How to make an offer on a home
open for offer is the pre-market. You can register interest in a home here whether or not it’s for sale.
Homes with a page here, England and Wales
About 14 million
Built from HM Land Registry sold prices since 1995.
It isn’t for sale. Get in the queue anyway.
A home that isn’t for sale has no agent to take your offer. On open for offer you register interest on its page instead. It’s free, and it isn’t an offer.
If the owner tests the market within two years, your interest is already on the record. Buyer negotiation starts once HMRC approves our registration. open for offer does not approach owners for buyers.
Find the home and register interestIf it’s for sale, offer through the agent
Ask the seller’s estate agent how they take offers, and put yours in writing. The agent must pass it on promptly, unless the seller has asked in writing not to see offers like it.
Say how you’ll pay: cash, a mortgage in principle, or a sale of your own still to complete.
From accepted offer to exchange of contracts
After exchange
Work out your opening figure yourself
Start with what buyers actually paid. A home’s page shows what it last sold for and what sold nearby, from HM Land Registry.
Where the page shows a market estimate, it is an estimate, not the price to pay. The figure you offer is yours to decide.
Questions
- Can I make an offer on a house that isn't for sale?
- Not through an agent, because there isn't one. You can register interest on the home's page on open for offer instead. It's free, and it isn't an offer.
- Is an accepted offer legally binding?
- Not in England and Wales. Either side can withdraw until contracts are exchanged.
- Will open for offer make the offer for me?
- Not yet. Buyer negotiation starts once HMRC approves our registration. open for offer does not approach owners for buyers. What you offer, and how, is your decision.