Cash House Buyers vs Estate Agents: Who is Faster in a Slow Market?

How slow the open market is directly impacts the ability to achieve a fast house sale. At the moment, we’re in a buyers’ market and there is a lack of urgency among purchasers. Although mortgage lending and conveyancing add time to the sales process, it is how well estate agents navigate a sluggish market that makes all the difference.

The wheels are turning slow

In July, website Property Industry Eye provided a fascinating snapshot of how well traditional High Street agents are currently performing. The unbiased analysis, conducted by Christopher Watkin using TwentyEA data, allows sellers to draw their own conclusions using the headline statistics:

• 50.9% of UK homes being sold by estate agents were withdrawn from the market because they were either unsold or the homeowner had decided to stay in the property. This percentage has been steadily rising since January 2025.
• The number of agreed sales that are falling through before they complete continues to rise, at almost 7,000 every week.
• 1 in 7.1 homes on the market is having its asking price reduced monthly (14.1%). This figure is way above the long-term, 5-year average of 10.6%.

Don’t be hoodwinked by estate agent averages

Despite current market conditions, estate agents persist with touting the average time it takes to sell a property as 12-16 weeks. This is very misrepresentative as prevailing conditions and personal circumstances will affect individual sales durations. At present, transaction times are much longer.

How slow are estate agents?

To understand how misleading the 12-16 week estimate is, we need to understand what agents are measuring.

• Waiting time between offer and completion: how long a seller will wait between accepting an offer and legal completion. This is usually the basis for the 12-16 week estimate. This phase includes conveyancing, mortgage lending, a survey and negotiations.
• Waiting time between listing and completion: how long a seller will wait between their home being made available to legal completion. Research conducted earlier this year by Zoopla found it actually takes between 5 and 14 weeks to receive an offer, with the conveyancing process still to follow.

Expect to wait 25 weeks when using an estate agent

Sellers really want to know how long the entire process will take, from the moment they see their home on Rightmove to the day they hand their key over. Zoopla says the process, start to end, is currently taking an average of 25 weeks – that’s pretty much double what estate agents frequently promote. In a slow market, however, the process can take as long as 34 weeks.

To note, the conveyancing and mortgage application process alone is taking 12-16 weeks, while exchange to completion can itself take up to 4 weeks.

How quick are cash property buyers?

When the open market is slow, cash property buyers maintain speed and momentum. This is because vendors selling to a company like Open Property Group cut out the open market and many of the slow and frustrating steps that estate agents have to oversee. Additionally, cash buyers for homes are less affected by market conditions, putting them in a strong position whatever is happening with mortgage rates or buyer demand.

As cash property buyers, Open Property Group, has an average time from offer to exchange of just 35 days, and our average time from exchange to completion can be as quick as 7 days, if you need to sell house fast. These figures do not lengthen in a slow property market. We are consistent, reliable and guaranteed.

Move within 42 days with a cash buyers for homes

Open Property Group prioritises speed to offer the fastest, simplest property sales solution. Contact us and complete within an average of 42 days from start to finish – we will achieve a quick property sale for you, even in a slow market. Here’s why we move so fast:

• No estate agent involved: deal directly with your buyer from day one for speedy communication
• No open market selling: your purchaser is waiting immediately – no marketing or viewing stages
• No mortgage required: Open Property Group are cash house buyers, so there’s no waiting for mortgage approval
• Sold as seen: we’re not put off by problem properties, so no haggling or requests to fix up your home
• Legal teams chosen for speed: our recommended solicitors work to tight deadlines and won’t delay your sale

Who’s fastest? Cash house buyers, hands down!

If you need to sell property fast and your focus is on speed, cash house buyers will always beat traditional estate agents. If today’s slow market is getting you down, get your free cash offer from Open Property Group and plan for completion in as little as 42 days.