How much is my house worth?

Your house is worth roughly what similar homes near you have recently sold for — not what they were advertised at. Enter your postcode below for a free, data-led valuation built from HM Land Registry sold prices. There is no estate agent visit and no obligation.

How our free valuation works

Most online valuations start from asking prices, which tell you what sellers hoped to get. Ours starts from what buyers actually paid. When you enter your postcode, we pull the HM Land Registry sold prices for your street and the surrounding area, then narrow them down to the sales that look most like your home.

• Sold prices for your street and area. HM Land Registry records the price paid for every residential sale in England and Wales. That is the closest thing to ground truth for what homes like yours fetch.
• Property type and size. A terraced house, a semi and a flat on the same street can sell for very different sums, so we compare like with like and take the number of bedrooms into account.
• Recent comparable sales. Recent sales carry more weight than older ones, because the market moves. A sale from last spring says more about today's value than one from five years ago.

Your valuation is ready within minutes. It waits in your free OffAgent dashboard, and we email you the link so you can come back to it. You will see a valuation range and the sold prices behind it, so you can judge the evidence yourself rather than take a single number on trust.

Why sold prices rather than asking prices? Because asking prices are set by sellers and agents, and they can sit well above what a home eventually achieves. A street full of optimistic listings can make every home on it look more valuable than it is. Sold prices strip that out: they record the figure a buyer agreed to, a lender was willing to back, and a conveyancer registered. That is why we build every valuation from them first, and only then think about the market around you.

It is a starting point, not a survey. Nobody has walked round your home, so it cannot account for a new kitchen, a loft conversion or a damp problem. Use it to set expectations, then sense-check it with the steps further down this page.

Online valuation vs estate agent valuation

Both are useful, and they answer slightly different questions. An online valuation tells you what the sales evidence says. An estate agent valuation adds a local professional's view of your home's condition, layout and appeal — but it comes with a sales pitch attached.

An agent's free "marketing valuation" is how they win your business. Many agents give honest figures, but the incentive is to impress: the agent who suggests the highest price often wins the instruction. Over-valuing to win a listing is a known practice in the industry, and a home that starts too high usually sits unsold and ends up reduced. Our guide to understanding property valuations explains how to read an agent's figure.

A sensible approach is to use both: get an online valuation first so you know what the evidence says, then if you invite agents round, you will know whether their figures are grounded or flattering.

When an agent does visit, ask them which sold properties they used to reach their figure, and how they adjusted for differences from your home. A good agent will happily show their workings. Be wary of any single valuation pitched far above the others without evidence, and of anyone who suggests "testing the market" at a high price — the first weeks on Rightmove bring the most attention a listing gets, and starting too high spends that attention on a price buyers will not pay.

What affects your house's value

Two houses on the same street can sell for noticeably different prices. The main factors are:

• Location. School catchments, transport links, the specific street and even which side of it you are on.
• Type and size. Detached, semi-detached, terraced or flat; the number of bedrooms and bathrooms; overall floor area.
• Condition. A recently refitted kitchen or bathroom adds appeal; a dated or neglected home needs pricing for the work a buyer will have to do.
• Extensions and conversions. Extra space adds value, as long as you have the planning permission and building regulations sign-off to prove it.
• Outside space and parking. Gardens, driveways and garages matter more in some areas than others.
• Energy efficiency. Your EPC rating is on the listing, and buyers increasingly notice running costs.
• Tenure. Leasehold flats with a short lease or high service charges can be harder to sell than freehold homes.
• The wider market. Mortgage rates and local supply and demand move prices across a whole area.

For more on turning a valuation into an asking price, read our guide to pricing your home.

How long does a house valuation take?

An online valuation takes minutes: enter your postcode and a few details about your home, and the figure is ready shortly after. An estate agent valuation takes longer. The visit itself usually lasts 30–60 minutes while the agent looks round and asks about your plans, and the written figure tends to follow a few days later. If you invite three agents, allow a week or two to get them all booked in.

How much does a house valuation cost?

Online valuations are usually free, and so are estate agent marketing valuations — the agent hopes you will instruct them to sell. A RICS surveyor's valuation is different: it is a paid, formal professional report produced by a regulated surveyor. You would normally only need one for a legal or financial purpose, such as probate, a divorce settlement, a transfer of equity or a dispute. If you simply want to know roughly what your home is worth before selling, a free valuation is enough to get started.

House valuation for probate

If you are dealing with the estate of someone who has died, the property usually needs a formal valuation of its market value at the date of death for inheritance tax purposes. A free online figure or an agent's marketing valuation is generally not enough on its own, and getting the value wrong can cause problems with HMRC later. Seek professional advice — usually a RICS surveyor's valuation and guidance from the solicitor handling the estate.

Our free valuation can still help as a starting point: it shows the recent sold prices nearby, which can help you understand the formal figure and plan a sale once probate is granted. It is not a substitute for a professional probate valuation. If the property is to be sold after probate, keep the formal valuation with the estate paperwork: the eventual sale price and the probate figure may both matter to the executors and their advisers, which is another reason to get professional advice early.

How to check sold prices yourself

You do not have to take anyone's word for it. You can check the evidence yourself in a few minutes:

1. HM Land Registry price paid data. Search the official records for sold prices on your street and nearby. These are completed sales, so they reflect what buyers actually paid.
2. Rightmove sold prices. Rightmove shows past sale prices by postcode, often with the original listing photos, so you can compare condition and layout with your own home.
3. Homes currently for sale. Look at what is on the market near you now. These are your competition — but remember they are asking prices, not sold prices.

Pick three to five sales that most resemble your home in type, size and condition, from the last six to twelve months, and see where yours sits among them. Our roundup of free online property valuation tools explains how to cross-check different sources.

As you compare, adjust for the obvious differences. A comparable with an extra bedroom, a larger garden or off-street parking will usually have sold for more than yours would; one that needed full modernisation will usually have sold for less. Note the date of each sale too, because prices in an area can move over a year. You are not trying to arrive at an exact figure — you are looking for a realistic range, and a sense of where in that range your own home sits.

What next: sell without an agent on Rightmove from £99 a month

Once you know what your home is worth, you can choose how to sell it. A high-street agent typically charges 1.42% including VAT — about £4,970 on a £350,000 sale. With OffAgent you list on Rightmove yourself from £99 a month, with no commission. Your listing is sent to Rightmove as soon as you've paid, and enquiries come straight to you.

You decide the asking price, you show buyers round, and you accept the offer that suits you. The legal side runs exactly as it would with an agent: you instruct a conveyancer, and they handle contracts, searches, exchange and completion.

See OffAgent pricing, or read our guide on how to list on Rightmove without an agent.

Frequently asked questions