Can we sell our £1.2million house without the neighbours knowing?

• e-mail

Our detached house was valued by an estate agent at £1.2million two years ago.

We're now looking to sell and move somewhere smaller by the coast.

We're keen to avoid having all and sundry know the house is up on the market and don't want a 'for sale' sign plonked outside the house. We are also very keen to avoid time wasters who just want a look around.

Is there a more discreet route to getting the house sold? 

What are the pros and cons of doing this? Would going down less conventional routes limit the pool of potential buyers too much?

Keep it quiet: A This is Money reader wants to sell their house discreetly 

Jane Denton of This is Money replies: You will need to get your house valued again before taking further action. The market in your area may have changed in the last few years, so try and get two or three estate agents to give you a valuation.

If you want to sell your home discreetly, there are a number of options.

In theory, you could try to find a buyer yourself, though this can be risky. You could sell the house to a cash property buying company or even sell it at auction. 

However, the most common method is to sell a home off-market. This involves asking an estate agent to discreetly market the property to buyers they already have on their books. 

To be up to the job, the estate agent will need a little black book of contacts, brimming with buyers who are ready, waiting and capable of completing. 

If you went down the route of selling your house off-market, it wouldn't be advertised on online property portals like Rightmove or Zoopla, or in the windows of estate agents. You also wouldn't need a 'for sale' sign outside the house.   

Selling off-market used to be largely confined to super-prime properties, often based in London, but the practice has spread, both geographically and in terms of price point. 

If you go down the off-market route, you would be limiting your potential pool of buyers. However, the quality of the prospective purchasers coming through your door could end up being higher.  

I have spoken to three property experts for their thoughts. 

Nigel Bishop of Recoco Property Search 

Nigel Bishop of buying agency Recoco Property Search, says: I often encounter homeowners who wish to avoid marketing their home publicly or online, for the very reasons you have mentioned. 

An openly marketed property can attract time wasters, but also put buyers in a stronger position during price negotiations if they know the property has been on the market for an extended period of time.

If you are considering selling your property discreetly, the best option would be an off-market approach. 

Your chosen agent would still prepare high-quality photographs, but rather than showing these to the masses, they would be presented to the most relevant buyers on the agent's database. 

While you might feel that this could narrow the listing's exposure too much, it is a case of quality over quantity.

Selling off-market carries additional benefits for vendors. Not only will you have more control over who can view the property, it also gives you an opportunity to test the market to gather how much interest can be generated at given asking price, who the buyer demographics are and which aspects of your property might even prevent a sale. 

The latter, especially concerning superficial work, such as a new paint job, can then be addressed.

To gain access to the most suitable buyers, engage an experienced estate agency specialising in your area. 

They will have a catalogue of buyers and work with local buying agents who act on behalf of ready-to-go house hunters with a larger budget set aside.

Jonathan Handford, managing director at Fine & Country, says: When it comes to selling a high-value home discreetly, it's really about deciding whether to fish with a line or a net. 

A net will naturally reach more potential buyers, but for some, privacy takes priority over exposure, and that's perfectly valid.

If you'd prefer to avoid a 'for sale' board and limit the online footprint, a discreet marketing campaign can still be highly effective - but it does come with trade-offs.

The more you restrict visibility, the smaller your buyer pool becomes. Exposure is what drives competition and ultimately price.

Jonathan Handford of Fine & Country 

We often run off-market campaigns where properties are only shared with a carefully selected pool of pre-qualified buyers. 

In some cases, we even request that serious parties sign non-disclosure agreements before receiving further information or arranging a viewing. This extra layer of confidentiality can offer sellers peace of mind while still allowing the sale to move forward.

Concerns about neighbours finding out are understandable, but in reality, word tends to spread even without boards or listings. 

Unless you plan to keep your property completely off-market indefinitely, some level of exposure is inevitable. 

Rather than trying to suppress that, I'd suggest embracing a controlled approach: trust your agent to qualify buyers thoroughly and to manage viewings with sensitivity and professionalism.

You don't need to choose between privacy and performance. A bespoke, discreet strategy, backed by an experienced agent who understands the nuances of the prime market, can deliver both.

I'd advise against trying to sell a high-value property without professional guidance,  such as relying solely on personal networks, social media, or informal contacts. 

While it might seem like a way to save on fees or stay under the radar, this approach can lead to inaccurate pricing, unqualified buyers, and costly delays. It could lose you more time and money than it saves.

Dan Dewar, a director at Curchods, says: It is becoming increasingly common for clients to take a quieter approach to selling their home.

The question is, by not offering the property to the whole of the market, do you miss out on the 'best buyer' or a competitive bidding situation? 

The truth is that without being willing to have your property on all the portals available, you'll never know for sure. 

Dan Dewar is a director at Curchods

However, the best estate agents always have a list of the keenest buyers. If your home is in a desirable location then there is every chance that by keeping the viewings to a curated list, the exclusivity factor can secure at least market value or above. 

Buyers are often keen to make sure the house never hits the open market.

However, do be cautious of estate agents promising they can secure a higher than reasonable price. 

This is sometimes used as a tactic to win the business and may result in no offers and a recommendation to simply market at a reduced price. 

Certain agents will also use this discreet strategy to 'chain build'. 

This is the process of only promoting your property to homeowners who have their house on the market with that agent, in the hopes of completing a chain. 

This is good for the agent and potentially very bad for the client whose pool of potential buyers is unnaturally low.

Done well, with an agent who truly has the client's best interests at heart, a discreet sale can be a fantastic way to fly beneath the radar while still finding a great buyer at a strong price.

However, choosing the agent with the right ethos and the best black book is key.  

Before signing the contract, I would be asking how many viewings they plan to book, and questions about the situation and timescales of any potential buyers. 

I also recommend only signing a short four-week contract, therefore keeping the pressure on the agent to do what they said they were going to.