How cash offers are assessed

Published 29 April 2026· the South Yorkshire Property Buyers team

How our own offer is worked out

We don't put a percentage on our offers, and we don't run your house through a formula. Every property is priced on what it actually is: the condition, the street, the tenure, what comparable homes nearby have recently sold for, and what you tell us about your situation and the timescale you need.

The figure we give you is our best offer at that point, based on the information provided. We don't open low and then creep up to get a deal over the line. It is put in writing the same day and is valid for 14 days. It changes only if conveyancing turns up something material, such as a title defect or a structural problem, or if the property turns out to be different from how it was described.

How we assess your property

We assess each property individually, using its condition, location, tenure and the information you give us. We explain our offer in writing so you can consider it without obligation. It may change if legal checks reveal a material issue or the property differs from its description.

Ask who will buy the property, request evidence of funds and read the written offer conditions. Use your own solicitor to check the terms, including any fees, exclusivity period and circumstances in which an offer could change. A headline figure alone does not establish whether a buyer is reliable.

Some companies advertise higher percentages anyway. In a small number of cases those figures are achievable, particularly for properties in excellent condition, desirable locations, and where the seller has some flexibility on timing. More often the headline percentage is a marketing figure. We cover the warning signs in our guide on how to spot a legitimate cash buyer, and explain the underlying business model in our companion guide on what a cash buyer actually is.

How is a cash offer assessed?

We assess each property individually, taking account of its condition, location, tenure and the information you share. We explain our offer and its conditions in writing. There is no obligation to accept, and you can ask your solicitor to review the terms.

When a cash buyer purchases your property, they do so without a chain, without a mortgage, and with a completion date they can commit to. They buy in any condition, without requiring you to fix anything. They carry all the risk of what happens to the property value after they buy it.

We assess each property individually, taking account of its condition, location, tenure and the information you share. We explain our offer and its conditions in writing. There is no obligation to accept, and you can ask your solicitor to review the terms.

What does a traditional estate agent sale actually cost you?

The comparison most sellers make is between the cash offer and the asking price they hope to achieve through an estate agent. But the asking price isn't what ends up in your bank account. You need to compare net proceeds, not headline prices. Our full cash buyer vs estate agent comparison walks through the numbers for both routes.

Here is what a traditional sale typically costs:

• Estate agent fees: typically 1% to 3% of the sale price plus VAT. On a £200,000 property, that is £2,400 to £7,200.
• Solicitor fees: usually £1,000 to £2,500 for conveyancing.
• Energy Performance Certificate: around £60 to £120 if you don't already have a valid one.
• Mortgage payments and other carrying costs while waiting: the average UK marketing-to-completion timeline in 2026 sits at around 25 weeks. At a monthly mortgage of £700, that is roughly £4,375 in payments before you see a penny, plus council tax, utilities, and insurance on the property the whole time.
• Repairs and presentation: many properties need some work before going on the market. Even minor improvements can cost several hundred to several thousand pounds.
• Risk of chain collapse: around 30% of agreed sales fall through before completion. Starting again means repeating months of waiting, costs, and uncertainty.

When you add those costs up, the net amount you actually receive from a traditional sale is significantly lower than the sale price. And that is before accounting for the months of stress and uncertainty involved.

Why we won't quote you before we have spoken

Plenty of sites will put an instant number on your house from a postcode and a slider. We used to do the same here. The trouble is that the number comes from an average, and nobody sells an average house. Two identical terraces on the same street can be twenty thousand pounds apart on condition, tenure, or what is sitting on the title.

So we do it the other way round. Tell us about the property, we look at it and at what has actually sold nearby, and you get a figure in writing the same day. That figure is our best offer based on what you have told us, it is valid for 14 days, and there are no fees on your side. There are no estate agent fees, no repairs to pay for, and we can cover your legal fees if you use our panel solicitor. Typical completion is 7 to 28 days.

Compare the written terms for your property, including fees, ongoing costs, buyer funding and the proposed completion date. We assess each property individually. Your solicitor can explain the conditions, mortgage redemption and any other deductions before you decide.

Get a written offer

Make a comparison using your own property details

A useful comparison starts with the details of your own property and your priorities. Gather the following before deciding:

• A written offer and the conditions attached to it.
• Confirmation of the buyer's funds and whether a mortgage or chain is involved.
• Written fees from your agent, auctioneer or solicitor, including any charges if the sale falls through.
• Your mortgage redemption statement, ongoing bills and any other secured borrowing.
• A realistic completion date, confirmed with your solicitor.

We explain our offer in writing, with no obligation to accept. Legal checks can reveal issues that affect the terms, so ask your solicitor to review the details before you commit.

When does selling to a cash buyer make sense financially?

The maths works in favour of a cash sale in several situations.

If you are paying a mortgage while you wait, every month that passes narrows the gap. If your property needs significant repairs before it would sell well on the open market, the cost of those repairs reduces what you would net from a traditional sale. If there is a real risk of chain collapse and having to start again, the value of a completion date you can rely on becomes significant.

For sellers who are struggling to sell through an estate agent, or who have already had a sale fall through, a cash buyer removes the uncertainty entirely.

The right sale route depends on your property, the time available and the conditions you are comfortable accepting. Consider written offers alongside the costs and responsibilities of each route.

What makes South Yorkshire Property Buyers different

At South Yorkshire Property Buyers, we give you a straight offer with no hidden fees on your side. There are no estate agent fees and no requirement to carry out repairs, and we can cover your legal fees if you use our panel solicitor. The figure we offer is the figure that reaches your account on completion, unless conveyancing turns up something material such as a title or structural problem, in which case we will explain exactly what has changed and why.

We make a written offer the same day and can complete in as little as 7 days. If you need more time, we can work to a completion date that suits you. The figure we put to you is our best offer at that point, based on the information provided, and it stays valid for 14 days. We don't open low and work our way up to get a deal over the line.

We are a small local team, not a national call centre. We buy with our own funds rather than passing your details on to a list of investors, and the person who views your house is the person who picks up the phone when you ring back.

We need to understand your property before we can make an offer. Tell us its address, condition and any known issues, and we will explain our assessment. Asking for an offer does not commit you to selling.

Frequently asked questions