Begin with the open-market route.
Full marketing and viewings give the market the opportunity to set the price. The trade-off is a longer, less predictable timetable.
See the open-market route
Your home.Your sale.Properly prepared.
Choose the right route, prepare the property and understand every decision before completion.
Seller’s Guide · England and Wales
A property decision is still a human moment.
A useful selling guide should make the choices clearer before anyone asks you to commit. Start with the route, then take the questions that matter to a real conversation.
Find the selling route that fits
Use four property details to get a practical starting point. The result explains why one route deserves your attention first; nothing is sent or stored.
Your recommended starting point will appear here.
Choose what should lead the sale.
Price, timetable and fewer moving parts now produce different recommendations and next steps.
Review the three prioritiesThis is a guide route, not a valuation or promise of price. A Dukes assessment is personal and property-specific.
Choose what matters most.
Choose the outcome the sale needs to protect. Each answer opens a different, useful next step.
A direct investor introduction may fit.
It removes public marketing and viewings, but an investor will normally price that speed and simplicity below potential open-market value.
Open the preparation plan
Test the buyer, not only the offer.
A direct route can reduce some uncertainty, but no route guarantees a buyer, an acceptable offer or a completion date. Funding and readiness still matter.
See the direct-investor route
Read through your chosen lens:
Open-market sale
Designed to pursue the best price the market will pay.
Your home is presented to the market, viewings create demand and buyers compete on both price and position.
- Exposure
- Public marketing and viewings.
- Pace
- Set by demand, the buyer's chain and the legal work.
- Trade-off
- More moving parts and a less predictable timetable.
- Best fit
- Sellers who put the strongest achievable price ahead of speed.
- Prepare first
- Photography, viewing availability, an EPC and a legal file ready for enquiries.
- Test the offer
- Ask how the buyer is funded, whether there is a chain and when they can realistically complete.
Before the property goes live
- Agree the marketing plan and the first viewing window before launch.
- Choose a solicitor early so buyer enquiries do not start from a standing stop.
- Judge every offer by price, funding, chain position and proposed timing together.
Direct investor introduction
Designed to prioritise speed and simplicity over the final figure.
Your property is introduced privately to investors, removing public marketing while keeping the legal checks that protect a sale.
- Exposure
- No public marketing; the property is introduced to investors.
- Pace
- Fewer marketing steps, subject to the property, title and buyer being ready.
- Trade-off
- An offer, if one comes, is normally below potential open-market value.
- Best fit
- Sellers who value a shorter, simpler route more than the highest possible figure.
- Prepare first
- Clear title information, honest access to the property and the same sound legal file.
- Test the buyer
- Confirm who is buying, how funds are proven and which conditions remain before exchange.
Before considering a direct offer
- Compare the figure with the likely net open-market outcome, not only the headline price.
- Ask for the proposed timetable and every condition in writing.
- Remember that a direct introduction still needs a ready buyer and normal legal work.
Dukes currently provides the direct investor introduction. Dukes introduces the property and is not the buyer.
Decide your route
What matters most to you, and which kind of sale fits it.
Decide what matters most
Price, timing and certainty pull against each other in almost every sale. Deciding which one leads before you start is the single choice that makes every later decision easier.
Start with a personal sale outlook
Understand the two kinds of sale
A conventional open-market sale advertises the property, invites viewings and looks for the best price the market will pay, over whatever time that takes. A direct investor introduction approaches investors who buy directly, prioritising speed and simplicity over the final figure.
Read the full route comparison
Check the numbers first
Before anyone values anything, know what the sale has to clear. Three figures decide whether a sale makes sense at a given price.
Prepare for a sales valuationPrepare the property and paperwork
The documents and choices that stop a sale stalling later.
Gather title and tenure information
The legal work runs fastest when the paperwork is ready before it is asked for. Start with what you own and on what terms.
See the document stage
Assemble the property documents
Buyers' solicitors ask for the same documents on almost every sale. Collecting them now, rather than mid-transaction, keeps the momentum you will want later.
Open the EPC guide
Choose your solicitor or licensed conveyancer
The seller is responsible for the legal contract that transfers ownership, and your conveyancer drafts it, answers the buyer's enquiries and negotiates its details. Choosing early means the contract pack can be ready the day you accept an offer.
Understand conveyancingBe ready for offers and legal work
How to judge an offer, and what happens once you accept one.
Prepare for viewings or investor assessment
Whichever route you take, someone is going to look carefully at the property. First impressions are cheap to improve and expensive to ignore.
Prepare for marketing and viewings
Judge offers on more than the number
The headline figure is one part of an offer. The buyer behind it decides whether that figure ever becomes money.
Learn how to compare offers
Know what the legal work involves
Accepting an offer starts the conveyancing, not the celebration. Between acceptance and completion sit the buyer's searches, enquiries and mortgage arrangements — and the exchange of contracts that finally makes the sale binding.
Follow the legal processFour answers worth finding quickly
The points most likely to stop a sale or create false confidence, kept together for reference.
Do I need an EPC before the property is marketed?
Yes. A valid Energy Performance Certificate is required before marketing, lasts ten years and must be produced by an accredited assessor.
Is an accepted offer legally binding?
No. In England and Wales, either side can still withdraw until contracts are exchanged.
Is a direct investor introduction the same as selling to Dukes?
No. Dukes introduces the property to investors who buy directly; Dukes is not the buyer, and a buyer or acceptable offer cannot be promised.
When should I choose a conveyancer?
Choose a solicitor or licensed conveyancer early. They can open the file and prepare the contract pack before an offer arrives.
Clear advice, then a person.
5-star Google review
Read more verified reviewsDukes Estate Agency provided an excellent service throughout the whole process. The team was professional, friendly, and always available to help with any questions.
Bring the property. Bring the real question.
Tell Dukes what you are selling and what matters most. You will receive a personal view of the likely route and practical next steps—not an automated instruction or a formal valuation.
Request a sales valuationBefore you rely on this guide
This is general information, not legal, financial, surveying or tax advice. What applies depends on the property and your circumstances. An offer is not legally binding in England and Wales until contracts are exchanged.
Official guidance and review date
- GOV.UK — Selling a home (opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK — Preparing to sell (opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK — Energy Performance Certificates (opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK — Offers and negotiations (opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK — Transferring ownership (conveyancing) (opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK — How to sell a home (opens in a new tab)
Information reviewed 8 August 2026.