If you want to sell a property, ‘How do I find a buyer for my home’ is probably your key question. Demand is still high in the Redbridge, Ilford, Barking and Dagenham property market. The Elizabeth Line effect has boosted house prices in the area as commuting times are reduced.
Finding the right buyer for your home isn’t something you can take for granted, particularly if you’re after a quick sale. Perhaps you need to move home or want to snap up your own dream home. Depending on your property and the precise area, it can take up to 12-15 weeks to find a buyer. But no matter how long it takes to sell a house, you can help your sale along.
While nothing’s guaranteed, there are steps you can take to help you find a buyer for your home as quickly and smoothly as possible.
Here’s our advice for finding property buyers fast.
The first thing you need to do when you’re considering selling is stage your home, so potential buyers can imagine themselves living there. There are plenty of guides to this, but essential staging tips that can help sell your house quickly include:
Buying and selling at the same time?
Here are 10 things that could go wrong, and often do go wrong, and what, if anything, you can do to avoid them.
Buying and selling at the same time?
Here are 10 things that could go wrong, and often do go wrong, and what, if anything, you can do to avoid them.
First impressions really do count, so make the exterior of your home your first job. Tidy the garden, put away the bins, cut the grass and prune unruly shrubs. Consider painting the front door, replacing the door furniture, and adding window boxes and planters if possible.
Want to feel prepared before you sell? Explore how to sell your house online and why is my house not selling.
With the cost of energy soaring and concerns about climate change, more buyers are looking for good energy performance certificate (EPC) ratings. If yours is weak, look at your report for advice to improve your score by adding insulation or LED lightbulbs, for example. Here are five short ways to improve your EPC for your property sale which don’t eat into your budget.
There are, of course, many more significant ways to improve your EPC, like replacing an old boiler or installing triple-glazed windows, but these are prohibitively expensive and most sellers don’t want to fork out that much cash before a home sale.
You don’t have to appoint an estate agent, though most sellers do. If you are going to use an online estate agent or a high street agent, choose carefully. Who you pick can make or break your chance of a quick sale, so you need someone proactive and, ideally, with good local knowledge.
At first glance, online agents can save money versus the cost of engaging high street estate agents. But this can be a false economy, with many offering paid add-ons or a weak local presence – so check what they offer. You may find the estate agent fee is better value in the long run due to the level of service they deliver.
Before you choose, get personal recommendations and read recent reviews very carefully (ideally from the past 3-6 months) – but trust your instincts too. Talk to each agent about their buyer lists and the strategies they will use to sell a home like yours. It’s worth getting three quotes, but don’t necessarily go with the cheapest – or the one that gives your home the highest valuation.
Also check your contract carefully before you sign, finding out what will happen if things don’t work out and any details about if you have to switch agent or enter into a multi-agency agreement.
As we just said, you must price your home correctly to find a buyer quickly. Overpricing is one of the most common reasons that houses don’t sell, putting people off and pushing you out of property search brackets on websites like Rightmove. Beware of estate agents that overvalue homes to get your business. Gain an impression of how much the house is worth before you approach them by researching homes for sale and recent sold prices in your area.
Chain free properties are undeniably more appealing to buyers. If you need to sell quickly, consider moving into rented accommodation or with family or friends. Alternatively, if you have the funds or can get an additional loan, consider buying your next property before you sell. Being chain free may also give you the luxury of choosing between house buyers.
Picking a first time or cash buyer yourself will likely help the sale go smoothly. Remember, cash sales mean you don’t have to worry about mortgage complications causing hiccups during the process.
If you’ve appointed an estate agent, they will take care of marketing your property, but you can help them find a buyer by being involved and proactive. Here are some of the essential considerations for helping buyers be attracted to – and choose – your property:
Emphasise unique selling points – Think about the unique selling points of your home, whether a landscaped garden or extra space, kitchen extension or something else. These points need to be front and centre in your property profile on Rightmove or Zoopla, and should be the key points to highlight on any social media post or buyer outreach.
Focus on target buyers – while you don’t want to restrict your marketing, it is wise to pitch your home to the audience who is most likely to buy it. Anyone could buy your property, but a 3-plus bedroom property will likely attract families, while a single bedroom apartment will likely attract singles or couples. You need to highlight the parts of your property which are likely to appeal to them.
If families are your most likely buyer, consider how close your house is to good schools and parks. Likewise, if you’re selling an apartment, you might focus on parking availability and security. Ensure your agents’ property details include these things and are punchy and well-written. Check that the photos they use show the property in its best light too.
Make sure your agent markets your home well – Your agent should be putting the property on the main portals, including Rightmove and Zoopla, and showcasing it on their website and social media feeds. You can help boost its chances by sharing the listing on your own social media channels and local forums such as Nextdoor and WhatsApp groups. Spread the word among your own contacts too, and ask them to share.
Want to feel prepared before you sell? Read about the process of selling a house and our tips for selling your house.
People have busy lives, so it’s often better to be flexible on viewings to allow for the maximum number of potential buyers to see your property. Think about it: the perfect, willing and able buyer could miss out on seeing your property simply because they had to be at work that day. For that reason it is a good idea to consider evening and weekend viewings for a short period of time to give your home appropriate exposure to buyers who might otherwise miss it.
This can take many forms, but is a good way to sweeten the deal to the benefit of both you and your buyer. For example, you’re moving to a new property with totally different size and space requirements for your white goods, but you have a first time buyer purchasing your property, who has no white goods of their own. In this case, it might be worth throwing in the white goods with the sale, because you won’t be able to use them anyway, and they’ll be a pain to get rid of.
Other incentives occasionally considered are paying part of the buyer’s stamp duty, including garden/house equipment or leaving high-end fixtures and fittings in the property.
It’s critical to respond quickly to buyer interest which is passed on from your estate agent to ensure that you don’t miss out on a potential sale early on.
The classic example is a miss-timed holiday which prevents parties communicating, but it can happen for a number of reasons. As stressful as the time can be, try to respond to any offers as soon as they come in to make sure you’re home has the best possible chance of winning a buyer.
A house buying company that offers quick house sales from cash buyers may seem like a good solution if you need a fast sale or the property is difficult to shift on the open market – and you are prepared to accept less than market value. However, many house buying companies have been accused of unfair practices, such as reducing offers at the last minute.
The Property Ombudsman oversees quick sale companies, but this is voluntary, and they aren’t formally regulated. We’d advise getting plenty of advice and checking carefully if you are considering using one of these companies.
If you’re wondering how to find a buyer for your east London home, we can help. As a leading agent in the area, we can help you find the right strategy. Contact us today to find out more.
Selling your house can be a complicated process, but breaking it down can make it less intimidating. That’s why we have compiled this step-by-step guide to the process of selling a house in east London. Whether you’re selling for the first time, are buying at the same time, or just aren’t sure what the current advice is in 2026, read on for tips on how to sell your house. We’ll talk you through everything from mortgage matters to professional photography. We also answer your frequently asked questions about the selling process. Find out more.
When you inherit a property, there will be decisions to make regarding whether to sell the property, live in it yourself or rent it out, and there will be legal processes to follow.
If you are wondering what the next steps are then this guide explains how the probate process works, what tax obligations you may have and which documents you will need if you decide to sell the property.
We also cover the different options you have for selling an inherited property and answer some of the most common questions about inheriting a property.
If you are looking for a fast house sale, there are several ways that you can improve the chances of a quick sale. Choosing an experienced local estate agent will help to speed up the sale but you can also get your paperwork prepared and make sure that your property is presented well to attract more viewings and prospective buyers.
Read our tips on how to sell a house quickly in East London for a full guide on the actions you can take to help to achieve a faster property sale.
