How much should you offer on a house?
Start from what similar homes actually sold for, not from the asking price. Take the same type of home sold on the same postcode or street over the last ten years, bring each price to today’s money, and compare the median with the asking price. If the asking price is well above it, those sales are evidence for a lower offer. If it’s below, expect competition. The tool below does this in seconds with HM Land Registry’s records.
Check an asking price
Your postcode goes straight from your browser to HM Land Registry; it isn’t sent to Kerblist. England and Wales only.
How it works
- Every recorded sale on the postcode. HM Land Registry has recorded every home sold in England and Wales since 1995. If the postcode has fewer than three sales of the same type in ten years, the tool uses the street instead, keeping to the same postcode sector so a long road’s far end doesn’t count.
- Like for like. Only the same type of home (detached, semi-detached, terraced or flat), and only standard sales: repossessions and company sales are left out.
- In today’s money. Each price is scaled by the UK House Price Index for the local authority and property type, from the month it sold to the latest month published.
- Median, then the asking price. The median of those sales is compared with the asking price, with the middle half of the sales when there are five or more.
What sold prices can’t tell you
- Size and condition. The register records neither floor area nor bedrooms. A bigger, extended or newly renovated home should sell above the median; one that needs work, below it.
- New builds. A brand-new home often costs more than a second-hand one nearby, and the register marks new-build sales so you can spot them.
- Leasehold costs. For flats, a short lease or high service charge can make two similar flats worth very different amounts.
- The newest sales. Sales reach the register a few weeks after completion, so very recent ones may be missing.
Using sold prices in your offer
Note the two or three sales most like the home you’re buying: same type, same street, similar date. If the asking price is above them, say so when you make your offer, and name the sales. Agents pass every offer on to the seller, and a figure backed by evidence is harder to dismiss than a round number.
It also helps to know how long the home has been for sale and whether the price has been cut already. See how to tell how long a house has been on the market and how to see a Rightmove listing’s price history.
See this on every listing, automatically
Kerblist adds sold prices in today’s money, price history and days on market to every Rightmove, Zoopla and OnTheMarket listing. Free, with no account. It’s coming to the Chrome Web Store this month.
Get KerblistQuestions
How much below the asking price should I offer?
There’s no fixed percentage. Base your offer on what the same type of home nearby actually sold for, how long this one has been on the market, whether it has been reduced, and how many other buyers are interested. If the asking price is above the sold-price median for similar homes, that gap is your evidence for a lower offer. If it’s below, an offer far under asking is likely to be turned down.
Where do the sold prices come from?
From HM Land Registry’s Price Paid Data, which records every residential sale in England and Wales since 1995 and is published under the Open Government Licence.
What does “in today’s money” mean?
Each past sale is scaled by the UK House Price Index for the same local authority and property type, from the month it sold to the latest month published. That way a 2016 sale compares fairly with a 2026 asking price.
Does it work in Scotland or Northern Ireland?
No. HM Land Registry covers England and Wales only. Sales in Scotland are recorded by Registers of Scotland, and in Northern Ireland by Land & Property Services.
Why doesn’t it compare homes by size or bedrooms?
HM Land Registry records neither, so the fairest comparison is the same type of home on the same postcode or street. Check floor plans to allow for size.