Making an offer on a house: how to pitch it and what to check first

Run the property check before offering

The 12 standard buyer checks, flood risk, subsidence, EPC, building age, listed status, crime, schools, broadband, transport, tenure, price comparison, environmental, are all available on free or paid public datasets. Most can be pulled together in 30 minutes. Running them before offering means the offer reflects what you know about the property, not assumptions.

If the checks reveal red flags (high flood risk, unfavourable construction type, onerous lease), the offer can reflect that, or the buyer can decide not to offer at all and save the survey cost.

What to check at the property

• Walk the boundaries (literally) and compare to the title plan
• Check the roof from a distance, look for slipped tiles, missing ridge, sagging
• Open windows on each floor and check operation
• Look in the loft if access is given
• Check the consumer unit for the wiring's apparent age
• Look at the boiler and ask the seller's age
• Check water pressure at the kitchen and bathroom taps
• Walk the surrounding streets at different times, traffic, noise, parking, neighbourhood character

How to pitch the offer

Offers in England and Wales are made through the estate agent, typically by phone or email, with a follow-up in writing. Three components matter: the price, the conditions, and the buyer's position.

• Price: anchored to your evidence (comparables, price comparison data, any defects flagged at viewing)
• Conditions: subject to satisfactory survey, mortgage offer, and legal pack
• Buyer position: cash buyer, FTB, sold-subject-to-contract chain, mortgage agreement in principle (AIP), sellers value certainty as well as price

First offer: how much below asking

Market conditions dictate the right opening offer. In a buyer's market (slow sales, falling prices, multiple available comparables) opening at 5–10% below asking is normal. In a seller's market (multiple offers, rising prices, limited supply) the opening is at or above asking, sometimes by sealed bid.

The asking price is a marketing decision, not a fixed value. Look at the comparable sale prices on HM Land Registry Price Paid Data for the street and surrounding area within the last 12 months. Those are the actual market clearing prices.

Avoiding gazumping

Gazumping is the seller accepting a higher offer from another buyer after having accepted yours. Until exchange, both parties can withdraw or change terms. Mitigations: ask the seller to take the property off the market at offer acceptance; move quickly through survey and conveyancing; offer to pay conditional fees or commit to a fixed exchange timeline.

Lock-out agreements (where the seller agrees not to negotiate with other buyers for a period) are an option but rare in residential transactions outside competitive markets.

After offer acceptance

• Instruct conveyancer immediately
• Commission survey (Level 2 or 3 as appropriate to the property)
• Convert mortgage AIP to formal application
• Set a target exchange date with the estate agent
• Communicate progress regularly through the agent

Related decoder findings

• Evidence of movement
• Damp
• Roof issues

Run the check on this address

A free preview pulls flood, subsidence, EPC, building age and listed status for any UK address in 15 seconds. The full report adds the remaining 7 checks.

Frequently asked questions