We Buy Any Home: Comprehensive Review (2024)
We Buy Any Home is a London-based company that buys houses across England, Wales and Scotland.
The business boldly claims to be the UK’s leading home-buying company, and further states that it assists over 25,000 people a year with the sale of their properties. But are these claims true? And, if so, are all those who’ve worked with the company truly satisfied customers?
In this review, we aim to look a little deeper into how We Buy Any Home works to see if it is as efficient and reliable as it says it is and whether you can be fully confident they’ll sell your house fast.
WeBuyAnyHome is a UK-based company that buys houses quickly.
They guarantee a sale in a timeframe that works for you and can buy your house in as little as seven days.
They are different from estate agents because they buy the house directly from you and don’t charge any commission. They claim you can get a free cash offer in minutes and receive funds in seven days.
What you'll find in this article
In this article, we've compiled the most comprehensive online review of We Buy Any Home.
Below is a listing of all the information in our review, so you can easily navigate the page quickly and pick which section you want to read.
We Buy Any Home - Main Details
We Buy Any Home is a London-based cash home-buying company that operates across the United Kingdom. The company markets itself on its transparency and trustworthiness, stating it’s one of the “only genuine cash home buying companies around”. These assertions are further underscored by the business’s membership of The Property Ombudsman (TPO) and the National Association of Property Buyers (NAPB), of which they’re a founding member.
In addition, We Buy Any Home, is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s independent regulatory body set up to uphold information rights.
As a business, We Buy Any Home also focuses on a fast and efficient sale. The company claims it categorically does as its name suggests and buys any residential property in any condition. This includes houses, flats and even tenanted properties. Using their own funds rather than third-party buyers to purchase properties, We Buy Any Home says it can complete a sale in as little as seven days.
They also take care of all the paperwork and closing costs as part of the overall service sellers receive.
The company have an active blog that not only shares the ins and outs of working with a cash house buyers such as itself but also offers information on what it’s like living in various cities and prominent towns across the UK.
It also has many positive reviews on Trustpilot and Google, though as with most quick house sale companies, a few criticisms accompany these, the common themes of which we’ll study in greater detail later in this review.
We Buy Any Home Factsheet
*Data updated and correct as of 13/03/2024
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 their website?
We Buy Any Home
- 33 employees
- 7-14 days
- 1000+
- 806 Trustpilot reviews
- 258 Google reviews
- May 2013
- 24/7 - Sunday: Closed
- England, Wales, Scotland
- No, they buy any property
- WeBuyAnyHome Website
What Services Do We Buy Any Home Offer?
The main services offered by We Buy Any Home are free home valuations, 100% cash purchase, and chain-free sales, including the purchase of tenanted properties:
- Free property valuations: The company offers a non-obligation cash offer, which you will receive within 24 hours of filling out the online form.
- 100% cash buyer only: Using We Buy Any Home’s 100% cash buying service gives sellers the option of a quick sale and money in their account within a matter of days or weeks. This is faster than the months it typically takes to sell a house by auction or through an estate agent.
- Chain-free sales: Because the company is a cash buyer, no complicated chains can allow the deal to fall through. Once an offer is accepted by the homeowner, it's guaranteed to go ahead.
- Sale of tenanted properties: We Buy Any Home offers a guaranteed sale for buy-to-let properties that doesn’t involve having to terminate the current tenancy first.
Is We Buy Any Home Legit?
Yes, WeBuyAnyHome is a legit company with a team of employees based in the United Kingdom.
Established in 2013, the company is a founding member of the National Association of Property Buyers (NAPB), which was set up to provide a Code of Practice for Residential Property Buying Companies among cash property buying companies.
We Buy Any Home is also a member of the Property Ombudsman, and maintains it has thousands of satisfied customers.
It’s website claim that they help 25,000 housesellers per year is difficult to verify, however, though certainly it has several hundreds of positive customer reviews on prominent review sites like Google and Trustpilot
How We Buy Any Home Works
WeBuyAnyHome will buy your house in a few simple steps:
- Free Valuation: The first step is to register your property's details with the company through a free online valuation. You’ll receive an offer within 24 hours.
- Proceed after initial paperwork: Should you wish to proceed, you’ll be asked to direct your solicitor to complete some initial paperwork.
- Valuation: Following this the company will send one or two RICS surveyors or valuers to inspect your home. After that, the seller will receive a final offer in response to the valuation and an in-house legal check.
- Sale completed: Once this is approved and the seller has signed off on a completion date, the sale goes ahead and the funds are transferred to the seller's account.
Can You Haggle with We Buy Any Home?
While it may be possible to negotiate the cash price offered by WeBuyAnyHome, it's important to understand that the company has a set pricing model so they may or may not be willing to negotiate based on your property.
Engaging with WeBuyAnyhome about your situation might reveal flexibility concerning negotiating, however, it's important to hold realistic expectations during any negotiation discussions.
The Pros And Cons Of Working With We Buy Any Home
Working with WeBuyAnyHome can have both advantages and disadvantages. Here are some of the pros of working with a quick sale company like them as well as some cons to consider when working with the company:
The Pros
- Immediate cash offer: After filling in your property details in their enquiry form, We Buy Any House sends you a no-obligation cash offer within 24 hours, which can help you decide quickly if you want to take the process further
- Transparency and professionalism: We Buy Any Home prides itself on offering a transparent and professional service. To this end, they are founding members of the National Association of Property Buyers (NAPB), as well as members of The Property Ombudsman (TPO). The company is also registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
- Over 10 years in business: The company has been over 10 years in business which, in an industry that sees many quick cash firms come and go, can offer some form of confidence to their customers.
- Will buy tenanted properties: The company also purchases buy-to-let properties with sitting tenants.
- Can buy commercial properties quickly: Just as with residential properties, We Buy Any Home can also buy your commercial property in as little as seven days.
The Cons
- Unclear cash offer: The company website acknowledges that they do not offer full market value for your property, but they don’t state what percentage of your home’s value they will typically offer.
- Solicitors Fees: You'll be responsible for a solicitors fee to complete the sale
- Communication: Several customer reviews mentioned that communication became poor and difficult after the initial contract had been signed.
- Negative changes in initial offers: Several customer reviews highlighted how initial offers were significantly lowered throughout the sale process.
We Buy Any Home Vs. Other UK House Buying Companies
Below, we’ve highlighted some of We Buy Any Homes ratings, reviews, and customer testimonials compared to other UK house buyers, such as Ask Susan, The Advisory, Smooth Sale and Property Solvers.
Quick Sale Firms
- Takes 6-9 months 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
We Buy Any Home
- Aim for 7-14 days
- All fees are covered
- Any home, any condition
- Is a true cash buyer
- Confidential service
- N/A
We Buy Any Home Customer Reviews And Testimonials
| Trustpilot Reviews | Google Reviews | Reviews.io |
|---|---|---|
| 806 reviews | 258 reviews | 8 reviews |
| 4.0 score | 3.9 score | 4.5 score |
*Reviews are updated and correct as of 13/03/2024
We Buy Any Home has a pretty solid number of favourable reviews. On Trustpilot, which is one of the most reliable review websites, 79% of the company’s reviews are five stars. The majority of these positive reviews commend the company’s speed, transparency and clear communication throughout the selling process.
For instance, in a review in February 2024, Nikolas Cullen wrote:
I have been really impressed with this company—I had had previous disappointments with supposed fast selling cash buying companies who had led me on the run around but I can honestly say that this one delivered as promised! House I had used as a rental and needed gone was sold for cash and literally only took the week! Very impressed at the speed of the company and the solicitor used and no fees which was fantastic. Unfortunately my valuation did come back lower than originally thought but this wasn’t their fault, just the way it is.
How are We Buy Any Homes salespeople to work with?
Their sales and management team also appears to be "brilliant".
Working with this company has been brilliant. Through the entire process, I was always made to feel at ease, a priority and that no task was too small. Greg, especially went above and beyond assisting me at every step of the way. He always kept me informed, incredibly patient, explained everything simply and was extremely professional.
Thank you to Greg and his team for making what could have been a very challenging experience one that was smooth, quick, painless and efficient.
However, not everyone had that same stellar experience. For instance, Stuart found the process very difficult, writing on in February 2024
I've been going through the process of selling my home with this company and, to be honest, it stinks.
Pressure is applied at every point, but, against the law, your rights are never explained. There's a right to withdraw from a contract for services made online within 14 days (the cooling off period), which is omitted.
They also (as others have noted) want you to instruct solicitors before the sale has been agreed. Very strange.
I've decided to pull out. If they want to sue me, they can. My legal insurers will provide a solicitor to deal with these cowboys
- Stuart
Furthermore, several of the available reviews mention how the original estimate was lowered further once the client had committed to the sales process.
Their customer service was great throughout the process--friendly, informative and patient--right up to 2 days before we were due to finalise when they'd suddenly received the valuation from their underwriters (after a month-long process), found the house to be about 9% below their initial estimate, so dropped their offer by over TWENTY PERCENT.
Their attempts to shift blame also fall flat when they are in control of initial offers, how far they choose to undercut the estimate, the timeliness of the process, and their strong-arming tactics when their offer's rejected.
Does We Buy Any Home have any awards, or have they been featured on prominent websites?
According to the company’s website, they have been mentioned on a few websites which include:
- The Metro
- Hello Magazine
- The Sun
- ITV
We Buy Any Home - Our Final Verdict
We Buy Any Home is a well-established property buying company with a mixed bag of customer reviews. They generally live up to their promises of a guaranteed cash sale, flexibility, and buying properties in any condition. Here's a breakdown:
Positives:
- Speed: They boast a quick process, often completing sales within 7 days.
- Convenience: They buy properties in any condition, eliminating repair costs for sellers.
- Guaranteed Sale: As a cash buyer, they offer certainty, without the risk of a broken chain.
Important Considerations:
- Offer Price: Expect the initial offer to be around 80-85% of market value. Some reviews suggest the final offer may be lowered further during the process.
- Solicitor Fees: You will be responsible for your own solicitor costs.
- Potential Penalty: Be aware of a potential penalty fee (not clearly advertised) if you withdraw after signing initial paperwork.
- Mixed Reviews: While many customers praise their speed and professionalism, others criticize lowered offers and a lack of transparency around fees.
Should You Choose We Buy Any Home?
We Buy Any Home offers a reliable option if you prioritize a quick, guaranteed sale and are willing to accept a potentially lower price than traditional selling methods.
Before Committing:
- Get Multiple Offers: Compare We Buy Any Home's offer with other cash buyers or a traditional estate agent to see who can get you more money.
- Read the Contract Carefully: Pay close attention to penalty clauses and any potential hidden fees.
- Weigh Your Priorities: Decide if speed and convenience outweigh the possibility of a lower final sale price.
We Buy Any Home Factsheet - (Free Download)
You can now access all the key information about We Buy Any Home 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!
