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Original poster

How common is it for houses to sell without making it to Rightmove?

50 replies

Newhousecrying · 23/12/2022 11:11

I just found out the house down the road (4 doors down) sold for £12k less than we bought ours, and exchanged days after ours (I know that we overpaid and deeply regret it)

We never even saw this other house listed online. There’s no old advert on Zoopla or right move.

How common is this?

OP posts:
Pootles34 · 23/12/2022 11:14

We've sold ours without being advertised once, and bought two without them being advertised. I think its more common when the market is really hot, as estate agents have buyers lined up waiting for any houses that the agents come across.

Kinneddar · 23/12/2022 11:24

A friend of mine took her own photos, posted on the local Facebook page & had a closing date a week later due to the number of offers she got. Well over the asking price & no EA fees.

Pixiedust1234 · 23/12/2022 11:27

Interesting question as I would have assumed most would be listed on it.

ArmadilloExperience · 23/12/2022 11:27

Ours sold immediately, as someone who lived locally saw the for sale sign before it had been "launched" online. We were very fortunate.

gogohmm · 23/12/2022 11:29

Some do, around here people register as interested at estate agents, they don't even get as far as taking pictures sometimes. If a seller wants to move fast then they might take the first offer that meets their minimum expectations

Flowerfairy101 · 23/12/2022 11:30

Ours sold before going on rightmove, the agent had a client who had just had a purchase fall through and they viewed it the day after they took the pictures. Our agent said by law they still have to put the ad on rightmove so it went up as SSTC straight away.

Original poster
Newhousecrying · 23/12/2022 11:32

Flowerfairy101 · 23/12/2022 11:30

Ours sold before going on rightmove, the agent had a client who had just had a purchase fall through and they viewed it the day after they took the pictures. Our agent said by law they still have to put the ad on rightmove so it went up as SSTC straight away.

Ive seen some properties that go up straight to Rightmove/ zoople as sold but this didn’t come up at all. I was checking Zoopla and Rightmove every 15mins!

OP posts:
Fritilleries · 23/12/2022 11:43

Probably not going to happen as much given current slow down.

Flowerfairy101 · 23/12/2022 11:45

I was trying to find our neighbours house on rightmove to have a nosy and it wasn't there, I think its because they bought it privately. Might be that.

LimeCheesecake · 23/12/2022 11:48

I don’t think they have to advertise on Rightmove etc - my friend sold hers without it hitting rightmove - the estate agent had a list of people who were looking for a particular set of criteria, estate agent came round to take photos on a Thursday, but had viewings set up for the Friday and Saturday, intention to go on rightmove Monday /Tuesday, but they’d had 2 asking price offers by Sunday afternoon so didn’t bother. (Believe one went a little bit higher, but didn’t go significantly over asking).

(friends old house was 4 bed semi,off road parking for 2 cars, nice garden, tastefully decorated, 2 mins walk from good local primary, also about half mile to the station on the fast line to London, hardly surprising it was snapped up!)

LimeCheesecake · 23/12/2022 11:49

Oh and I think they have to advertise, but not necessarily online. Sticking a photo in their window would count. Some have company policies of always going on rightmove as sold /under offer, but they don’t have to do that.

evilharpy · 23/12/2022 11:52

We bought and sold in August and neither house made it to the market. On both sides the seller spoke to the agent and the agent knew a buyer and it all worked out without it ever being listed.

For the house we sold, we paid a greatly reduced agent fee as they introduced the buyer but didn't have to do much work at all.

Frazzled2207 · 23/12/2022 11:54

In the past very. You had to be “on the agent’s books” as it would be likely off the market by the time it went on RM. But in those days it would take a few days to show up on RM. its quicker these days and with that and the slowing of the market I’d say currently not very likely.

Hoowhoowho · 23/12/2022 12:01

Ours did, we sold it with the same estate agent we bought from and she said she had a couple in mind when we had her round. They offered within 48 hours, upped it slightly when we declined and we’d sold within a week. It was a very standard house in rows of streets with similar houses and they wanted to be near parents in next street.

DogInATent · 23/12/2022 12:08

Flowerfairy101 · 23/12/2022 11:30

Ours sold before going on rightmove, the agent had a client who had just had a purchase fall through and they viewed it the day after they took the pictures. Our agent said by law they still have to put the ad on rightmove so it went up as SSTC straight away.

Your agent is telling porkies.
They wanted it to go on Rightmove because it makes them look good. There's no legal requirement to list on Rightmove, that should be obvious.
(and advertising as SSTC is meaningless and does you no favours as a Seller)

Flowerfairy101 · 23/12/2022 12:12

@DogInATent yeah I was a bit Hmm at this, I don't know why they don't tell the truth, we wouldn't have minded!

Wombat27A · 23/12/2022 12:17

It costs them to list on RM, so I'm surprised they said they had to if it was sstc.

Soothsayer1 · 23/12/2022 12:24

From what I can see properties owned by landlords are often very quietly sold to other landlords without making it to Rightmove.... without there being any pictures of the inside etc

LimeCheesecake · 23/12/2022 12:27

OP - the price difference could be for a lot of factors, eg if there is something structural wrong, or if they sold privately to a friend / family member and deliberately let it go for less than the market rate to allow for no agency fees. It doesn’t mean you overpaid, it could be they under paid or there’s something you don’t know about that house that lowered its value.

my uncle bought a bargain house on the understanding it would be a quick sale as the owners were moving overseas. We bought from a divorcing couple, when my nanna was moving into a care home, my parents might have been able to hold out and get more for her house for her, but didn’t have the headspace. There’s lots of reasons people will accept a lower amount that market value. Doesn’t mean you overpaid.

mondaytosunday · 23/12/2022 12:34

Sone agents don't use rightmove, and it's possible it was a private sale without an agent at all?

Original poster
Newhousecrying · 23/12/2022 13:28

Wombat27A · 23/12/2022 12:17

It costs them to list on RM, so I'm surprised they said they had to if it was sstc.

I thought this was a strategy used by agents to drive up the sense of urgency and demand. There’s an agent in our area who seemed to list more as SSTC on the first day than others

OP posts:
Original poster
Newhousecrying · 23/12/2022 13:31

LimeCheesecake · 23/12/2022 12:27

OP - the price difference could be for a lot of factors, eg if there is something structural wrong, or if they sold privately to a friend / family member and deliberately let it go for less than the market rate to allow for no agency fees. It doesn’t mean you overpaid, it could be they under paid or there’s something you don’t know about that house that lowered its value.

my uncle bought a bargain house on the understanding it would be a quick sale as the owners were moving overseas. We bought from a divorcing couple, when my nanna was moving into a care home, my parents might have been able to hold out and get more for her house for her, but didn’t have the headspace. There’s lots of reasons people will accept a lower amount that market value. Doesn’t mean you overpaid.

@LimeCheesecake thanks :) I really struggle with this house (see my other thread!) and it’s getting better but seeing things like the house down the road selling for much less is a bit of a trigger. Its nice to be reminded by someone else that I don’t know any other factors or property conditions.

OP posts:
LimeCheesecake · 23/12/2022 13:36

I’ve not seen your other thread - but I would say this isn’t healthy - the housing market is insane in the UK, but a lot can effect a house value beyond square footage.

Wombat27A · 23/12/2022 13:39

Yep, I'm thinking of putting a flat on the market in the NY. There's a direct comparable currently up for sale and I was discussing values with the agent yesterday. He'd valued that flat for £10k less than it's on the market for and advised me to market mine for £20k less to maybe get it sold.

I've got a degree in valuation and totally agree with his thinking, as I'd explained my situation and he advised accordingly.

Time vs profit maximisation & I might have more leeway than the other seller, all sorts of things as the other poster said.

GrouchyKiwi · 23/12/2022 13:41

We're in/near Edinburgh so houses often don't go on Rightmove anyway (ESPC is the big one here). But we sold recently to a friend, so our house was never marketed.