10% of properties sold in England now sold in secret

10% of properties sold in England now sold in secret

10% of properties sold in England now sold in secret – The Times Newspaper

In years gone past the ā€˜off market’ or ā€˜non public’ house sales mainly consisted of the prime or super prime property market across the likes of Chelsea, Knightsbridge or Mayfair. However The Times newspaper recently released an article confirming that the power of Rightmove/Zoopla is starting to dwindle.

At avocado property we find social media is a much stronger marketing tool than the classic portals and although we still advertise on both rightmove and zoopla; the necessity is dropping week by week. We also find that because we work in hyper local markets as individual business owners rather than departments, we are able to listen, learn and understand our clients goals better than the average high street agent.

So what actually is an ā€˜off market sale’?

In estate agency terms it just means a property has had a buyer introduced to it without full marketing. Typically in England it comes from either a private transaction or an agent knowing someone perfect without the need for the hassle of full marketing and viewings.

ā€˜Secret property sales’ is somewhat a click bate headline from The Times. But if 1 in 10 house sales are actually flying under the radar from the general public, then how should buyers change their searching methods?

Last year we posted a fact that at the start of 2021 as many as 22% of avocado property sales did not hit the portals… Is it a sign of the future? Or a sign of the market?

If you want some advice around this article or you have a question please reach out. 

At avocado property we are not going to sit on the fence here… We think this is the future and maybe in coming years the end of the rightmove dominance in the UK property market.

Need your property valued? Just click here.




Get in touch with us

When most homeowners decide to put their Tadley home on the market, they assume one thing.

Many people like you get stuck in that ā€œalmost readyā€ stage. You want to move, you’ve registered with agents, you might even have seen some dream homes online… but your current property still isn’t on the market.

Over the last few weeks, there has been a growing narrative in the national press suggesting that the housing ladder is becoming increasingly difficult to climb. Much of this centres around the widening gap between smaller and larger homes, with many commentators suggesting that homeowners are becoming ā€œstuckā€ and unable to move up.

The Renters' Rights Act 2026 is set to revolutionise the private rented sector in the UK. This pivotal legislation introduces significant changes, aiming to create a fairer and more secure environment for both landlords and tenants. Let's delve into what these updates mean for you.