selling

Tips for selling a house, ranked by what the evidence supports

Tips for selling a house, ranked by how well official guidance and sold-price data back them: pricing, paperwork, EPC, agents, plus regional market figures.

4 min read
Last reviewed 5 November 2026
By Your Property Check team

Part 1 of 11

How we ranked these

General information, not advice. Most tip lists mix solid advice with folklore. We ranked each tip by how strongly official guidance or hard data supports it, using GOV.UK, Citizens Advice and HM Land Registry figures we read on 5 November 2026. Where we could find no reliable measurement, we say so rather than invent one.

Part 2 of 11

1. Price from real sold prices

GOV.UK lists researching local prices, checking recent sales on the Land Registry and asking estate agents for a valuation as ways to find out what a home is worth. Citizens Advice adds that you can ask two or more local agents for free valuations, and that buyers often offer less than the asking price. Start with real sales on your street through sold prices, then compare two or three agent figures. Our guide to finding out how much your house is worth walks through it. Our own tests show an automated figure can be 12% out in the middle of the pack, so treat any single number as a range.

Part 3 of 11

2. Check where your local market is heading

Prices do not move together. This table uses the UK House Price Index file for August 2026 from HM Land Registry, and shows the average price and the change over 12 months.

Region	Average price (Aug 2026)	Change over 12 months
London	£554,430	-2.2%
South East	£379,953	-0.8%
East of England	£337,848	0.2%
South West	£304,139	0%
West Midlands	£250,731	1.2%
East Midlands	£241,955	0.5%
North West	£220,393	2.2%
Yorkshire and The Humber	£209,266	1.8%
North East	£165,640	3.2%
Wales	£216,363	3.1%

Source: data/region-prices.json (UK HPI, August 2026). Our reading, not an official finding: where the 12-month change is negative, an asking price copied from last year's sales may sit above what buyers now pay, so favour the newest sales.

Part 4 of 11

3. Have your paperwork ready before you market

GOV.UK says that before you put your home on the market you need the right paperwork, and lists title deeds, tenure information, an Energy Performance Certificate, planning permission and building regulation certificates, FENSA or CERTASS certificates for windows, warranty paperwork and surveys, electrical checks, party wall agreements and, for a flat, fire safety information. Missing documents are a common cause of delay after an offer. Our article on the cost of selling shows what else to budget for.

Part 5 of 11

4. Order the EPC first

GOV.UK says you must order an Energy Performance Certificate before you market a property to sell. It is valid for 10 years, you pay an accredited assessor, and you can be fined if you do not get one when you need one. Citizens Advice says the EPC must be given to buyers free and its rating shown in adverts.

Part 6 of 11

5. Know your mortgage exit costs

GOV.UK says to ask your lender how much you owe, whether there are early repayment charges and whether moving the mortgage carries fees. This is not a way to raise the price, but it decides how much you keep, so it ranks high for the sake of the decision.

Part 7 of 11

6. Compare agents on fee and agreement type

Citizens Advice says commission is usually a percentage of the final sale price, typically from under 1% to 3.5%, and that sole agency, joint agency and multi-agency agreements differ in cost. Ask what is included, such as photographs and the board. See estate agent fees and, if you want to avoid an agent, selling without an estate agent.

Part 8 of 11

7. Be clear on what stays

Citizens Advice suggests listing fixtures, which usually stay, and fittings, which you can sell or remove, so there is no dispute late in the sale. It costs nothing and removes a common argument.

Part 9 of 11

8. Repairs and decorating: only for big problems

Citizens Advice says to consider repairs, decorating or a survey if major problems could affect value. Notice the wording: major problems. We found no official source that measures what staging, fresh paint or garden work adds to a sale price, so we do not rank them or promise a return. Tidy and clean is free, but large spending on cosmetics is unproven.

Part 10 of 11

9. Have a fallback route

If the sale stalls, other routes exist. The share of sales made to cash buyers varies by region, so it is a real market, not a rare one.

Region	Cash share of sales, Oct 2024 to Sep 2025
England	25.7%
London	19.4%
South West	31.1%
North East	29.8%
Wales	27.9%
Yorkshire and The Humber	27.1%
North West	26.3%

Source: data/region-prices.json (UK HPI cash-sale share). Cash buyers typically offer below open-market value, so compare the net figure with the open market. Our sale method comparison lays auction, estate agent and cash buyer side by side, and our article on how cash house buyers work explains the process.

Part 11 of 11

What we left out

We did not rank viewing tips, photography or timing advice, because we found no published evidence we could cite. If you are in a hurry, read how to sell a house quickly.

This page is general information, not advice.

Our take

Spend your effort on price, not paint

The evidence points one way: the sellers best placed are those who price from real recent sales, have their paperwork and EPC ready, and know their exit costs. The common mistake is to spend on decorating when no source we found measures a return, while an overpriced listing is a documented problem.

Start with our free house value check, which gives an honest range from real Land Registry sold prices in your postcode, with the comparable sales and the working shown. No email or phone needed.

Check my value

Our opinion, drawn from the facts on this page: not advice and not a forecast. We earn from OfferCheck reports and from introducing sellers to cash buyers, so weigh it with that in mind (see our disclosure). We are not authorised or regulated by the FCA.

Questions, answered

Frequently asked questions

What is the best tip for selling a house?

Price it from real sold prices nearby, and cross-check with two or more local agents. GOV.UK and Citizens Advice both point sellers to local sales and agent valuations as the basis for an asking price.

What should I do before putting my house on the market?

Gather your paperwork, order an EPC, which GOV.UK says must be ordered before marketing, and ask your lender about early repayment charges. Then get valuations and compare agents.

Does decorating help a house sell?

We found no official source that measures it. Citizens Advice suggests repairs, decorating or a survey if major problems could affect value, so focus on big issues, not cosmetic spending.

How much cash buyer activity is there?

UK HPI data shows cash buyers made 25.7% of English sales in the 12 months to September 2025, ranging from 19.4% in London to 31.1% in the South West.

How long is an EPC valid for?

GOV.UK says an EPC is valid for 10 years. You pay an accredited assessor, and Citizens Advice says it can be reused during that period.

Where this comes from

Sources

Last reviewed 5 November 2026 by the Your Property Check team. This page is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. For your own situation, speak to a conveyancing solicitor or another qualified professional.