How to search for a home, properly
Short, practical answers to the questions home hunters actually ask, written from what we see across the listings Perch tracks every day.
Checking a specific home rather than reading up? Try the free house price checker.
How to tell if a house is overpriced
An asking price is a marketing decision, not a measurement. How to tell if a home is overpriced using recent sold prices and similar homes for sale nearby.
Read the guide7 minHow to work out what a house is worth: one home, step by step
A real worked example. One three-bedroom semi, five questions, and the actual Land Registry and listing numbers behind each one, including where the obvious conclusion is wrong.
Read the guide9 minHow much to offer on a house (and how much below asking is reasonable)
There is no standard percentage below asking. Work your offer out from what similar homes sold for and what the competition is asking. Here is how.
Read the guide7 minAsking price vs sold price: which should buyers trust?
Asking prices are current but optimistic; sold prices are real but months old. Why the gap exists, and how to use both to judge whether a price is fair.
Read the guide6 minPrice per square foot: how to compare UK house prices fairly
Price per square foot puts a small flat and a big terrace on the same scale. How to calculate it, where to find a floor area, and what it cannot tell you.
Read the guide6 minHow to search every estate agent in one place (and see homes before they reach the portals)
Not every home reaches Rightmove or Zoopla, and many appear on the agent's own site first. Here is how to search all local estate agents at once, and how Perch does it for you every morning.
Read the guide6 min