Selling at auction
Selling House via Auction with a 0% Sales Fee.
If you’re thinking about selling house via auction, Zelto guides you from valuation and legal pack to the fall of the hammer. No commission, nothing deducted, so you keep 100% of the sale price.
- No commission
- Nothing deducted
- You pay only your solicitor
Selling at auction with Zelto
Residential property · England and Wales
- Sales fee
- 0%
- You keep
- 100% of the sale price
- Your protection
- A reserve price you set
- Completion
- 28 or 56 days
On reservation lots, the buyer pays the reservation fee, not you.
What you get
Selling House via Auction with Zelto - What You Get
A fixed timetable
You choose a 28 or 56 day completion track, so you know when the sale will finish.
A price set by bidders
Competitive bidding on the day, with your reserve price as the floor.
A committed buyer
The buyer pays a non-refundable reservation fee at the fall of the hammer.
Your questions on the official process
Every sale runs to the same fixed timetable, so you know the key dates before you commit. Our team can explain how each stage applies to your property, and the how it works page sets out the full sequence step by step.
Buying and selling guidance
For the wider steps involved in buying and selling, the government’s guidance on buying and selling your home is a useful reference alongside this page.
Zero commission
0% Sales Fee. You keep 100% of the sale price.
No commission, no agency fee and nothing deducted from the sale price. As with any property sale, you still cover your own solicitor’s conveyancing costs.
- Estate agent1 to 3% commission.
- Cash buyerTypically 25% or more below market value.
- Zelto0% Sales Fee.
Your sale, three ways
Cost to you as a share of the sale
- Estate agent
- 1 to 3%
- Cash buyer
- 25%+ below value
- Zelto
- 0% Sales Fee
You still pay your own solicitor, as with any sale.
Auction with Zelto, compared with a traditional sale
| Traditional estate agent | Auction with Zelto | |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs you | 1 to 3% commission | 0% Sales Fee |
| How the price is set | Negotiated, often reduced after an offer | Competitive bidding, with your reserve price as the floor |
| Timetable | Varies with the buyer and the chain | 28 or 56 days, your choice |
| If the buyer pulls out | They can walk away and lose nothing | They lose the non-refundable money paid on the day |
A cash buyer is another route: typically 25% or more below market value. Commission and discount figures are typical, not guaranteed, and vary by agent and buyer.
The timetable
Choose your timetable: 28 or 56 days
You choose the track. Either way, the buyer has paid non-refundable money before you do anything else.
Unconditional: 28 days
The buyer pays a 10% non-refundable deposit (minimum £3,600) and a £780 admin fee immediately and is legally bound on the spot. Completion follows in 28 days.
Conditional: 56 days
On reservation lots, the buyer pays the non-refundable reservation fee immediately at the fall of the hammer. They then have 28 days to exchange contracts and pay the deposit, and a further 28 days to complete, 56 days in total.
Timings are typical and can vary by auction partner. The legal steps described follow England and Wales; the process in Scotland differs.
Your protection
You set a reserve price, so it never sells for less than you will accept.
The reserve is the lowest price you are willing to accept. It is agreed with you before the sale, and the property is only sold once bidding reaches it. You decide the number, with our advice on where to pitch it.
Common worries
Myth or truth?
The objections we hear most, answered plainly.
- Myth
There are large fees to pay.
Truth0% Sales Fee. On reservation lots, the buyer pays the reservation fee, not you, so you keep 100% of the sale price. You only pay your own solicitor, as with any sale.
- Myth
Auction is only for distressed sellers or run-down properties.
TruthAny type of property is suitable.
- Myth
It is too fast to make a good decision.
TruthYou choose 28 or 56 days, and you set a reserve price so it never sells for less than you are willing to accept.
- Myth
The buyer can still pull out.
TruthThe moment their bid is accepted they have paid non-refundable money. If they walk away, they lose it, not you.
Who pays what
Fees, explained plainly
The short version: you pay nothing to Zelto, and the buyer’s reservation fee never comes out of your sale price.
- You pay
- Nothing to Zelto: 0% Sales Fee. Your own solicitor’s conveyancing costs, as with any sale.
- The buyer pays
- A non-refundable reservation fee of 5% + VAT, minimum £6,000 + VAT. It does not count toward the purchase price.
- On the day
- On the unconditional track the buyer also pays a 10% non-refundable deposit (minimum £3,600) and is legally bound immediately.
Security for you
Why auction is harder to walk away from than the open market
With a traditional sale, a buyer can pull out at almost any point and lose nothing. At auction, the moment a bid is accepted the buyer has put down real money that they cannot get back.
Unconditional
Money and contract locked in on day one. The buyer pays a 10% non-refundable deposit (minimum £3,600) and a £780 admin fee, and is legally bound immediately.
Conditional
Money locked in on day one, contract 28 days later. On reservation lots, the buyer pays the non-refundable reservation fee at the fall of the hammer, then has 28 days to exchange.
On reservation lots, the reservation fee is paid by the buyer, not you, and does not count toward the purchase price.
Where we work
Sell house at auction, wherever your property is
We work UK-wide through our network of auction partners. Start with your city for local context.
Guides
Straight answers on selling at auction
Sell Tenanted Property at Auction - What Landlords Need to Know
Sell tenanted property at auction without waiting for the tenancy to end or serving notice, and why investor buyers often make it easier.
House Auction Process - How Property Auctions Work
The house auction process explained, from the guide price and confidential reserve to the legal pack, reservation fee and completion.
Auction Reservation Fee - What Sellers Actually Pay
The auction reservation fee explained for sellers: what the buyer pays, what you pay, and how it compares with an estate agent's commission.
FAQs
Questions we hear most
Does it cost anything to sell with Zelto?
There is a 0% Sales Fee: no commission, no agency fee and nothing deducted from the sale price, so you keep 100% of it. As with any property sale, you still pay your own solicitor’s conveyancing costs.
Who pays the reservation fee?
The buyer, not you. On reservation lots it is non-refundable, set at 5% + VAT with a minimum of £6,000 + VAT, and it does not count toward the purchase price.
What is a reserve price?
The lowest price you are willing to accept. You set it with our advice, and the property is only sold once bidding reaches it, so it never sells for less than you want.
Free valuation
Tell us about the property. We’ll tell you the truth.
A short, honest conversation about whether auction is the right route, and what a sensible next step looks like.
- A personal replyFrom a person, usually within one working day.
- No obligationNo pressure and no hard sell.
- Your details stay privateUsed only to respond to your enquiry.
Get your free valuation
Tell us about the property and we'll come back with an honest view of auction value.
