Most cash buyers will not tell you how they reach their number. We will. There is no black box and no clever trick: an offer is built from a few honest inputs, and we will always talk you through ours. This guide sets out exactly how we get there, with a worked example you can follow.
An offer comes from three honest inputs: what the property is realistically worth, what it would cost to put right, and the certainty we provide in return. We will always show you the reasoning.
We start from what the property is worth
The starting point is always the same question: what would this property realistically sell for? We look at recent sales of comparable homes nearby (the same evidence an estate agent or surveyor uses), the property’s condition, and anything that affects how easily it could be sold on the open market.
That gives us two reference points that matter:
- The “done up” value: what the property would be worth in good, ready-to-live-in condition.
- The realistic as-is value: what it would actually fetch today, in its current state, given how long that would take and who could buy it.
For a sound, straightforward home these two numbers sit close together. For a property that needs work, or that a mortgage lender will not touch, they can be a long way apart, and that gap is where most of the story is.
What we take into account
From the realistic value, our offer reflects a handful of honest factors:
- Condition and works needed: what it would cost to bring the property up to standard.
- Complications: short lease, non-standard construction, title problems, tenants, or probate. These narrow the pool of buyers, which affects value.
- Our costs: legal fees on both sides, stamp duty, the cost of holding the property, and the cost of the money we use.
- A fair margin for the risk we take on, which is how we stay in business.
What you get in return is certainty: a firm cash sum, on a timeline you choose, with no chain, no fees, and no risk of the sale falling through.
A worked example
Take a three-bedroom semi in an area where similar homes, done up, sell for around £300,000. This one is tired but structurally sound, and needs roughly £20,000 of work.
| Reference point | Figure |
|---|---|
| Value done up (comparable sales) | £300,000 |
| Realistic as-is value today | £270,000 |
| Our cash offer | £255,000 |
Now compare the two routes honestly:
- Open market: list at around £270,000, likely accept a little under after a few months, then lose roughly £4,000 in estate agent fees and several months of mortgage, council tax, insurance and bills while you wait, with a real chance of a buyer’s chain collapsing along the way. Net, in four to six months, perhaps £258,000, and not guaranteed.
- Our offer: £255,000, in cash, in two to three weeks, no fees, no chance of the sale falling through.
The real gap between the two is smaller than the headline suggests, and what closes it is certainty and speed. That is the trade you are making, and it is the whole basis of our offer. You can test it yourself with our cash offer vs estate agent calculator.
When our offer is close to the full value
Sometimes the gap is very small. If a property is hard for the open market to move quickly, because it is unmortgageable, tenanted, tied up in probate, or simply needs to sell before a deadline, the price a normal buyer could realistically achieve in time is not much higher than ours, if at all. In those cases we can pay at or close to the property’s real, achievable value. We are not always “below market”: we are as close to the achievable figure as a certain, fast, cash purchase allows.
When the offer is further below
The bigger the problem, the wider the gap, and honestly so. A property needing major structural work, or one no mortgage lender will lend against, carries more cost and more risk for us, and the offer reflects that. We will always explain exactly why, in plain terms, and show you the reasoning.
What we do not do
- We do not open with a lowball number and hope you are desperate.
- We do not reduce the price at the last minute once you are committed. The figure in our written offer is the figure that completes.
- We do not charge you fees, or tie you into a contract that stops you walking away.
How to check our number
We would rather you checked than took our word for it:
- Look at recent sold prices for similar properties on the Land Registry or a portal.
- Get a valuation or two from local estate agents.
- Use our calculator to compare the net figures.
- Ask us to walk you through our reasoning. We are happy to.
If, once you have done that, a normal sale would clearly serve you better, we will say so. An honest no from us is worth more than a yes you regret.
Ready to see your figure?
Start with your postcode and we will come back within 24 hours with a written offer and the reasoning behind it.