By Ruth Bloomfield.
How to Sell Your Home in a Buyers’ Market: Lessons from London’s Toughest Property Landscape in a Decade
The UK property market is facing its most challenging selling conditions in years. Nearly 794,000 homes were listed for sale in the first five months of the year, pushing total listings to a 10-year high, while the number of properties actually selling fell 4pc year-on-year, with agreed sales dropping more than 8pc in May compared to the previous year. In this kind of market, standing out from the competition isn’t optional — it’s essential.
We’ve long advised our clients, both buyers and sellers, that presentation, pricing and preparation make the difference between a property that lingers and one that sells. Here’s what we’re seeing work in today’s market.
Pricing Strategy: Why “Punchy” Asking Prices Backfire
The single biggest mistake sellers make right now is overpricing. Buyers in a market this saturated have plenty of choice, and an ambitious asking price simply gets scrolled past.
We’ve seen first-hand how a decisive price correction can transform a stalled sale. We recently advised clients struggling to sell a Victorian terrace in West Hampstead, north London, to cut their asking price from £2m to just under £1.7m. As Camilla Dell, Managing Partner of Black Brick, explains: “This strategy worked and they ended up receiving three competing bids.”
The lesson is clear: pricing realistically from the outset — rather than testing a higher figure and reducing it later — captures the strongest buyer attention in the crucial first few weeks on the market.
Presentation Matters More Than Ever
With so many homes competing for attention, and new-build show homes and social media raising the bar for buyer expectations, presentation has become a deciding factor rather than a nice-to-have. Buyers increasingly want to walk in and picture themselves living there — a purely emotional response that scuffed walls and tired finishes can quickly undermine.
Sellers don’t need to spend a fortune to achieve this. Decluttering, fixing minor damage, and tidying gardens can go a long way. At the top end, professional home staging — or increasingly, AI-powered virtual staging tools — can help a property photograph and show at its best.
The Flats Problem: Service Charges Are Putting Buyers Off
Flats are proving a particularly hard sell in the current climate, partly driven by buyers favouring houses with outdoor space, and partly by high service charges deterring buyers who are already stretched. Rather than simply discounting the price — which doesn’t solve the underlying affordability issue — some sellers are finding success by leaving behind a retention to cover several years of service charges. This keeps the headline price intact while giving buyers a tangible, immediate benefit.
Preparation Prevents Fall-Throughs
With almost a quarter of agreed sales collapsing before completion, preparation is critical. Lining up service charge accounts in advance for leasehold sales, and commissioning your own survey ahead of marketing, allows sellers to address issues before they become deal-breakers further down the line.
Goodwill Goes a Long Way
In a market where buyers have the upper hand, flexibility and generosity from sellers can be the difference between a sale progressing smoothly and falling apart. Buyers respond well to sellers who are willing to be accommodating on timing, inclusions or minor requests.
Our Take
This data confirms what we’re seeing across prime central London and beyond: with listings at a decade high and sales volumes falling, the market has firmly shifted in buyers’ favour. Sellers who price realistically from day one, present their homes well, and remove friction from the transaction process are the ones securing sales — and, as our own experience in West Hampstead shows, a well-judged price correction can unlock genuine competition among buyers rather than simply “giving the house away.” For sellers navigating this market, honest advice on pricing and preparation has never been more valuable.
To read the article, click here.