selling

Why is my house not selling? A twelve-point check you can run against local sold prices

Why is my house not selling? Run a twelve-point check: price against local sold prices, EPC, papers, agent contract and mortgage factors, with sources.

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

Part 1 of 8

The short version

General information, not advice. We read the pages below on 4 November 2026, and they cover England and Wales. We do not state a typical time on the market here, because we have no single sourced figure. Our article on how long it takes to sell a house has dated numbers with their sources, and you can compare your own listing against them.

If your home has been on the market a while and you are worried about money, free help is available from Citizens Advice, MoneyHelper and StepChange before you consider any other route.

Part 2 of 8

The twelve-point check

#	Check	What to do	Source
1	Price against sold prices	Compare your asking price with recent sales of similar homes nearby	HM Land Registry Price Paid Data
2	Age of the sold data	Remember the latest month is incomplete	HM Land Registry
3	Valuation	Get more than one opinion, or a formal valuation	GOV.UK: Preparing to sell
4	EPC	Confirm a valid certificate exists	GOV.UK: EPCs
5	Papers	Have title, tenure and certificates ready	GOV.UK: Preparing to sell
6	Agent contract	Read the term and fee terms	GOV.UK: Estate agents
7	Offers	Ask for every offer in writing	GOV.UK: Estate agents
8	Presentation	Review photos, description and viewings with your agent	Your own review
9	Tenure and legal issues	Check for anything a buyer's solicitor will raise	GOV.UK: Preparing to sell
10	Mortgageability	Ask whether a lender would lend on the home	Your own enquiries
11	Your mortgage	Know what you owe and any early repayment charge	GOV.UK: Preparing to sell
12	Complaints route	Know where to go if the agent is not performing	The Property Ombudsman

Part 3 of 8

1 and 2: Test the price against sold prices

HM Land Registry's Price Paid Data covers all property sales in England and Wales that were sold for value and lodged with the registry. Sales that were not lodged or not for value are excluded. The data is updated on the 20th working day of each month, and the current month's data is incomplete. So the freshest sales may be missing.

Use our sold prices tool to look at completed sales near you and compare property type and size. A sold price is what a buyer paid, which is different from an asking price. If similar homes sold for less than you are asking, the price is a likely reason for few viewings. Our free valuation gives a sourced range.

GOV.UK says that knowing your home's value helps you set the right asking price, and suggests checking local online house prices, using Land Registry sold-price data, or asking estate agents for a valuation. A formal valuation from a qualified valuer is charged for.

Part 4 of 8

4 to 7: Paperwork and your agent

GOV.UK says you must order an EPC before you market a property, that it is valid for 10 years, and that you can be fined if you do not have one when you need one. A missing certificate is a simple thing to fix.

GOV.UK's list of documents includes title deeds, tenure information, an EPC, planning permission and building regulation certificates, warranties and surveys, and electrical checks. A buyer's solicitor will ask for them, so a missing paper can slow or stop an offer.

On agents, GOV.UK says the contract is legally binding and you must follow its terms, or the agent could take you to court. Using more than one agent can mean paying fees to several, depending on your contract type and whether an agent holds sole selling rights. Agents must pass on any other offers for your home until contracts are exchanged. Read the contract before you switch, and ask about the notice terms. Our article on selling without an estate agent covers the alternative.

Part 5 of 8

8 to 10: Presentation and buyers

Ask your agent how many people viewed, how many enquired and what feedback they gave. This is a request for facts rather than a source figure. Repeat feedback about the same issue is more useful than a single comment. Also check whether the property has a feature that limits buyers, for example a lease length or an unusual construction that lenders treat differently. Our article on selling a house quickly set out options.

Part 6 of 8

11: Your own mortgage

GOV.UK says to contact your lender to confirm how much you owe and whether early repayment charges apply. Knowing your figure tells you how far you can move on price. See early repayment charges when selling.

Part 7 of 8

12: Where to complain

The Property Ombudsman describes a complaints service for estate agents and other property professionals. Its process has four steps: complain to the business first, raise it with TPOS, have TPOS review it, and receive a resolution. It states that decisions currently take 3 to 6 months. That is a route for service problems, not for a slow market.

Part 8 of 8

Deciding what to change

Fix the paperwork first, because it costs little. Then test price against sold data. If you reduce, do it with evidence from the sold prices, not a round number.

This page is general information, not advice.

Our take

Test your price against sold prices first

Our view: fix the paperwork first, because it costs little, then test price against sold data. If similar homes sold for less than your asking price, price is a likely reason for few viewings. The common mistake is reducing by a round number rather than on evidence.

Our free house valuation gives a value range from real HM Land Registry sold prices in your postcode, with the comparable sales and working shown, and the sold prices tool lists completed sales near you. To weigh other routes, the sale method comparison compares auction, estate agent and cash buyer on net proceeds and timescale.

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

How long is too long on the market?

We do not give a single figure, because no one number fits every home and area. Our article on how long it takes to sell a house lists dated figures with their sources, so you can compare your own listing.

Is my price too high?

Compare it with what similar homes nearby actually sold for. HM Land Registry's Price Paid Data covers sales in England and Wales sold for value, updated monthly, with the latest month incomplete.

Should I change estate agent?

Read your contract first. GOV.UK says it is legally binding and fees can be due to more than one agent depending on its type and any sole selling rights. Ask for viewing and enquiry facts before you decide.

Does an EPC or legal pack hold buyers back?

GOV.UK says you need an EPC before marketing, and lists documents sellers need such as title deeds and building regulation certificates. Missing papers can slow a buyer's solicitor, so have them ready.

Where can I complain about an agent?

The Property Ombudsman runs a complaints service. You complain to the agent first, then raise it with TPOS. It says decisions currently take 3 to 6 months.

Where this comes from

Sources

Last reviewed 4 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.