This map is a stark reminder of where the English and Welsh home buying system still lets people down.
Across England and Wales, between roughly one in five and more than one in four agreed sales fall through before exchange and completion. That is not down to poor agents, bad buyers, or flaky sellers. It is down to a system that delays certainty until far too late in the process.
Homes are agreed sold before surveys are done, before full mortgage checks are complete, and before legal enquiries are resolved. Until exchange, either side can walk away with little consequence. That long gap between sale agreed and exchange is where confidence drains, chains wobble, and deals collapse.
This is why pricing correctly, qualifying buyers properly, and managing momentum after sale agreed are not optional extras. They are core skills. In England and Wales, the real work of an estate agent often starts after the offer is accepted, not before.
The uncomfortable truth is this. Until the system changes, fall throughs will remain a structural issue. The best agents do not eliminate the risk entirely, but they reduce it by setting expectations early, pushing speed where it matters, and never letting a deal drift.
If you would like to find out why we are able to mitigate sale fall throughs better than others, let’s chat?

There is a quiet confidence that comes with buying and selling homes in Scotland, and this data shows why. The Scottish system is different. Home Reports give buyers clarity upfront, offers are made with far more information on the table and legal commitment happens much earlier. That structure removes a lot of the uncertainty that causes so many sales to fall through elsewhere. It is something to be chuffed about. Fewer nasty surprises, fewer last-minute withdrawals, and far more deals that actually make it to completion. But lower risk does not mean no risk. Chains can still break, finance can still change, and people’s circumstances can still shift. Even in a better system, momentum can be lost if things are allowed to drift or assumptions go unchecked. That is where experience still matters. Knowing when to push, when to pause, and how to keep everyone aligned is what turns a strong system into a successful move. Scotland gives buyers and sellers a better starting point. A good agent helps make sure it finishes the way it should. If you would like to find out why we are able to mitigate sale fall throughs better than others, let’s chat?