Sale fell through? Let’s not let it happen twice.
Gazumped, gazundered, or a buyer whose mortgage fell through at the last minute. Until contracts are exchanged, nothing is guaranteed, and it can happen more than once. A direct sale to us has no chain above or below you, and no other buyer to lose you to.
If you’re reading this, you’ve probably just had a phone call from your agent or solicitor you didn’t want. Weeks or months of work, gone. It’s frustrating, and often expensive — you’ve paid for searches and legal work, and maybe lost the home you were buying too. Here’s why it happens, and what your options are.
Why sales fall through in England & Wales
Gazumping
A seller accepts a higher offer from someone else after already agreeing a sale. It can happen at any time before contracts are exchanged. It’s legal, and more common than most people expect.
Gazundering
A buyer drops their offer at the last minute, betting the seller is too far in to walk away.
Chain collapse
Your buyer’s own sale falls through, or someone further up or down the chain pulls out, and every sale in it collapses too.
Mortgage decline
A buyer’s lender withdraws or reduces its offer late in the process, often after a survey or a down-valuation.
The root cause is the same: in England and Wales, agreeing a price isn’t legally binding. The sale only becomes binding at exchange of contracts, and completion follows after that. Until exchange, anyone can walk away.
What’s different about selling to us
- No chain. We’re the only buyer, and we’re not selling anything to fund the purchase. No one else’s sale has to complete for yours to.
- No mortgage. There’s no lender to withdraw, and no mortgage valuation to come in low.
- A written offer, not a verbal one. Every offer comes with the reasoning and evidence behind it.
- Binding at exchange. Once we agree a price and exchange contracts, it’s binding on both sides.
- Timing that fits you. From offer accepted to completion is typically 14–28 days, and your paperwork from the last sale may speed it up.
The honest trade-off
A direct sale won’t match the price your original buyer offered — our offers are typically around 75–85% of open-market value. If the sale fell through for reasons unlikely to repeat, and you have time, putting it back on the market may well be the better choice. We’ll tell you if we think so. See a worked example.
Your options after a sale collapses
- Remarket with your agent. Often the right choice if the property is mortgageable and you’re not under time pressure.
- Sell directly to us. Certainty and a fixed date, at a lower price. See our cash purchase route.
- Find out what went wrong first. If the buyer’s survey raised a problem, such as damp, subsidence or a short lease, that problem will follow the property to the next mortgage buyer. It may point to a direct sale, or a refurbishment purchase.
Common questions
My last sale fell through right before exchange — can I trust this won’t happen again?
Once we exchange contracts, we’re as legally committed as you are. That’s the point of the structure, not just a promise. Before exchange, the risks that usually sink a sale — a mortgage being withdrawn, a chain collapsing, a buyer’s own sale falling through — don’t apply, because we don’t rely on a lender or a chain.
Do I need to start the whole process again from scratch?
Usually not. Searches, title documents and property information forms prepared for your last sale can often be reused, which can speed things up. Your conveyancer will confirm what’s still valid — searches in particular can age.
I was gazundered — will you do the same?
No. We give you a written offer with the evidence behind it. We’d only revisit it if the legal work uncovered something material that neither of us knew about, and we’d explain exactly what. We don’t cut prices at the last minute to pressure sellers.
I’ve lost my onward purchase too — can you help with timing?
Often, yes. Because we don’t need to wait on a chain, we can usually work to a completion date that fits your onward move, whether that’s as soon as possible or a set date a few weeks out.
Will your offer be lower than the one that fell through?
Almost certainly, yes. A direct sale is typically around 75–85% of open-market value, and that’s the honest trade-off for certainty. If you’d rather put the property back on the market, we’ll tell you so, and there’s no obligation.
Don’t go through it a second time.
Tell us about the property and what happened. We’ll give you an honest figure, and an honest view on whether a direct sale or the open market suits you better.
Or message us on WhatsApp · Mon–Fri, 9am–6pm