Question 1

How do I find out what my house is worth without an estate agent?

Accepted Answer

You can get a free instant market estimate for any of the 14.4 million England and Wales homes we cover, by entering its postcode, with no agent visit and no email required to see the figure. The estimate is built from that home's own last recorded Land Registry sale, indexed forward using market growth data, and is shown as a range with a confidence level and the date it was calculated. It is an automated estimate rather than a valuation or a survey, and it is no substitute for a professional valuation before you buy or sell.

Question 2

Can I sell my house without listing it publicly?

Accepted Answer

Yes. On open for offer your home joins the pre-market rather than going on public sale: buyers see your area and property type only, never your address, your photographs or an asking price. You signal that you might sell, see the buyer interest your home attracts, and then decide whether to go further. Your home is never published to a property portal, so stopping leaves no portal listing history and no days-on-market count.

Question 3

Can I buy a house that is not on the market?

Accepted Answer

Yes - on open for offer any of the 14.4 million homes we cover in England and Wales can receive an offer, whether or not it is advertised for sale. You find the address and make your offer, and it is recorded against that home. Nothing happens to a home without its owner's say-so, and no owner is ever under any obligation to respond to an approach or to accept one. About 2% of homes in England and Wales are for sale at any one time, so most of the homes a buyer would actually want are never visible on a traditional portal.

Question 4

What is open for offer?

Accepted Answer

open for offer is a UK pre-market property marketplace for homeowners who are considering selling but are not ready to list. Homeowners can see a data-backed market estimate and test real buyer demand privately, before going on public sale and with no obligation to sell. Buyers can make an offer on any of the 14.4 million England and Wales homes we cover, including homes that were never advertised.

Question 5

Which areas does open for offer cover?

Accepted Answer

open for offer covers 14.4 million homes in England and Wales - every home with a Land Registry sold-price record since 1995. Each of those has its own page you can search today. Homes that have not sold since 1995 are not in the data. Stamford in Lincolnshire is the launch market where we are building depth first, and we also cover Cambridge, Oxford, Marlow and Peterborough.

Question 6

Do I need an estate agent to sell through open for offer?

Accepted Answer

No - you can list and manage your sale yourself on open for offer. If you would rather not, we can introduce you to a local estate agent and you agree their fee with them directly.

Properties on Smithy Lane

Properties on Smithy Lane

Semi-Detached

Semi-Detached

Semi-Detached

About Smithy Lane

Thinking of selling on Smithy Lane?