There is a growing tendency in estate agency to boast about speed. Homes sold in a day. Offers secured within forty-eight hours. Boards swapped almost as soon as they go up. It is presented as proof of brilliance, efficiency and market mastery.
Frankly, it isn’t.
“When a property is sold in a day, how many people missed out?”
“When a property is sold in a day, how many people missed out?”
Selling quickly does not automatically mean selling well. And in many cases, it suggests the opposite.
A home that disappears from the market almost immediately often hasn’t been exposed properly. Interest hasn’t been allowed to build. Competition hasn’t had time to form. Buyers who might have engaged never even knew it was available. The drum is beaten loudly, but the bigger question is quietly avoided: what was left on the table?
Speed is easy to measure and easy to market. Outcomes are harder.
When a property is sold in a day, how many people missed out? How many potential buyers were still booking viewings when the door was closed? How many would have stretched further had they been given the chance? And crucially, did the seller achieve the best possible price, or simply the first acceptable one?
“…we have long believed that the strongest results come from patience, not haste.”
“…we have long believed that the strongest results come from patience, not haste.”
The fixation on rapid sales often goes hand in hand with another uncomfortable truth: under-exposure and over-confidence. Homes are launched, an early offer is received, and the process is hurried to a conclusion. There is no closing date. No competitive tension. No opportunity to let the market do what it does best when given time.
At Corum, we have long believed that the strongest results come from patience, not haste. That does not mean dragging things out unnecessarily, but it does mean allowing the market to speak fully. Proper marketing. Proper viewing periods. Proper follow-up. And when interest is there, letting competition form rather than shutting it down at the first knock on the door.
The irony is that truly well-sold homes often take slightly longer. Not because demand is weaker, but because demand is deeper.
Multiple buyers engage, decisions are made carefully, offers are sharpened – and when a closing date is reached, the outcome reflects the full weight of interest, not just the quickest response.
“Sellers deserve agents who are focused on maximising their result, not simply producing a headline.”
“Sellers deserve agents who are focused on maximising their result, not simply producing a headline.”
This matters now more than ever. Buyer demand has been strong for a prolonged period, but confidence can ebb and flow. Sellers deserve agents who are focused on maximising their result, not simply producing a headline.
So the next time you hear an agent proudly declare that a home sold in a day, it is worth asking a follow-up question. Did it sell quickly, or did it sell well?
Because in estate agency, as in most things, speed makes a good story. But substance is what truly counts.