Good Move: Comprehensive Review (2024)
Updated: March 2024
A year ago, we first examined Good Move. Now, we're back with an even more in-depth review. Have they lived up to their promises? How do they stack up in today's changing property market?
One of Good Moves' claims was to be the most regulated property buying company operating in the quick house sale industry.
How true is this? We've scrutinized their regulations, customer feedback, and services to give you the full picture.
Since its inception, Good Move has built up a good track record of being a trustworthy property-buying company.
They have reviews on multiple third-party review platforms, which generally showcase happy customers.
Good Move has an easy-to-use website and is one of the most regulated property buyers operating in the quick house sale industry. These combined make the house-selling process with them stress and hassle-free.
What you'll find in this article
In this article, we've put together the most comprehensive online review of Good Move. Below is a contents page of the full article, so you can navigate the page quickly and pick which section you want to read.
Good Move: Main Details
Good Move is a UK property-buying company based in Leeds.
According to Companies House, Good Move was incorporated in 2015. It operates both as a cash house buyer and as an estate agency. As a cash property buyers it will purchase your property in as little as seven days. As an estate agent, it will sell your home more traditionally.
Good Move is a member of the National Association of Property Buyers. In addition, Good Move is regulated by several bodies, which include trading standards, NAPB & the Property Ombudsman.
Good Move claims its team has been in the business for a combined 45 years and has amassed significant experience within the property industry. It is well known as a quick house sale company and, more recently, as an estate agency firm.
According to its website, Good Move currently has just over £4.7 million available to spend on new properties.
The Good Move Factsheet
*Data updated and correct as of 29/02/2024
Fact Check
- Number of employees?
- What is their aim to buy time-frame?
- How many sales have they agreed?
- Number TrustPilot reviews?
- Number of Google reviews?
- When were they incorporated?
- What are their Opening times?
- Which Locations do they buy in?
- Is a house inspection needed?
- What is Good Move's website?
Good Move
- 15 employees
- Within 10 days
- 100+ sales agreed in the last 12 months
- 778 TrustPilot reviews
- 209 Google reviews
- 7th January 2015
- 24 hours a day
- England, Wales and Scotland
- It is not required
- Good Move Website
What services does Good Move offer?
Good Move offers 2 primary services. Firstly they operate as a cash-buying company and will purchase your property in as little as 7 days.
Secondly, they operate as an estate agent, so if you're interested in selling your home more traditionally, this may be a good option.
They can buy your home both the ways mentioned above.
Is Good Move Legitimate?
Good Move has the following attributes:
- Many good reviews on different 3rd party review websites
- Are a genuine house buying company
- Are regulated by multiple bodies
- Have been featured on authority websites
We believe that Good Move is a legitimate house buying company.
How Good Move Works
Good Move has a 3-step quick house sale process:
- Start by entering your postcode
- Receive a cash offer within 24 hours
- Sell your house fast for cash
Good Move claims it can buy your home in as little as seven days, but the average time for completion is about three weeks.
Good Move customer reviews note that the website design is user-friendly and easy to navigate for important information. In addition, we found that the offer form is easy to locate as it appears many times throughout the site. We had no trouble completing the form as it is relatively straightforward and not very time-consuming. Customers then receive a standard thank you with a note that Good Move will contact them with their free cash offer.
A representative from Good Move will give the customer a free cash offer explaining how much they are willing to pay for their property.
Good Move does not specify how it values a property; however, we know that the offer-in-principle is likely based on the information provided by the homeowner, property details available online, and its own online research.
Other factors in a typical property valuation include:
- The Value of similar properties in the area
- The current state of the national/regional property market
- Size of the home
- Planning and building regulations
Suppose the homeowner is happy with the initial offer-in-principle. In that case, Good Move will then arrange for at least one independent valuation to be carried out by a local estate agent or RICS chartered surveyor.
An independent valuation will reveal the cost of a property which is beneficial for both buyers and sellers as it shows them the property's value and whether the offer is fair and accurate. In addition, an accurate valuation may help flag potential issues with a property, such as structural issues. These will ultimately have to be factored into the final offer.
Good Move does not specify how it makes a payment for a home; however, we assume that Good Move makes payment via bank transfer on the day of completion or the next day, as this is standard practice with quick house sales.
Generally, the quick house-buying company that has purchased the home will renovate the property after it completes the sale. Once the buyer has completed refurbishment, it will do one of the following:
- Sell the house to property investors. (A standard property buyer or a property cash buyer)
- Sell it on the open market
- Convert the house into a rental property
House buyers make money by purchasing homes for cash below market value and then selling them or renting them out. After buying a quick sale home, they can sell the house in the open market and then get it listed on sites like Rightmove. The goal is to sell the house for a good price so they can make a profit from the sale.
Good Move’s customer reviews suggest that haggling or negotiating the offer may be possible.
For example, a review from Sean said the following:
Rather than acting as a buyanyhouse type company they acted as a traditional estate agent when we couldn't agree house valuation. This was for a fixed fee and they found me a buyer. The service was professional all the way through to completion(thanks Jessica)
Unsurprisingly, this flexibility is not stated anywhere on their website.
Generally, once a quick house sale has been completed, the house-buying company and the former homeowner part ways. Some firms may keep in touch with customers to see how they are doing by email or if they want to leave a review. But there is no indication on their website of any other after-sales support.
What are the Pros & Cons of using Good Move?
If you're interested in selling your home with Good Move, we've listed some of the pros & cons of choosing them:
Pros of using Good Move:
- Good Move is highly regulated by multiple bodies, which include the National Association of property buyers
- They have hundreds of positive reviews
- When Good Move buys your house, they do not have any hidden charges or costs when using their fast house sale service
- They have an honest and straight-forward house buying process
Cons of using Good Move:
- Good Move states it offers up to 85% of the market price, which may mean your offer will come in less than that.
- They will only cover the first £500 solicitor fees. Other companies will cover the total costs
- According to their website, selling a property over the value of £550k may be uncharted territory for Good Move as they have not dealt with selling higher-value homes before
- Good Move does not offer a cash advance service which could put off some customers who may require it during the sale.
Goodmove vs Other Quick Sale Companies
Below, we’ve highlighted some of the key differences, such as average sale time, hidden fees and more, compared to other UK house buyers, such as The Property Buying Company Springbok Properties, Home House Buyers, We Buy Now or Ask Susan
Quick Sale Firms
- Takes 2-4 weeks to find a buyer
- Some firms charge hidden fees
- Won't always buy any type of home
- Can take months if not true cash buyers
- Some firms do not offer complete confidentiality
- Not all quick sale firms offer a cash advance service
Goodmove
- Receive a cash offer in 24 hours
- Cover all fees (Except they only cover £500 towards your own solicitor’s fees)
- Goodmove buy any home
- Can complete in 7 days in certain circumstances
- Full confidentiality & privacy
- Goodmove do not offer a cash advance service
Good Move Reviews
Good Move is reviewed on several websites – we have highlighted some below.
| Trustpilot Reviews | Google Reviews | Reviews.co.uk |
|---|---|---|
| 778 reviews | 209 reviews | 142 reviews |
| 4.9 score | 4.8 score | 4.9 score |
| 4 reviews are 3 stars or below | 7 reviews are 3 stars or below | 0 reviews are 3 stars or below |
| AllAgents Reviews | Yably Reviews | Cylex Reviews |
| 14 reviews | 16 review | 1 review |
| 4.0 score | 4.13 score | 5.0 score |
| 1 review is 1 star |
*Reviews are updated and correct as of 29/02/2024
Generally speaking, Good Move has excellent reviews across several third-party review sites, including Trustpilot. Customers often say they are very professional, informative and knowledgeable. They offer great advice, and their sales process is straightforward.
For example, a review from Isaac Park said the following:
Really great experience with these guys. Katy was super helpful from the start. Went above and beyond to help with the questions I raised. Honestly a real pleasure and I’m hoping to continue to do business into the future.
However, it's important to note that not all customers were happy with the service they received, with some mentioning that the company dragged their heels on agreed-upon deals as well as sloppy handligng of business.
An example of this comes from a review from Francis Clarke, who said:
They offer cash purchases, and I already knew that these sorts of outfits offer around 25% below valuation… They sent a surveyor, who fails to report that I have a garage, my house hasn't had subsidence like the one they start to try and compare it with in order to re-negotiate the valuation downwards, even though they've already agreed it, and I have planning permission for a loft conversion and extension, as well as the addition of the garage! So no, I refuse to reduce the valuation by 35k, which is already low anyway. A few days later, they've managed to find 3 investors who want to view this Friday apparently, but the cooling off period on the signed agreement finishes on the Thursday, so is it coincidental that they want to do the viewings the day after the cooling off period expires? Then what? argue the price further? It wasn't worth the risk for me, and I've decided I'd rather pocket the extra 150k+ that my property is worth for myself. Just to add, I was never asked for any ID, the property could belong to anyone and not necessarily me, because they hadn't asked for any forms of ID such as passport, bank statement, utility bill etc, which an estate agent would do of course under the MAR regs… I have subsequently been contacted by Ross this morning from the company asking me if I would remove my review and they would offer me free marketing services to sell my house, I declined, he then said he would provide a £350 voucher, I said I don't accept bribes.
Good Move claims that 98% of their customers recommend their services.
Although the exact figure can't be verified, there are reviews from some customers that indicate they would recommend Good Move to friends and family.
For example, a Google review from Mark Bloomfield in January 2024 said the following:
Does Good Move have any awards, or have they been featured on prominent websites?
According to their website, Good Move claims to have been featured on the following websites:
- The Daily Mirror
- Right Move
- The Sun
- Zoopla
Good Move - Our Verdict
Good Move appears to be a reliable and trustworthy property-buying company that operates as a cash house buyer. It prides itself on being the most regulated fast property buyer in the UK, and is, in fact, regulated by four different property organisations—the NAPB, trading standards, The Property Ombudsman and RICs.
The company has immediate funds available to purchase homes so its aim of a complete sale in seven days is genuine—and possible.
Good Move is reviewed across several trusted review sites, and the majority of its 1,000+ reviews are positive. Most speak to the company’s helpful and honest advice, as well as its professional service and quick sales.
The Good Move Factsheet - (Free Download)
You can now access all the key information about Good Move in the Factsheet infographic we have created below.
Simply click on the image or the link that appears after the factsheet, and it will automatically download it to your device!
