With being part of a chain significantly increasing the risk of your property purchase collapsing, research by estate agent comparison site, GetAgent.co.uk, has revealed just how much more homebuyers are willing to pay for a chain-free property purchase and a less stressful transaction process.
The dreaded chain is the string of transactions linked to your purchase and can run on and on and includes the property your seller is buying, the property their seller is buying and so on. Not only can it cause considerable delays waiting for the stars to align so everyone can complete, but if one sale falls through it can often cause the whole chain to collapse like a deck of cards.
This can make the protracted and stressful experience of buying a home all the longer and more stressful and so a chain-free property is a hot commodity in the UK housing market.
GetAgent analysed the property price premiums paid for chain-free properties across 19 major UK cities and found that on average, homebuyers are willing to pay 10.8% more - that’s £25,049 in the current market.
The highest chain-free house price premium is currently in Edinburgh where homebuyers are happy to front £75,606 more for a chain-free property and that’s despite the greater level of security afforded to them via the Scottish property selling process.
Nottingham is home to the second-highest premium paid at £50,654, with Liverpool (£39,829), Sunderland (£39,180), Portsmouth (£38,008), Southampton (£36,049), London (£33,074), Newcastle (£32,726), Leicester (£29,571) and Swansea (£24,739) also ranking within the top 10.
However, a chain-free property doesn’t guarantee a healthy boost to house prices. In Cardiff, a 0.2% chain-free premium equates to just £548 more in the current market.
Colby Short, Founder and CEO of GetAgent.co.uk, commented: “We may have enjoyed a property market boom of late, but this high level of activity has also led to sizable delays during the transaction process and if this has taught us anything, it’s the added value of a quick and painless property purchase.
"A chain-free property can be a rare and converted creature in some areas of the property market and so when one does go up for sale, it’s not unusual for it to command a far higher price. This premium has no doubt been further boosted due to the long delays endured by those buying and selling over the last 18 months or so.
"Of course, this isn’t guaranteed and if you do come to sell without a chain, a good estate agent should be able to advise just how much more you could make. This will be very dependent on where and what you’re trying to sell and you shouldn’t assume you can make more just because you’re selling without a chain.
"Overpricing in any market is a sure-fire way to deter buyer interest and watch your home stagnate with little to no interest for months on end.”
