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For buyers

Thinking of buying one of ours?

Most of the homes we sell are being sold by executors after a death. That changes a few things for you as a buyer - almost all of them in your favour, and the one that isn't is worth understanding before you offer.

What's different

Why a probate sale is often a better buy

The seller is an executor settling an estate, not a family who need to find somewhere else to live first.

  • There is no chain above you. Nobody is waiting to find their next house before they can move
  • The seller is usually motivated by time, not by squeezing the last thousand pounds - estates cost money to keep open
  • The property is usually empty, so completion is not held up by someone else moving out
  • We order the searches up front, so the paperwork is further along than a normal sale on day one
  • Many of these homes need work, which is reflected in the price

The honest bits

What buyers ask us

Will it take longer because it's probate?

It can. A sale cannot legally complete until the grant of probate has been issued, and that is with the Probate Registry, not with us. What we do is start marketing and start the legal work before the grant arrives, so that everything else is ready the day it lands. If the grant is already in hand when you offer, a probate sale is usually faster than a normal one, not slower.

Can I offer before the grant comes through?

Yes, and most of our buyers do. You can offer, have it accepted, and get your survey and searches done while the grant is being issued. We will tell you honestly where the probate application has got to before you spend money on anything.

Can I get a mortgage on one?

Usually yes. Where a property is in poor enough condition that a lender will not lend - no working kitchen or bathroom, serious damp, structural problems - we say so in the listing rather than letting you find out after a valuation you have paid for. Some of those we renovate before they go on the market.

Who do I actually deal with?

Us, for the property and the viewings. The executor makes the decisions, and we put your offer to them with the same detail we would want ourselves - your position, your funding and your timescale, not just the number.

Do I have to use your conveyancer?

No. We do the legal work on the seller's side; you use whoever you like on yours. If you have not got one, we can suggest firms we know work quickly, and we do not take a fee for the introduction.

Is the house being sold as seen?

Broadly, yes. An executor rarely lived in the property and often knows very little about it, so the property information forms come back with more "not known" answers than you might be used to. That is not evasiveness - it is a genuine limit on what they can tell you. Get a survey.

How do I book a viewing?

Through the property's page, or call us on 0808 196 5200. We hold the keys and we do the viewings ourselves, so you are not waiting on a seller's availability.

Have a look round

Book a viewing through any property, or call us and we'll tell you what's coming up before it goes on the portals.

See what's for sale
Or call 0808 196 5200