Months on the market. Viewings stopped. An agent who's lost interest. The problem usually isn't your property — it's the method. Howsold gives your sale a fixed deadline, a fresh buyer pool, and the competitive pressure that turns months of nothing into a committed sale.
Indicative estimate only · No obligation · No commitment
Enter your postcode — indicative estimate based on comparable sold prices.
Indicative estimate only. Based on comparable sold prices and AI analysis — AI can make mistakes. Not a formal valuation or professional appraisal.
A property that has been on the market for more than 12 weeks begins to suffer what agents call market stigma. Buyers assume something is wrong — a survey issue, a problem with the structure, a difficult seller. Viewings slow to a trickle. Offers come in below asking. Your agent's enthusiasm for your listing visibly wanes.
The conventional advice is to reduce the price. But research from Rightmove consistently shows that properties relisted after a price reduction take longer to sell than a fresh listing at the same price. A price reduction signals that you're under pressure, which encourages buyers to wait for the next one rather than act.
The real problem in almost all cases isn't the price — it's the absence of buyer urgency. In private treaty, buyers have no deadline. They can watch your listing for months, make a low offer, and pull out right up to exchange with absolutely no financial consequence. Changing that single dynamic changes everything.
Howsold introduces a fixed auction deadline that forces buyers to act. Combined with a completely different buyer pool — pre-qualified investors and cash purchasers who weren't reached by your estate agent's Rightmove listing — the results are typically dramatic.
Howsold uses the Modern Method of Auction to deliver competitive buyers, a committed sale, and zero seller fees — with a target 56-day completion window you can actually plan around.
Member of the Property Redress Scheme
Get a Free Estimate →¹ ~26% of UK private treaty sales fell through in 2025 (Quick Move Now). Auction reservation terms require buyers to commit financially before proceeding. † Based on Howsold sales to date. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.
Not a quick-buy company. Not a traditional estate agent. A genuinely better model — built for sellers who need speed, certainty, and fair value.
Buyers who've been watching your property for months suddenly have a clear choice: act before the auction date or lose the property to another bidder. The auction deadline creates the urgency that private treaty listings can never generate.
Your current Rightmove listing has been seen by everyone who was going to look at it. Our pre-qualified investor and cash buyer network is entirely different — people not reached by your current agent's marketing approach.
Your estate agent charges 1–2% plus VAT whether the property sells or not. Howsold charges you nothing. On a £300,000 property at 1.5%, that's £5,400 you keep regardless of when you sell.
Instead of negotiating down with one cautious buyer, multiple bidders compete to win your property. This market mechanism drives price toward genuine value — in the opposite direction to your current price reduction strategy.
Every Howsold buyer pays a reservation fee at the point of commitment. The 26% fall-through rate that plagues private treaty is near-eliminated. A sale agreed is a sale that completes.
You set a reserve price the property won't sell below. This protects your minimum while allowing competitive bidding to establish the best achievable price above your floor.
We'll look honestly at why your current listing isn't converting — pricing, method, or both. We give honest advice about what the market will support and whether Howsold is the right reset for your property.
Your property gets a new auction-method listing and we contact our pre-qualified buyer network from day one. The fixed auction date creates immediate engagement that your stale listing has completely lost.
Whether sold prior to auction or on the day via competitive bidding, your buyer is committed via reservation terms. We target exchange and completion within 56 days. Zero Howsold fees.
Illustrative figures based on stated assumptions — see footnote. Not financial advice.
| Traditional Estate Agent | HOWSOLD | |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer urgency mechanism | None — buyers wait indefinitely | Fixed auction date — act or lose it |
| Buyer commitment at offer? | None until exchange of contracts | Reservation fee paid immediately |
| Fall-through risk | ~26% of all private treaty sales | Near-eliminated by reservation fee |
| Buyer pool | Already-exhausted Rightmove audience | Fresh pre-qualified investor network |
| Seller fees | 1–2% + VAT ongoing | £0 |
| Price mechanism | Single buyer negotiates you downward | Multiple buyers compete price upward |
| Net result (illustrative) | Lower after fees & fall-through risk | £0 Howsold fees + committed buyer |
Sellers remain responsible for their own legal and conveyancing costs, typically £1,000–£2,500. Howsold fees are £0. Individual results vary. Not financial advice.
Comparison illustrative. Estate agent at 1.5% + VAT on a £300,000 property. Not financial advice.
The Modern Method of Auction (MMA) is a conditional online property auction. It's not distressed selling — it's a mainstream UK property sale method used by thousands of transactions every year, including properties of all types and conditions.
The key mechanism that unsticks stuck properties is the fixed auction date. Unlike a private treaty listing that sits passively on portals, an auction date creates a real deadline. Buyers who've been watching for months suddenly face a clear choice: act before the auction, or potentially lose the property to a competing bidder who acts first.
This urgency is why auction-method properties routinely achieve prices comparable to — and often better than — private treaty. It's also why the committed buyer mechanism means sales that complete. For a property that has been on the market for months, this combination is typically the reset it needs.
Auction date converts fence-sitters into committed bidders A fixed deadline gives watchers a reason to act. Buyers who've been passive for months become active when the clock starts ticking.
Reserve price protects your downside You set the minimum acceptable price. The property cannot sell below it — but competitive bidding can and often does push the final price significantly above your reserve.
Not a distressed sale method — a competitive one MMA is increasingly mainstream. It signals that you're serious about selling, which attracts serious buyers — in contrast to a listing that has sat on Rightmove for months.
Over 70% of our properties sell before auction day Strong pre-auction offers from our buyer network are presented to you as they arrive. You decide whether to accept or push to competitive bidding on the auction date.
Not necessarily, and often more. Competitive bidding drives price toward genuine market value. And because you pay zero seller fees versus 1.5–2% plus VAT to an estate agent, your net proceeds are typically higher — even at the same headline sale price.
The Modern Method of Auction is a mainstream sale method — not a distressed sale. In fact, the auction listing signals that you're serious about selling and gives buyers a deadline that creates urgency. Many buyers specifically monitor auction listings because they know sellers are motivated and the process is clean.
Yes. You set a reserve price — the minimum you'll accept. The property won't sell below it regardless of bidding. This gives you complete price protection while allowing the market to determine the best achievable price above your floor.
Most estate agent contracts have a notice period — typically 2–4 weeks. Review your agreement carefully, particularly any sole agency clauses or 'ready, willing and able purchaser' provisions. We recommend independent legal advice if you're unsure about your contractual position.
We'll be direct with you. If the feedback points to pricing, we'll tell you what the market will realistically support. If it points to presentation, we'll tell you what genuinely moves the needle — not just what costs money. Honest advice is worth more than a quick listing.
We can have your property listed with an auction date and our buyer network being contacted within a few days of instruction — once property details are confirmed and listing terms agreed.
If bidding doesn't reach your reserve and no pre-auction offer suits you, the property doesn't sell and you pay Howsold nothing. We can discuss a revised strategy for the following month.
A new agent doesn't change the mechanism that caused the problem — a buyer with no urgency and no financial commitment. Howsold changes both. The auction deadline creates urgency. The reservation fee creates commitment. These are the structural changes that produce results.
Enter your postcode for an indicative estimate based on comparable sold prices in your area. No obligation, no commitment.
Enter your postcode — indicative estimate based on comparable sold prices.
Indicative estimate only. Based on comparable sold prices and AI analysis — AI can make mistakes. Not a formal valuation or professional appraisal.