"I want to sell. I'm ready. I just can't face the whole estate agent thing."
"I'd like to sell – or at least test the market – but I'm put off by… the market."
Does this sound like you? Read on...
on the market...
...there are FOUR homeowners who would sell, but who are simply put off by the friction of the selling process
The UK housing market has a secret –
it’s that most of it is dormant
Millions of UK homeowners would move. If only it didn’t mean everything it currently means.
The estate agent contract/lock-in; the loss of privacy; the stress, waiting, uncertainty; the fear of fall-throughs; writing a cheque for £000s in commission. The moment you go “on the market” and the pressure begins.
The train’s left the station and you can’t get off.
That cliff-edge has kept an enormous dormant market frozen for decades. Not for lack of willing sellers - for lack of a better way.
For every active seller, there are plausibly four or five people who would sell if the friction were removed. As Rory Sutherland puts it: “the ratio of people who would sell their house if it didn’t involve talking to an estate agent”.
“Whenever speaking to an audience of 200 people or so, I ask the audience to raise their hands if their house is on the market. I then ask if anyone would consider selling if presented with a reasonable offer. Every time I have tried this, more than four times as many people respond to the second question as to the first.”
The current market is binary and inflexible – you’re either on or off the market
This suppresses a huge number of would-be sellers - and as Rory Sutherland argues, the dormant market this conceals could dwarf the existing market
Hear Rory Sutherland speak about the UK’s dormant housing market – he suggests it could be 4X the size of the agent/portal-based market we currently see
Watch the talk (from 34:15) ▶
What if selling your home could be a seamless, free “state” in the wider cycle of home ownership – and not an episode you dread, or a high-stress feeding frenzy other people profit from at your expense?
What if there was a better way?
UABODE is the better way
We haven’t built a better estate agent or a better portal – we’ve made estate agents and portals irrelevant. And with it, we’ve removed the friction that has suppressed the dormant market for so long.
How it works – Three Pillars
HomeHub
Your home's complete digital record - documents, history, improvements - all in one place, organised by our AI. When you're thinking of selling, that data + UUFI becomes your passport to UABODE's P2P market functionality: a rich, personalised profile of your home, generated by our AI and presented to potential buyers - informative, transparent, and human. A quantum leap from the dry, template-driven agent descriptions that have always made property feel like a commodity rather than someone's home. When you sell, your Homehub duplicates, with a copy to your buyer. So the platform doesn’t end with the transaction; it grows with each one, and you start a new chapter in your HomeHub with your new home.
UUFI - UABODE Up-Front Information
One of the major reasons sales collapse is because critical material information arrives too late. UUFI fixes that. Our AI-assisted up-front material information pack - built on the industry-standard BASPI form - means buyers arrive fully informed before the first conversation. No late surprises, no fall-throughs caused by information gaps, and a conveyancing process that moves weeks faster than the industry norm. The government is trying to mandate up-front information, but the industry has been very patchy in its adoption. We're already there.
Spectrum Control
This is the breakthrough that transforms the buy/sell process. Stay invisible until the right buyer appears. Set your own criteria - minimum price, no chain, funds in place, reservation agreement, visibility level. One tap and you can disappear again - no more cliff-edge, irreversible commitment. You’re 100% in control and you’re in the market, not “on the market”.
In the pilot, Spectrum Control has basic functionality around reversibility and price disclosure - we will add features during the pilot, as well as Explainable AI Valuation.
Find out more about the 3 pillars and How it Works
Coming Soon: Full Spectrum Control + Explainable AI Valuation
We’re starting now - in Brighton & Hove
UABODE is launching its first pilot in Brighton & Hove - a closed, carefully selected group of sellers and buyers proving that a better market is possible - a market that can serve everyone.
If you’ve been thinking about selling but haven’t found a way that works for you - let’s talk
No agent fees. No commission. No hidden charges or "extras".
AI-assisted property information – complete and up-front.
Conveyancing partner Alecto – a small, focused team of technologists and lawyers passionate about raising the bar for legal services.
Ready for a better way?
Whether you’re ready to sell right now but dreading the call to the estate agent, or simply curious about what selling on your own terms could look like – UABODE’s Brighton & Hove pilot could be for you.
Find out more about the pilotYou're not on the market - you're in the market