Straight answers, including the awkward ones.

You tell us about the property, we research it and send you a written offer with the reasoning behind it, and if you are happy you choose a completion date. We pay the legal fees. The full six steps are set out on our how it works page.

Not to make an offer. Our research is done from the desk using Land Registry data and comparable sales. We may instruct a surveyor once terms are agreed, at our cost. We do not do doorstep valuations.

Houses, flats, bungalows and maisonettes, freehold or leasehold, empty or tenanted, in any condition. We are comfortable with damp, subsidence, short leases, non-standard construction, fire damage, knotweed and work done without building regulations sign-off, the things that make open-market sales stall.

A few. Some lease structures, certain high flood-risk locations, and titles with defects that cannot be insured around. Occasionally a property is simply worth more to someone else than to us. We will tell you quickly rather than string you along.

No. Take what you want to keep and leave the rest, including furniture and the contents of the loft. There is nothing to repair, redecorate or tidy.

We buy across England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate legal systems for property, and we do not currently operate there.

It depends on condition, location and how readily the property would sell on the open market, so we will not quote a percentage before we have looked at yours. What we will do is show you the full arithmetic. Our offer explained page sets out the four components of every figure we give.

Because it would be a number we could not honour on every property, and a broken promise is worth less than no promise. A modern house needing nothing is a completely different proposition from a Victorian terrace with a failing roof and a short lease.

Only if something material emerges that you had not disclosed and we could not reasonably have known: structural movement, an undisclosed tenant, a defect on the title. In that case we will show you the evidence and you are free to walk away owing nothing. Disclose everything at the start and the price will not move.

Yes. If you think we have been too pessimistic about condition, or you know of comparable sales we have missed, tell us and we will look again. We do not open low expecting to be haggled up.

There is no artificial expiry. If several months pass and the market has moved noticeably we may need to revisit it, but we will not attach a countdown to pressure you into deciding.

Nothing. No commission, no valuation fee, no admin charge, and we pay your conveyancing costs on completion. If any company asks you for money upfront to buy your house, walk away.

No. Stamp duty is always paid by the buyer, which in this case is us, at the higher rate for additional properties.

Possibly, if the property was not your main residence: an inherited house or a rental, for example. We are not tax advisers and will not pretend otherwise. Speak to an accountant before completing; the rules on reporting deadlines are stricter than most people expect.

That is completely normal. Your solicitor redeems the mortgage from the sale proceeds on completion and you receive the balance. Just check whether your lender charges an early repayment penalty, as that comes out of your side.

It is more complicated but not always impossible; your lender would need to agree to the sale. Tell us early so we can be realistic with you about whether it can work.

You can agree the sale and get the legal work underway, but completion cannot happen until the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration is issued. Doing the preparation during the wait means completing within days of the grant rather than months. More on our probate page.

A firm figure with a fixed date usually helps, because everyone can see exactly what they will receive and when, rather than arguing about a hypothetical asking price. We are happy to put our reasoning in writing so it can be shared with everyone involved.

Inheritance tax is assessed on the value at the date of death, not the eventual sale price. If the property sells for less within four years, form IHT38 may let the estate reclaim relief on the difference. Ask your solicitor; it is often overlooked and can be worth a significant sum.

Yes, and we insist on it. Your solicitor acts for you alone. We pay their reasonable fees but we do not choose or instruct them. Never use a solicitor selected for you by the buyer.

Check our company number, 17393169, on the Companies House register. Ask us for proof of funds; we will provide it before you commit to anything. Any real cash buyer will do the same without hesitation.

The address, tenure and lease length if leasehold, anything you know that a survey would find, whether anyone is living there, and any work done without building regs. Plus identity documents for anti-money-laundering checks, which every property purchase requires by law.

At any point before exchange of contracts, with nothing to pay. After exchange the sale is legally binding on both of us, which is exactly the protection that makes the process worth having.

Yes, and you do not need to evict anyone first. We buy with tenants in place, including HMOs and older regulated tenancies. In most cases the tenant simply stays on, which avoids a void period for you and disruption for them.

Take what you want and leave the rest; we will deal with it. If you realise afterwards that something important was left behind, tell us and we will do our best to get it back to you.