New research reveals how much vendors could be missing out by accepting the first offer they receive. 

Analysis from PropTech firm Alto shows that on properties attracting multiple offers, the eventual agreed price is typically £6,000 above the first offer.

For properties attracting four or more buyers’ offers, that gap is £10,000.

Alto’s analysis is based on 905,265 offers made on 294,582 homes between September 2025 and August 2026.

It shows that some 54.8% of sellers went on to accept an offer higher than the first one received.

The typical property attracted two offers, while 69% received interest from more than one prospective buyer.

Some 31% received just one offer. 

In terms of viewings, across 307,582 sales agreed during the period under review, there were typically seven viewings before an offer was accepted, taking around seven weeks in total.

And 34% required more than 10 viewings. 

An Alto spokesperson says: “The first offer is almost never the best one, and now we can put a number on what that’s worth. Across nearly a million offers, the one that gets accepted sits at £6,000 above the first one a seller was shown, and £10,000 where four or more buyers are bidding.

“That isn’t a reason to hold out forever. A third of sellers only ever get one offer, and the longer a home sits on the market, the weaker that offer tends to look.

“It’s a reason to get the price right on day one, because that’s what gets a second buyer through the door. Seven viewings and seven weeks is roughly what it takes. If you’re a fortnight in with nothing in the diary, that’s the conversation to have with your agent, rather than the one about cutting the price in month three.”