Did you know that around 30% of home sales in the UK fall through? It’s one of the worst rates in the world and causes a lot of heartache.

Having plumped your cushions and tidied every day to prepare for viewings and find a buyer, watching your sale collapse can be a real blow, leaving you upset, out of pocket, and unsure of the future.

Here’s where having a great estate agent on your side can make all the difference, so join us for a peek at our process for agreeing sales correctly and managing them all the way through to completion.

We’re going to cover:

• Why sales fall through

• Supplying material information

• Vetting offers properly

• Making chains work

• Keeping your buyer keen

It’s all about laying strong foundations, minimising risks and maximising your chances of a smooth and successful sale. And with that in mind, your guide to avoiding fall-throughs starts right here.

WHY SALES FALL THROUGH

With sales often taking months to complete, and either party able to withdraw without penalty before exchanging missives, you’d think the system was designed for sales to collapse.

However, most buyers don’t simply walk away from their dream home on a whim. There’s usually more to it, and these are the reasons why most sales fall through, along with some ways around them.

• Negative survey: Many can be pre-empted by addressing any outstanding repairs and presenting your home in tip-top condition, ensuring a swift surveyor sign-off.
  
  
• Legal issues: Search result surprises, odd rights of way or strange clauses in old leases can cause delays. Most are resolvable with time and patience, so keep calm, keep talking, and carry on.

• Mortgage problems: It’s surprising just how many buyers fail a mortgage lending test, despite their confidence in their own position. Ask to see their agreement in principle.
  
  
• Conveyancing delays: Only use a solicitor who works in a modern way with email AND telephone, tell them your timescale upfront, and answer their questions promptly.
  
  
• Chain breakdowns: Sometimes it’s pure bad luck, but it can also be down to hastily arranged sales without proper vetting. Ensure your agent checks every link before accepting an offer.
  
  

In our experience, the strongest factors that hold a sale together are the initial setup and the way everyone is kept informed. These are non-negotiable, no matter what challenges a sale may face.

SUPPLYING MATERIAL INFORMATION

Most sellers we meet are unaware of the new Trading Standards regulations covering what needs to be declared when a home goes on the market. Here’s an overview of the required information:

• Provide key information like your home’s tenure (freehold/leasehold), council tax band, construction type, and any restrictive covenants or known issues from day one.
  
  
• Share full details of connected utilities like electricity, gas, water and drainage, along with broadband availability, and mobile signal coverage.
  
  
• For leasehold properties, state the ground rent, service charge, and lease length readily available, as these are critical details for mortgage lenders and buyers.
  
  

Supplying all this information upfront reduces the risk of a buyer U-turning after a sale is agreed, and you can delve deeper into the subject with our Changes to Selling Homes blog.

VETTING OFFERS PROPERLY

Getting an offer on your home is exciting! However, every buyer and bid—whether you have one or many—needs to be thoroughly checked for credibility, paying particular attention to:

• Ensuring your timescale matches that of the offer(s) coming in, so you don’t end up weeks or months into a sale, only to discover that your buyer can’t move when you need to.
  
  
• Proof of funds for cash offers or deposits; a mortgage agreement in principle from a lender; and confirmation that all the money is readily available and not subject to selling other assets.

• Checking out the chain if your buyer is selling a property, so ensure that every link is strong and stable. You’ll find much more on that later in the blog.
  
  

The best estate agents will speak to financial advisors, request bank statements, or ask for solicitors’ letters to check out funds, and get buyers to confirm in writing that no hidden obstacles or delays exist.

MAKING CHAINS WORK

Nobody dreams of getting involved in a chain, but given that around 75% of transactions involve one, they’re firmly entrenched in moving up and down the property ladder.

Nonetheless, as the number of homes in a chain increases, so does the potential for a sale to fall through, so it’s essential to follow a process to manage all the links effectively.

• Get a clear picture of everyone in the chain, from the first-time buyer at the bottom to the downsizer at the top, which often means talking to every estate agent involved.
  
  
• Talk with your agent regularly to check they’re keeping in touch with all parties in the chain. Transparency about progress and any hurdles helps to manage expectations and build trust.
  
  
• If hiccups occur anywhere in the chain, try to be flexible and understanding where possible: this can encourage others to stay calm and committed, rather than look for an exit.

While you can’t control every link in the chain, you and your agent can be a positive influence on how it runs, significantly reducing stress levels and improving your chances of a successful completion.

KEEPING YOUR BUYER KEEN

Boredom, uncertainty, impatience, annoyance… of all the reasons for a sale to fall through, these are the most frustrating and perplexing, but also among the easiest to avoid.

A brisk and transparent pace keeps buyers engaged, confident, and less likely to question their decision or look elsewhere, so use these tips to maintain momentum.

• Instruct a solicitor as soon as you put your home on the market and ask them for the Property Information Forms. Upon receipt, complete and return them immediately.

• If your buyer’s solicitor raises any additional questions, which is quite normal, answer them as soon and as comprehensively as you can to keep the wheels turning.

• Keep in touch regularly with your estate agent and solicitor, even if it’s just to say “no news yet.” Your agent should mirror this with your buyer and update you on all discussions.

Before choosing an estate agent, ask them how they maintain contact throughout a sale. If their answer isn’t at least “a minimum of once a week, even if nothing’s changed”, you can probably do better.

Is your move set up for success?

If you’re planning to sell your home, we’d love to help you build a strong and resilient sale. One based on meticulous preparation, robust offer qualification, and continuous communication.

Send us a DM with your contact  details to arrange a no-strings chat about selling your home, your next best step, and how we can make your plans happen together.