There are lots of home buying services on the market and it’s really important you choose the one that’s right for you. Many offer a lot but sadly don’t live up to their promises.
WeBuyAnyHome, that’s us, and We Buy Any House are two businesses offering sell house fast services. If you can’t decide which to go with here’s a quick comparison.
Which is the most established company?
One good way to tell if you can rely on a company is the length of time it’s been operating. We’ve been buying properties quickly since 2013, in fact we’re one of the most established home-buying businesses in the UK. WeBuyAnyHouse hasn’t been in the market as long, having been set up in 2015.
Our staff have more than 300 years’ combined property-buying experience. We know the nuances of the market in each town and region of the UK. In short, you’re in safe hands with us.
Are they members of the NAPB?
Another marker of quality is membership of the National Association of Property Buyers (NAPB) which we are but WeBuyAnyHouse is not. All members of the NAPB must follow a strict code of conduct which ensures they are completely transparent and honest throughout the transaction.
For example, our offers must fairly reflect the value of your home and we must do everything we can to meet your favoured sale dates.
We are also fully regulated by The Property Ombudsman, which means there is independent oversight of how we conduct ourselves.
Who has the best reviews?
We’re both well reviewed. At the time of writing we each averaged more than 4.7 stars on Trustpilot. However, because of our long service in the industry our rating is based on more than 500 reviews, far more than WeBuyAnyHouse at under 200.
A breakdown of our reviews also shows 82% rate our service as excellent, compared to 76% for WeBuyAnyHouse.
What’s more, we have several award wins to our name, including YouGov’s Top Brand Buzz (2019) award. We were also finalists in the Best Financial & Professional Services Brand Marketing category at The Drum Marketing Awards (2020).
How long will they take to sell your home?
It’s possible to complete a sale and have the funds in your account after just seven days through either company.
The first step is to fill out an online enquiry form, WeBuyAnyHouse will send you an initial offer in 60 minutes. We’ll give you a call to do a quick evaluation over the phone, so that we can really understand your circumstances, it’ll take 10 to 15 minutes and we’ll give you an offer there and then.
Offers are then verified by independent valuers and a final price agreed between you and us. If you decide not to go ahead at this point that’s fine. If you want to, we’ll work with you to fix a completion date that suits you.
Do they take on complex home sales?
We buy homes in any condition as well as those that are part of a divorce or inheritance. As does WeBuyAnyHouse. One thing that sets us apart is our ability to purchase properties with cladding challenges, which have left many people with apartments they can’t sell or large cladding replacement bills.
We pride ourselves on dealing sensitively with any home seller going through a difficult time. Because of our many years in the industry we understand the extra emotional strain of selling a home in the midst of a challenging moment in your life.
That’s why we aim to make it a hassle-free process for you, by taking on as much of the administrative and organisational burden as we can.
What extra help do they provide?
Unlike our competitors we offer a license to occupy, which means you are able to stay in your home rent free for an agreed period after it’s sale, so that you have more time to arrange your next move. We can also provide a cash advance before completion to help you out financially. WeBuyAnyHouse does not mention either service on its website.
In addition, neither company charges any fees and both cover solicitors’ costs. There are also no estate agent commissions to pay.
How many sales fall through?
Both companies use their own cash reserves to buy properties. That means you won’t be part of an unpredictable chain of transactions that can fall through at any moment through no fault of your own.
That’s what makes us such a reliable option and why you should only ever use a home-buying service that can fund the purchase themselves. If a business needs to sell your home to pay for it, they’re much more likely to miss your agreed completion date.
With us, once the completion date and price are agreed, they’re final. It’s very rare for a sale to fall through at this point and if it does it’s nearly always down to the seller choosing a different option.
To get a sense of how established a cash buying company is, and to make sure it is buying homes using its own funds, it’s worth looking at how many properties it has purchased. From Jan – Oct 2020 we bought more than 200 properties, whereas WeBuyAnyHouse only purchased 8 properties in the same time frame.
Feature comparison
| WeBuyAnyHome | We Buy Any House | |
|---|---|---|
| Commission on sale | No | No |
| Solicitors fees | No | No |
| Sales in seven days | Yes | Yes |
| Part of chain | No | No |
| Cash advance | Yes | No |
| Licence to remain | Yes | No |
| Fixed completion date | Yes | Yes |
| Guaranteed sale | Yes | No |
Why work with us?
It can be tricky to tell the difference between home buying companies when you’re searching online. But what none of our competitors can offer is our long track record of moving house sales along quickly and taking care of our customers.
We’ve built our reputation on being trustworthy, reliable and free to use. We won’t exaggerate what we’ll pay for your home to get your business and we will stick with the price, completion date and conditions we agree with you.
If you’d like to chat about how we can help you, get in touch.
