How to find out a property's value
If you want to buy or sell a home, you’ll want to get the most accurate assessment of how much that property is worth. Here, we look at some of the ways you can estimate the value of a property and get free house valuations.
Key takeaways
Online valuation tools offer a quick and convenient way to estimate your property's worth, using data from recent sales and market trends
Local estate agents can provide free, in-person valuations, offering insights based on their knowledge of the area and current market conditions
Checking recent sold prices in your neighbourhood is a smart way to gauge what similar homes are going for on the open market
How to estimate the value of a property
Here are some of the most common ways to figure out what your property is worth:
Review recently sold houses in your area
A good starting point is finding out how much has been paid for similar local properties.
According to the HM Land Registry, the average house price in the UK is £268,319 (as of February 2025), and you can query their tool directly to find out house price statistics in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland by:
The type of property (detached, maisonette, etc)
The region, county, and local authority
⚠️ You cannot search the Land Registry price index by postcode.
For example, here are the average sold property prices of flat and maisonettes, detached, semi-detached, and terraced houses in Bromley over the past 12 months:
Average sold property prices in Bromley - 2024
Taking this a step further, online property portals provide property sale data at a postcode-level.
Rightmove lists the average price of sold properties in any given area, breaking down the average price per property type. It will tell you how much prices have risen or fallen in the past year and how this compares to peak prices.
If properties have previously been listed, you’ll also be able to see archived images, a floor plan, and a Google Street View of the property.
Zoopla works in a similar way, providing data on recently sold properties in your chosen neighbourhood.
Review current asking prices
If you don’t want to rely on estimates, you could see what prices current for-sale properties are being listed for.
Here, the advantage is that there should be up-to-date details about the individual properties listed, including recent pictures.
The vast majority of properties for sale in the UK are listed on one of the three main property portals: Rightmove, Zoopla, and OnTheMarket. This way, there is no shortage to assess.
Viewing what’s available in your area will give you a guide to pricing. But remember that a home will be listed for what the owner wants to get for it, not necessarily what it’s actually worth.
Zoopla also shows how much a property was previously listed for, whether it sold or not, while the Chrome web browser add-on, Property Log, works in a similar way. It analyses Rightmove and shows which sellers have altered the price on their listings.
Once Property Log is installed, any price alterations will automatically appear when you do a search on Rightmove.
Get free online valuations
Several sites provide free house valuations, although you’ll typically be asked to register first. These should only be used as a guide, as they are unlikely to take into account all factors, such as the state of the property, modifications, and recent renovations.
If there haven’t been many recent sales in the area, the valuation may not be as accurate. This is because there is less information on which to base it.
Here are some sites that offer free online valuations:
Zoopla
Provides an instant, free valuation by looking at a combination of data sources such as property sales and HM Land Registry. It also considers characteristics of the property (e.g. number of bedrooms, etc) and local area data, such as crime rates and local schools.
Rightmove
Provides a similar service to Zoopla with an estimation of what your property could be worth using publicly available data and its own property data. There is also an option to include renovation work that might affect the value.
Property Price Advice
Asks a series of questions, such as the type and age of the property and the number of bedrooms. It also drills down further, including the condition of the kitchen and whether the home has central heating. The site claims that their house valuations will be within 15% of the actual worth.
Mouseprice.com
Mouseprice.com uses data from the Land Registry, local property listings, and market trends to give you a quick estimate of what your home might be worth, along with access to past sold prices and local area info.
Nationwide
Nationwide’s house price calculator also provides a quick way of gaining a valuation. You are asked the date and amount of its most recent valuation and it will calculate the current value and provide the percentage valuation change.
Book an appointment
Online house valuations provide you with an estimated value of how much your property is worth. But if you’re serious about selling your home, you may want to consider booking appointments with local estate agents to see how they match up.
Local estate agents will be able to give you a more accurate picture of your property’s value, as they are likely to have in-depth knowledge of your area. As well as helping you get an accurate valuation for selling the property, they can often also advise and handle lettings.
Look at market trends
Property prices shift over time, with some areas increasing in popularity and others declining. While past performance isn’t guaranteed to continue, looking at house price trends can provide valuable insight into current vs. potential value.
Sites that show house price trends
Land Registry
Land Registry publishes a monthly house price index and you can also search its website by date, property type, region or local authority.
Halifax
Halifax’s monthly house price index dates back to January 1983 and as well as prices, it also provides commentary and trends on new instructions and enquiries. Unlike Land Registry, its data is based on mortgage approvals and not completed sales.
Nationwide
Nationwide's house price index provides monthly and quarterly reports for national and regional house price data. Similar to Halifax, Nationwide’s index is based on mortgage data only, and not Buy to Let or cash purchases.
View heatmaps
Heatmaps are a quick visual aid, giving you a snapshot of house valuations in different locations. The chart below shows the average property prices per UK region, accurate as of December 2024
*December 2024 average property price. Source: Gov.uk
Other ways to help with your property search
As well as getting as accurate a valuation as possible for a property you want to buy or sell, there are a number of ways to improve your property search:
Contact your local estate agents
If you build a rapport with your local agents, then they may notify you when they receive a new instruction. This will give you a head-start even before the property is uploaded to the web.
House price alerts
Will tell you when a property comes on to the market in your price range in your area. You can also track properties to receive an email when it’s bought, sold, or the seller cuts the price.
Broadband coverage
Check the local area in advance to find out whether you will receive a reliable service. Use our broadband speed test to test the connection in seconds and read our guide on broadband speed to learn more.
Healthcare
A search on NHS Choices will tell you how far away the nearest GP, pharmacy, dentist, optician, or hospital is.
Schools
The portals will show you which primary and secondary schools are nearby for each property, along with their current Ofsted rating.
Crime
Police.uk maps reported crimes by street in England and Wales. These include burglary, violence and anti-social behaviour.
What will my house be worth in a few years’ time?
It isn’t possible to say with certainty what your home will be worth in a few years’ time. There are many factors that will have a significant impact on your property’s value, from market rates to house renovations and refurbishments.
However, by using some of the sites and online tools mentioned above, you should still be able to keep track of market trends and price predictions over the coming months.
Personal Finance Expert
Our expert says
While there are many ways to find out a property’s value, the truism is that it’s only worth however much someone will pay for it. However, it’s always worth doing your research because the insight can really help when it comes to both buying and selling to help you make a shrewd financial decision.
Compare mortgages with MoneySuperMarket
Using our mortgage comparison tool can help you get a good idea of the kind of mortgage deals available and you’ll be able to compare example mortgage quotes from different providers.
Just tell us a bit about yourself, your financial situation, and your plans. We’ll help you scour the market in search of the mortgage deal that is right for your requirements. You can also use our mortgage calculators to find out how much each deal would cost you overall.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
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Tim Heming
Personal Finance Expert
Tim Heming is a journalist and editor who has written about personal finance for national newspapers and consumer websites for 15 years. Tim enjoys providing no-nonsense information to help consumers...
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