Concrete, steel-frame or prefab? Sell house fast — the lender's view doesn't count.
Built in a way some lenders shy away from, and the buyers who needed a mortgage have drifted off? We are cash house buyers for non-standard homes. We take the house as it stands, make one firm offer and pay for the legal work. Anywhere in England.
Fix and try to sell via an agent
Sell as it stands, to us
We buy any house, whatever it's built from
Plenty of UK homes, especially from the mid-20th century, went up using methods other than brick and block. Many are perfectly sound. Some lenders can still be wary of them, which is a problem only if your buyer needs a mortgage. If you need to sell a concrete house, or want to sell a house fast to someone who is not waiting on a lender, here are the kinds we are asked about most, as a guide rather than a checklist.
Precast concrete
Homes assembled from reinforced concrete panels or columns, such as the Airey type. If you want to sell an Airey house or another precast concrete house, we will look at it as it stands.
No-fines concrete
Walls poured in place from concrete with the fine sand left out, as in Wimpey No-Fines houses and similar systems. Selling a no-fines concrete house to us does not depend on a lender's view of the walls.
Steel-framed
Houses carried on a steel skeleton with an outer skin around it. If you need to sell a steel-frame house, a cash buyer sidesteps the question a mortgage valuer might raise.
Prefabricated systems
Factory-made sections craned into place, from post-war emergency builds to later kit systems. Want to sell a prefab house? Tell us what you know about it and we will say what we can do.
Timber-framed
A structural timber frame under the cladding is common and often unremarkable, yet some buyers' lenders ask extra questions about particular systems or ages.
Flats in concrete or steel-framed blocks
We buy flats for cash too, including in blocks of this kind, and an awkward lease on top is something we have handled before.
Three steps from message to money
No survey on the buyer's side to wait for and no agent to pay, so selling without an estate agent is as direct as it sounds, and you can sell house fast without a chain. If you would like to weigh other options, our ways to sell a house fast page sets them side by side.
Tell us what it is
Postcode, what you know about how it was built, and any survey comments. Photos are welcome. A short enquiry form does the job, and WhatsApp works too.
Get one firm figure
We look at the house, the construction and the area, then reply with one firm cash figure, usually inside an hour, with no obligation to accept.
Complete on your date
We cover the solicitors on both sides. Any mortgage is repaid from the proceeds and the rest reaches you, usually around two weeks after you say yes.
Why lenders hesitate, and why a cash sale doesn't
If you want to sell a house the lender won't mortgage, it helps to see where the sale usually stalls. Some lenders and insurers can be cautious about particular construction types, and a surveyor or valuer who spots a non-traditional build may trigger a refused mortgage or a re-priced offer. As cash house buyers, we are not asking anyone's permission to lend, and we buy any house on those terms. It is the quickest way to sell house fast when the construction is the sticking point. If a survey has already scuppered a sale, the pattern will look familiar.
| At this point | With a buyer who needs a mortgage | With a cash buyer |
|---|---|---|
| Who decides if the house is acceptable | The lender, often through its valuer | The buyer, after looking at the house |
| If the valuer notes the construction | The mortgage can be refused, or the offer re-priced late in the process | No lender, so there is no valuer's report to wait for |
| Who can buy it | Often a smaller pool of buyers who can borrow against it | Anyone with the funds ready |
| Repairs or reports first | You may be asked for specialist reports or work before a lender will look again | None needed to sell to us |
| Selling route | Usually an agent, with fees and a chain | Direct, with no agent fees and no chain |
| Time to money | Months, if it completes at all | Typically 14 days from acceptance |
General guide, not advice on any particular home. Lender and insurer attitudes differ and change, and plenty of non-traditional homes sell on the open market without trouble. Not sure whether yours is one of them? Our unmortgageable house page explains the wider picture.
Questions before you sell house fast with a non-standard build
More from us: every situation, the site map, and local pages for East Anglia and Cumbria. Back to the homepage.
Pop your postcode and email in and we will open the chat. If WhatsApp is not on this computer, we will email you instead.
Got it. Opening WhatsApp
If it does not open on this computer, do not worry: we will email you shortly. Open WhatsApp again