London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 28, 2025

How to pay up to £80k less for a house you love – we reveal how to get the asking price down

How to pay up to £80k less for a house you love – we reveal how to get the asking price down

Yes, you really can get the house of your dreams and pay a lot less than your neighbours. Here's how...

There may be a recession on, but house prices have remained stubbornly high – to many people’s frustration. But if you are desperate to upsize or even get onto the ladder in the first place, we can help. We’ve discovered how to play less for a house you’ll love, without making too many compromises.

Phil Spencer feel our house price pain. ‘The market is extraordinarily busy,’ he admitted this week. ‘Didn’t I read that we’ve just had the highest increase in house prices for 16 years? Added to which there were £37 billion of agreed sales inside of a month. In anybody’s book this is a frantic market.’

In this sellers’ market, negotiations can be tricky. But that’s not to say you can’t save thousands on the home of your dreams, if you follow these tips from experts in the field.

1. Buy house number 13


            

Shockingly, research from GetAgent.co.uk has found that in parts of England and Wales, you can save up to £80,000 if you buy a house with the door number 13.

Even on average across the country, you are likely to make a saving of £7,500 – which should cover all your moving fees and more. The statistics say that homeowners paid an average of £222,500 for property with the number 13 in the last year. This is 3% less than the overall average house price of £230,000, or £7,500 less.

In the South West, you’ll pay an average of £32,815 less, and in the North East, you’ll get a £14,075 average discount. But the biggest savings to be made are in London – specifically Hammersmith and Fulham – where number 13 homes sell for 11.5% less than the average price for the area. That equates to a mighty discount of £80,750.

Such a big discount should be enough for anyone to put their superstitions to one side, in our view!

2. Get a valuation and negotiate


            

The fact of the matter is that some houses are put on the market for more than they are worth. A number of estate agents anonymously shared their secrets with Admiral Home Insurance, and admitted just that.

A senior negotiator in Gloucester advises: ‘A lot of estate agents put properties on the market for £10k to £20k more to give room for negotiating’

That’s why it’s essential to get a valuation. A sales director from Essex says. ‘You mustn’t let your heart rule your pocket. You have to stick to your budget. An agent should be within £5,000 to £7,000 of a surveyor’s valuation.’

Therefore, armed with your valuation, you are entirely within your rights to haggle the price down. After all, you don’t want to be left in negative equity.

3. Compromise on outdoor space


            

If you have your heart set on a particular area or even street, you may have better luck if you are able to settle for less outdoor space. ‘More buyers are looking for bigger gardens and country views, especially since lockdown,’ according to Admiral’s anonymous agents.

‘With people being stuck indoors during lockdown, it’s made them think about the space that they have or don’t have, and increased the importance of garden space.’ And that means, of course, that garden space commands a premium.

So if you can bare to sacrifice a view or make do with a smaller garden, you could save thousands.

4. Get extras thrown in – and don’t pay more for things you don’t need


                                

White goods? Curtains? Wood burner? It’s important to know what’s thrown in when you buy a house, and what you might be charged extra for. There are literally thousands of horror stories of new home owners arriving to their property to find that featured they thought were included had been stripped out. From light shades and bulbs to shower screens and even fireplaces.

You can save yourself thousands by negotiating appliances and features into the asking price. Or, if you don’t need them, by asking the owner to take them and drop their price.

Equally, make sure the owner IS taking all their old junk with them. Make sure it’s part of the agreement of sale. Otherwise, you could be lumbered with the cost of having it taken away.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
×