious buyers for planning.
- Write a compelling description that highlights key features, local amenities, and transport links. Sell the lifestyle.
- 3
EPC
This is a legal deadline you must meet. A valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) must be commissioned and available before you market the property, or you could face penalties. You cannot post the listing without it.
When buying with a mortgage, your lender will appoint their own surveyor for a mortgage valuation.
This is done for the lender, but the borrower usually pays for it. An independent valuation report will allow you to compare results and give you an insight into the condition of the property from a buyer's perspective.
- Local, MRICS, and FRICS-accredited surveyors.
- Fixed, competitive fees.
- Availability from 16/10/2025(i).
- We can solve any property challenge.
Viewings, vetting, and negotiation
This phase is where your time investment becomes heaviest. Without an agent, you must act as the sole filter between an enquiry and a solid offer.
- 1
Vetting buyers before viewings
Protect your time by assessing a buyer's situation immediately. You must determine their readiness to proceed:
- Cash or Mortgage? If they require a mortgage, have they received an Agreement in Principle (AIP)?
- Chain Status: Are they first-time buyers, or do they have a house to sell? Long chains carry the highest risk of collapse.
- Availability: Be prepared to offer flexible viewing times, which is often difficult if you work full-time.
You are the expert on your home, which is an advantage. Stage it appropriately, be professional, highlight key selling points, and be prepared to answer technical questions about boundary lines, utility suppliers, and the local area.
- 2
Managing offers and MoS
Once you receive an offer, you negotiate directly. Decide on your absolute minimum acceptable price beforehand and stick to it.
When an offer is accepted, you must draft the Memorandum of Sale (MoS). This is an administrative document detailing:
- The final agreed price.
- Fixtures, fittings, and contents included or excluded.
- Contact details for the seller's and buyer's appointed conveyancing solicitors.
The MoS must be sent to all parties - the buyer, your solicitor, and the buyer's solicitor - to formally initiate the legal process.
Seller's administrative duties
Once the Memorandum of Sale is distributed, the legal transfer begins. Without an agent, you assume the role of Sales Progressor, an administrative job that often determines the speed of the sale.
Managing momentum
Your solicitor handles the legal side, but you must drive the momentum. If the sale stalls, you are the one responsible for resolving bottlenecks and ensuring the chain (if one exists) holds together until Exchange of Contracts. This includes:
- Proactively chasing your buyer's solicitor, mortgage broker, and survey company for updates. Do not wait for things to happen.
- Coordinating access for the buyer's mortgage valuation and any independent structural survey (Level 2 or 3).
- Dealing directly with your solicitor to answer detailed, often technical, post-search enquiries raised by the buyer's legal team.
Pros and cons of FBSO
Selling privately is a trade-off. It suits sellers who have time and confidence to manage it, but not those who underestimate the required administrative load.
Pros | Cons |
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- Expert panel of conveyancing solicitors with local knowledge.
- Your transaction is protected by our No Sale, No Fee policy. Terms apply.
- Fixed fee conveyancing.
- We are on 99% of mortgage lender panels.
- We can solve any property challenge.
Jack is our resident Content Writer with a wealth of experience in Marketing, Content, and Film. If you need anything written or proof-read at a rapid speed and high quality, he's your guy.
Caragh is an excellent writer and copy editor of books, news articles and editorials. She has written extensively for SAM for a variety of conveyancing, survey, property law and mortgage-related articles.
