Straight Answers — From The Buyers
House Buyers Wales Q&A
Straight Answers — From The Buyers
Selling your house is a big decision. When you speak to Jason or David you will only ever get straight, honest answers. Here are the top questions South Wales homeowners ask us most.
Have a question not covered here? Drop us your details below or call us on 02920 001331 and we'd be delighted to answer.
Questions & Answers
Everything people ask before they pick up the phone.
Is this too good to be true? Is there a catch?
No. You really can sell your house fast, for cash, with certainty.
The trade-off is simple: in exchange for a fast, guaranteed sale, with no chain and no delays, we pay a cash price that reflects the speed, certainty and value we provide.
No catches. No hidden fees. No sneaky last-minute price drops. Just a straight cash sale within a completion timescale that works for you.
What percentage of market value do you pay?
First, we need to address the elephant in the room — with full transparency and integrity:
No genuine cash buying company can pay full market price and offer a fast, guaranteed, hassle-free sale. Just like you can't have your cake and eat it. If someone tells you otherwise, it's a scam.
"Market value" isn't one number — it's an opinion, and it differs depending on who you ask. Ask an estate agent, a RICS surveyor, the seller, a retail buyer and a cash buyer and you'll get five different answers. The only true market value is the price a property actually sells for and completes at. Everything else is just an opinion—a guess at best—and not "the market price".
An estate agent's asking price is not market value. If a house is listed at £100,000 and hasn't sold, the market has already told you it isn't worth £100,000.
Our offer has to account for the real costs of buying, holding and reselling your home: Land Transaction Tax (Stamp Duty), solicitors' fees, insurance, utilities, agent fees — and corporation tax again when we sell. These costs are unavoidable and must all be all factored into what we can pay. Please we need a chance to make a fair return for the value, time, capital and risk of our work.
The reality is you have a choice:
a) Highest possible price — an estate agent is your best route. But you'll need to accept the wait, the uncertainty, and the real risk of it falling through or not selling at all if the asking price is too high for the market.
b) Fast, certain, hassle-free cash sale — we buy your property and you move on with your life. No chain, no fall-throughs, no mortgage surveyors, no stress.
Only you can choose what is right for you and your individual situation. We give you the options, it's always your choice.
How quickly will you buy my house?
Fastest completion we've done is 5 days, but that's too fast for most sellers! Funds can be in your account in as little as 7 days, but most clients pick 14-28 days to align with their timescales. You set the date, we work to make it happen.
Do you reduce your offer before completion?
No. Never.
The offer we make is the cash you get. No dedutions, no last-minute price drops.We've bought hundreds of homes across South Wales and we have never once reduced our agreed cash offer price.
You're right to ask though: Almost every other cash buying company does exactly that — dropping their offer at the last minute when you're committed, the clock is ticking, and your back is against the wall.
We have a strong ethical compass. We don't take advantage of people. That's not who we are and it's not how we do business.
Do I have to pay any fees?
No agent fees, no commission, and we cover your standard conveyancing legal fees when your sale to us completes. You get 100% of the cash offer, no costs.
Are all house buying companies the same?
No. Most "cash buyers" are actually commission-based call centres and are just overpriced estate agents and have no idea whether they can sell your property or not.
Other companies commonly make "offers" over the phone without first viewing your property — which is an obvious red flag.
Think: how many times have you bought a house without first viewing it?
If you're still not sure, ask these two questions to expose them immediately:
1. "Is your company the named buyer on the final sales transfer?" If they hesitate, or say "it'll be one of our investors," they are not genuine cash buyers — they are expensive, non-local estate agents.
2. "Can you show me a bank statement evidencing sufficienty cash funds in your company name, dated this week?"
Watch what happens next (99% will run)!
At House Buyers Wales, we are the actual buyers - Jason and David - using our own cash funds. You speak to one of us from the first call to the day of completion. No gimmicks, no sales tricks, no "bait and switch".
Can I change my mind?
Yes. Until contracts are exchanged, you are not committed.
Walk away at any point — no fee, no penalty, no awkwardness.
One thing worth knowing: once your independent solicitor has started billable work on your behalf, you'd be responsible for settling their costs if you pull out (we cover legal fees in full only on successful completion). It's a small detail, but we'd rather you knew upfront.
That's also why we never pressure anyone. Take your time. Talk to family, friends, whoever you need. We'd rather you were certain than rushed.
Do you buy houses in poor condition or needing work?
Yes - we buy houses in any condition. Damp, subsidence, fire damage, hoarder properties, no kitchen, no boiler. The worse the condition, the more useful we usually are.
Do you buy tenanted properties?
Yes, we buy houses with tenants in situ, and also empty ex-rentals (even if they've been left in a mess). No eviction needed, no void period. We're experienced landlords ourselves.
Do you buy inherited houses or probate properties?
Yes - inheritance and probate houses are a very significant proportion of our work. We work patiently and compassionately with executors, at whatever pace the estate requires. We're happy to signpost you to the DIY probate process (which most of our clients prefer), or to liase with your existing probate solicitors — whichever suits you.
Our free house clearance service is something inheritance clients find invaluable. When a loved one passes, the last thing you want is to spend weeks clearing and cleaning a house full of a lifetime's possessions just to get it ready for sale. Work with us and you don't have to: take whatever is valuable, sentimental or useful — leave everything else for us to deal with after completion.
Do I need to clean, tidy or repair the house?
No. Whatever the state of your property, we've seen and bought properties a hundred times worse. Don't spend a weekend cleaning for our visit. If the house is full of stuff (furniture, paperwork, an entire lifetime of belongings), we clear it for free after completion. No extra cost.
Will you pay my legal fees?
Yes. We pay both solicitors - ours and yours. You don't see a bill from anyone. One thing worth knowing: once your independent solicitor has started billable work on your behalf, you'd be responsible for settling their costs if you pull out (we cover legal fees in full only on successful completion). It's a small detail, but we'd rather you knew upfront.
That's also why we never pressure anyone. Take your time. Talk to family, friends, whoever you need. We'd rather you were certain than rushed.
What do you do with the houses after you've bought them?
It depends on the house, location, condition and prevailing market. Oftetimes we buy houses to rent or re-sell. We refurbish and renovate where needed. We're a Welsh company doing this for the long term - we live and work here.
Are you registered? Are you legitimate?
Yes. Our group of House Buyers Wales companies are all legally registered and report to Companies House. ICO registered for data protection. Rent Smart Wales registered and licensed with Welsh Governemnt. We are corporate members of the NRLA and Guild of Residential Landlords. We are local members of Federation of Small Businesses. We are very well known, liked, trusted and respected in the South Wales property investment community and have an outstanding reputation for being genuine and fair.
We are proud to have over 100+ Google 5-star verified reviews and many video testimonials which we'd encourage you to see for yourself. We're happy to give you our solicitor's contact details before any visit so you can verify us independently. You will meet either meet David or Jason face-to-face, unless you are selling to us remotely (we've bought many houses in South Wales from people living elsewhere across the globe).
Will you put a "for sale" sign up? Or advertise on Rightmove or Zoopla?
No "for sale" boards. No listing on Rightmove or Zoopla. Remember, we are not estate agents — we are genuine cash buyers. Selling to us is 100% private, discreet and confidential. No neighbours asking questions. No strangers snooping around your house. The only people who'll know are you, us, and the solicitors (who also work confidentially).
Be really careful of other cash buying companies as we've heard many horror stories of homesellers discovering their property has been listed publicly on Rightmove and Zoopla, with a "For Sale" board being erected, alerting all the neigbours — all without the homeseller's express prior knowledge or permission.
(Remember, at House Buyers Wales, we don't do that — we are NOT estate agents masquerading as cash buyers, so there is no reason for us to advertise your sale publicly.)
Can you stop repossession?
Yes — but you'll need to act fast and contact us right away so that we have sufficient time to stop the repossession and avoid you being liable for any further costs and fees that you lender will recover from you. From the start, you will need to be fully open and transparant about your situation and how far advanced the repossession process is, so we can work quickly with the right information.
We've helped many people in this position. Speed is everything - the longer you wait, the harder it gets — and the more fees the lender will levy on you. Ring us straight away and we'll work out whether we can help in time.
What about Stamp Duty / Land Transaction Tax?
You pay stamp duty (or Land Transaction Tax, as it's called here in Wales) when you buy. If you've already bought another property before selling your existing one, you will have likely had to pay the significantly "higher rate" for your additional purchase. You may well be able to recover this additional rate if you sell your original property within a certain timeframe — for instance, by selling to us.
(As a house buying company, we are also government-classified as additional property buyers and so have to factor in any higher rate Land Transaction Tax that we must pay into our offers.
What areas do you cover?
We are South Wales experts: Cardiff, Newport, Swansea, Caerphilly, Cwmbran, Barry, Bridgend, and the Valleys (up to the Heads of the Valleys road). We tend to operate as far west as Llanelli, and as far eat as Chepstow. We sometimes (but not often) go further afield for the right opportunity.
Why should I trust you over a national "we buy any house" brand?
A few reasons.
(1) We're local and Welsh - not a Manchester-based call centre with the word "Wales" in the URL to game your Google search.
(2) We're genuine, honest cash buyers - not middlemen, not brokers and definitely not estate agents. (Beware: Most "cash buyers" online are really just estate agents.)
(3) You'll meet us in person. Not a "valuer" subcontracted by the head office. You'll meet the solicitors face-to-face (unless you'd prefer not to) — you're also welcome to use your own, preferred solicitor too.
(4) We never drop the price - the biggest complaint about national cash buyers is the last minute price drop to force you to sell at a very low price. Our reviews tell you we don't do that.
(5) We have 30+ years of property buying experience in South Wales. (Actually, it's actually closer to 50 years, combined between David and Jason!)
(6) We're registered, licensed and regulated members of the Welsh Government's Rent Smart Wales scheme. We a voluntary corporate members of numerous professional bodies, including the NRLA, the Guild of Residential Landlords and the Federation of Small Businesses.
(7) We have the best reputation in the business — and we're not about to risk it for a "fast buck".
What's the catch?
There's really no catch — the trade-off is understanding that a cash buyer needs to pay a cash price in exchange for the multiple benefits you'll receive in return: speed, certainty and a smooth, easy, stree-free sale.
Ready to sell your South Wales house?
Drop your postcode below or call 02920 001331 — speak to Jason or David direct, not a commission salesperson.