Sale agreed. Then it started to go wrong.
The buyer wants £15,000 off a week before exchange. The survey has found old wiring. The lender’s valuation came in low. Or the buyer has pulled out, and nobody in the chain can say why.
Save My Sale is a self-help kit for England and Wales: a walk-away calculator on your own numbers, reply scripts for a price cut, and a chase template for every stage.
£19 incl. VAT, paid once, in pounds sterling. Instant download: a 30-page guide, a calculator and 12 Word templates.
No kit can make a buyer or seller proceed. England and Wales only. Not affiliated with HM Land Registry, HMRC, MHCLG or any government body. Not legal advice.
Nothing binds until exchange
- Sale agreed
- Searches
- Enquiries
- Mortgage offer
- Exchange
- Completion
Before exchange, nothing binds. Either side can walk away or ask to change the price, right up to the day contracts are exchanged.
At exchange, it binds. Usually neither side can pull out without paying compensation.
Source: GOV.UK, Selling a home. The six stages are the kit’s own (page 4).
The government’s own figures: around one in three transactions fall through, and the average purchase takes around 120 days from offer accepted to completion (MHCLG reform roadmap, June 2026). Knowing your stage tells you who to chase, and what can still go wrong. Our free guides explain how long each stage takes and why chains stall, and what you commit to at exchange.
What’s going wrong?
Choose the one closest to your sale. Choosing an option opens its answer below the options and moves you to it: where it sits on the line above, what to do first, and exactly which pages, templates and calculator tab in the kit cover it.
Choose what’s happening
You’ll see where it sits between offer and completion, and which pages, templates and calculator tab in the kit cover it, including the buyer’s side. It doesn’t assess your sale or work out any figures.
A late price cut, or gazundering
Before exchange you’re free to say no. The real question is what refusing could cost you, and that is a calculation you can do today.
The kit marks this at Enquiries, Mortgage offer and Exchange.
Buy Save My Sale for £19 Free guide: Gazundering: what it is and how to respond
- In the guide
- Pages 7 to 8: sort the request, six steps, what to ask for in return, and the short reply scripts. The worked examples are on pages 22 to 23.
- Templates
- T07 Gazunder replies (sellers): four replies (ask for the reason and evidence first; hold firm; counter-offer with conditions; accept, with conditions), phone notes for the call with your agent, and a buyer version.
- Calculator
- The Walk-away tab: accepting the cut against relisting, on your own estimates, with your break-even offer. How each number is found: page 21.
- If you’re the buyer
- Asking for a reduction yourself? Page 8 and the buyer version of T07 set out how to ask early, with evidence.
The kit’s first step (page 6): “Say nothing final. Ask for the reason and the evidence in writing (T07, reply A). Run the Walk-away tab.”
The survey found problems
A figure built from written quotes, with anything already known left out, is far easier for the other side to check than an unexplained one.
The kit marks this at Searches, Enquiries and Mortgage offer.
Buy Save My Sale for £19 Free guide: Renegotiating the price after a house survey
- In the guide
- Pages 9 to 10: the seven-step price-cut check, who investigates each common finding, published cost ranges and a fillable worksheet.
- Templates
- T08 Survey problems: request and response: the buyer’s request and the seller’s response, item by item.
- Calculator
- The Survey check tab (quotes to a figure both sides can check, with nothing counted twice) and the Survey example tab.
- If you’re the buyer
- Both sides are covered: the same seven steps work for a buyer building a request and a seller answering one.
The kit’s first step (page 6): “Buyer: get written quotes, at least two per item. Seller: ask for the report pages and the quotes.”
A down-valuation
A low valuation doesn’t end the sale by itself. First find out how big the cash gap really is, then choose between four ways forward.
The kit marks this at Mortgage offer.
Buy Save My Sale for £19 Free guide: Down valuation: what to do when it comes in low
- In the guide
- Page 11: the cash gap in three lines, four options with their catches, and a comparables table.
- Templates
- T09 Mortgage down-valuation: to your broker asking for a review, to the seller’s agent, and the seller’s reply.
- Calculator
- The Down-valuation tab: the cash gap, the maximum loan and four ways forward.
- If you’re the buyer
- Written for buyers first, with the seller’s side at the foot of page 11.
The kit’s first step (page 6): “Buyer: ask your broker for the new maximum loan and whether the valuation can be reviewed. Run the Down-valuation tab.”
The buyer pulled out
Before exchange a buyer can withdraw for any reason. Get it in writing, pause the costs, and ask your agent for every other offer.
The kit marks this at Sale agreed, Searches, Enquiries, Mortgage offer and Exchange.
Buy Save My Sale for £19 Free guide: Buyer pulled out before exchange? What to do next Free guide: For buyers: seller pulled out or gazumped you?
- In the guide
- Pages 12 to 13: the first 48 hours, a relaunch checklist and plan, backup buyers, and how long a relaunch really takes.
- Templates
- T10 When the sale collapses: to your agent (relaunch and backup buyers), to your conveyancer (pause and costs), to the agent selling your next home, and a buyer version. T04 Mortgage offer if your mortgage offer could expire.
- Calculator
- The Walk-away tab again, if a backup buyer offers less than your original price.
- If you’re the buyer
- The seller pulled out, or took another offer? Page 13 and the buyer version of T10.
The kit’s first step (page 6): “Get it in writing. Tell your conveyancer to pause. Ask your agent for every other offer (T10).”
The chain has stalled
“It’s with the other side” isn’t an answer. Ask for a named link, a named item and a date, in writing.
The kit marks this at Searches, Enquiries, Mortgage offer and Exchange.
Buy Save My Sale for £19 Free guide: How long from offer to exchange, and why chains stall
- In the guide
- Page 14: five questions for every link, where chains usually get stuck, and ways to unblock them. The chain map is on page 5.
- Templates
- T11 Chain status and target date: map the chain, and write to the agent handling the slow link. T05 Getting to exchange to agree a target exchange date.
- Calculator
- The Walk-away tab, before you set a deadline and relist.
- If you’re the buyer
- The same questions work from either end of the chain.
The kit’s first step (page 6): “Ask your agent to map every link in the chain, in writing, by a date (T11).”
Your conveyancer or agent has gone silent
One specific question with a reply-by date gives someone a reason to answer. Then climb the ladder one rung at a time.
The kit marks this at every stage, from sale agreed to completion.
Buy Save My Sale for £19 Free guide: Conveyancer not responding? How to get an answer Free guide: How to complain about an estate agent
- In the guide
- Page 15: the escalation ladder with the official time limits; page 16: what should be happening at each stage and the exact question to ask; page 17: a fillable chase log.
- Templates
- T01 to T06, a chase for each stage from sale agreed to completion, and T12 Formal complaints (only when chasing has failed).
- Calculator
- None needed for this one.
- If you’re the buyer
- The chases have seller and buyer versions.
The kit’s first step (page 6): “Send the chase for your stage (T01 to T06): one specific question and a reply-by date.”
You’re being pushed to exchange
Exchange is the point of no return. Don’t sign until your checklist is complete and your conveyancer confirms nothing is outstanding.
The kit marks this at Exchange and Completion.
Buy Save My Sale for £19 Free guide: Exchange of contracts: what you’re committing to
- In the guide
- Page 18: what each side commits to, red flags and what to check first; pages 19 and 20: fillable exchange-readiness checklists for sellers and buyers.
- Templates
- T05 Getting to exchange, including the buyer’s exchange-day confirmation to their conveyancer.
- Calculator
- None needed for this one.
- If you’re the buyer
- Separate checklists: sellers on page 19, buyers on page 20.
The kit’s first step (page 6): “Do not sign until your exchange-readiness checklist is complete and your conveyancer confirms it.”
Is the property in Scotland or Northern Ireland? The kit doesn’t cover it: offers there follow different rules, and page 26 explains why. New-build purchases from a developer, auctions, shared ownership and commercial property aren’t covered either.
What you download
14 files, the same for every buyer, straight after payment. Current as at October 2026: facts, figures and time limits were checked against official and consumer-body sources on 4 October 2026, and every source is listed and dated in the kit.
- The guide
-
A 30-page A4 PDF with clickable contents and 297 fillable fields across 10 worksheets. It opens with a 15-minute route and triage for 7 situations, then a playbook for each: the price-cut request, survey problems, a down-valuation, a buyer who pulls out, a stalled chain, a silent professional and pressure to exchange.
Then the tools: reply scripts, a stage-by-stage chase guide and log, exchange-readiness checklists for sellers and for buyers, three worked examples, free help and complaint routes with their time limits, what the government’s reforms mean for a sale happening now, and a sources page.
- The calculator
-
An Excel workbook with 5 tabs: Instructions, Walk-away, Down-valuation, Survey check and Survey example. Walk-away compares accepting a lower offer with relisting, once agent fees, months of waiting, your mortgage-offer expiry and the risk to your onward purchase are counted, and shows the offer at which the two come out level.
You type only in the shaded cells; the formulas are locked. Made in Excel, using only functions Google Sheets also supports (type the % sign in percentage cells).
- 12 Word templates
-
Each has versions for the people you’ll be writing to, with [brackets] to replace.
- T01 Sale agreed (memorandum of sale)
- T02 Searches
- T03 Enquiries
- T04 Mortgage offer
- T05 Getting to exchange
- T06 Completion
- T07 Gazunder replies (sellers)
- T08 Survey problems: request and response
- T09 Mortgage down-valuation
- T10 When the sale collapses
- T11 Chain status and target date
- T12 Formal complaints (only when chasing has failed)
Look inside
Real pages from the guide, each labelled as a sample. Select one to see it larger.
A worked example: accept the cut, or relist?
Fictional. The person and home are invented; the method, the defaults and the arithmetic are the calculator’s. It is Example 2 in the kit (page 22), and it predicts nothing about any real sale.
Jo agreed £475,000 and is buying a new home, with £5,200 already spent on it. Jo moved for work and pays about £1,400 a month in rent and interest on the mortgage of the empty house until the sale completes. The buyer’s survey found defects and, with written quotes, they ask for £462,000. Jo’s mortgage offer expires in three months.
On Jo’s own estimates, accepting comes out about £11,300 ahead, mainly because of eight months of rent and the risk to the onward purchase. So Jo checked the buyer’s quotes with the Survey check, agreed £462,000, and made it conditional on exchange by a fixed date with no further reductions.
The other two examples come out differently: a late gazunder where relisting comes out ahead, and a close call where the two are within about £200 and other things decide. Our free guides cover responding to a gazunder and renegotiating after a survey.
Where the buyer’s request sits, on Jo’s numbers
Below the break-even offer, relisting comes out ahead. Above it, accepting does.
| A. Accept: receive | £453,684 |
|---|---|
| B. Relist: expect | £442,417 |
| Relist minus accept | −£11,267 |
| Largest cut worth accepting | £24,474 |
Who it’s for, and who it isn’t for
It’s for
- Homeowners in England or Wales who have accepted an offer, or had one accepted, and whose sale or purchase is now in trouble.
- Sellers who are also buying, with a chain to protect.
- Buyers facing a low valuation or a worrying survey who want to renegotiate fairly.
It isn’t for
- Anyone buying or selling in Scotland or Northern Ireland, which have different systems.
- New-build purchases from a developer, auctions, shared ownership or commercial property.
- Anyone who wants someone to handle their case. This is a self-help kit, not a legal service, and it doesn’t replace your solicitor or conveyancer.
- Anyone who has already exchanged contracts and wants to pull out, or whose other side has: that needs a solicitor’s advice on your own position.
What it costs
£19 incl. VAT
Paid once, in pounds sterling. No subscription, and nothing is added at checkout. 14 files, downloaded straight away.
Starting again means waiting again: on the government’s figures, around 120 days from offer accepted to completion, and around one in 3 transactions fall through (MHCLG, June 2026). Every extra month of rent, bridging or bills adds up. The kit is £19, once.
Buy Save My Sale for £19Sold through Dodo Payments, the merchant of record for your purchase: it takes the payment, charges the VAT and sends your receipt and download links.
If a file is faulty
Instant digital download. If a file you bought is faulty (it won’t open, is corrupted or is incomplete), tell us within 24 hours of purchase and we’ll send a working copy or refund you in full. Because you agree at checkout to immediate download, we don’t offer refunds for change of mind. This doesn’t affect your statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
By completing checkout you accept the Dodo Payments Buyer Terms, which record your consent to immediate download and your acknowledgement that you lose the right to cancel once the download begins. The right to cancel lasts until the download begins, and your rights if a file is faulty are unaffected. The Refund and Cancellation Policy explains how to cancel and how to report a faulty file.
FAQ
Can this kit save my sale?
No kit can make a buyer or seller proceed. Before exchange, either side can walk away. The kit helps you respond quickly, with the right numbers and the right message, which gives the sale its best chance.
Is this legal advice?
No. It is general information, templates and a calculator, the same for every buyer. For advice on your own position, ask your solicitor or licensed conveyancer. The kit tells you when that matters most.
What do I get that free guides don’t give me?
Free guides, including ours, explain the process. The kit does the work with you: the walk-away calculator on your own numbers, reply scripts for a price-cut request, the survey check, a chase template for every stage, exchange-readiness checklists and three worked examples.
My agent and solicitor are handling it. Why do I need this?
They act on your instructions. The kit helps you decide what those instructions are: whether a price cut beats relisting on your own numbers, what to ask for in return, and the exact question to put to each of them, with a reply-by date. It doesn’t replace them, and it tells you when to take their advice. If one of them stops replying, our guides explain how to get an answer from a conveyancer and how to complain about an estate agent.
I’m the buyer, not the seller. Is it useful?
Yes. There are buyer versions of the scripts, the down-valuation tab, the survey check, a buyer’s exchange checklist, and a page on what to do if the seller pulls out. Our free guide covers a seller who pulled out or gazumped you.
Who pays the fees if the sale falls through?
Before exchange, each side normally bears its own costs so far, and what you owe your own conveyancer and estate agent depends on what you agreed with each. Citizens Advice suggests finding out what charges apply if the sale falls through before exchange. Our guide explains solicitor and estate agent fees when a sale falls through, and the kit’s messages ask your conveyancer to pause and send the costs so far.
What if my mortgage offer expires before completion?
Treat the expiry date as one that can’t move: write it on the kit’s sale snapshot, and ask your broker or lender, in writing, what your options are if completion slips past it and what each would cost (template T04). The Walk-away tab counts the cost of a new offer if you are weighing a lower price against starting again. Our guide covers a mortgage offer that could expire before completion.
Does it work in Wales?
Yes. Offers, exchange and completion follow the same England and Wales law. The main difference is tax (Land Transaction Tax in Wales), which the calculator leaves out.
What about Scotland or Northern Ireland?
Neither is covered. In Scotland a deal can become binding much earlier, when missives are concluded, so the gazunder, pull-out and exchange advice doesn’t transfer. Northern Ireland has its own legal system and guidance. What matters is where the home being sold is, not where you live.
We’ve already exchanged, and someone wants to pull out.
Speak to a solicitor about your own position. The kit covers the practical side of getting to exchange safely; after exchange, the contract decides what happens, and that needs advice.
How current is it?
Facts, figures and time limits were checked against official and consumer-body sources on 4 October 2026, and are dated in the kit, including the government’s June 2026 reform roadmap. Check the current position with the organisation concerned before relying on a time limit.
Do I need Excel?
The calculator is an Excel file that uses only functions Google Sheets also supports, so you can import it into Google Sheets (free); type the % sign in percentage cells. The templates are Word (.docx) files. The calculator and templates were built and checked in Excel and Word format; other apps, such as Google Sheets, Google Docs or LibreOffice, may display them differently. The PDF is fillable in most PDF readers.
How quickly can I use it?
The first page is a 15-minute route: find your situation, fill in your sale snapshot, run one calculation, send one message.
Can someone look at my sale or my letters?
No. Nobody reviews documents, advises on a case, contacts anyone or negotiates for you, so please don’t send papers about your sale. The kit is written so you can take each step yourself, and it says when to ask your conveyancer.
How do I get the files?
Straight after payment, Dodo Payments emails your receipt and download links to the address you give at checkout. Download all 14 files and keep a copy somewhere safe. Each download link works for 15 minutes after it’s generated; if one has expired, reopen the link in the email, or the Dodo Payments Customer Portal, for a fresh one.
What if a file won’t open?
Instant digital download. If a file you bought is faulty (it won’t open, is corrupted or is incomplete), tell us within 24 hours of purchase and we’ll send a working copy or refund you in full. Because you agree at checkout to immediate download, we don’t offer refunds for change of mind. This doesn’t affect your statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
Is it affiliated with the government?
No. It is independent and not affiliated with HM Land Registry, HMRC, MHCLG or any government body, or with any ombudsman, regulator or RICS. See the disclaimer.
Know your numbers before you answer.
Save My Sale: House Sale Rescue Kit (England & Wales), by Save My Sale. Edition SM-SMS-2026-10. A 30-page guide, a calculator and 12 Word templates, for £19 incl. VAT.
Buy Save My Sale for £19