How can I find out how much my home is worth using Rightmove?

Updated

Rightmove offers two ways to get a home valuation: a free home valuation from an expert (an agent valuation) and an instant online valuation. The expert route is the better fit if you want a considered figure before selling or letting and are happy to be contacted by an agent; the instant tool is the quicker option if you just want a rough starting point. Both are presented on rightmove.co.uk as free entry points, and neither requires you to have a property listed on the site.

What Rightmove actually provides

Rightmove describes itself as the UK's number one property website for properties for sale and to rent, with the UK's largest choice of homes. Alongside buying, renting and sold-price searches, the homepage carries two valuation routes:

Route What it is Best for
Free home valuation "Find out how much your home's worth from an expert" — you get a free agent valuation Sellers or landlords who want a professional opinion and are ready to talk to an agent
Instant online valuation "The fastest and easiest way to find out how much your home is worth" A quick, no-conversation estimate to orient yourself

The site also offers a Search sold house prices function, which is a useful cross-check: recent sold prices for comparable homes near you give you a reality check on any valuation figure you receive.

Getting an expert (agent) valuation

  1. Start from the valuation entry point on the Rightmove homepage — the "Free home valuation" block.
  2. Provide your property details when prompted (address and basic property information). This is what lets an agent judge your home rather than a generic area average.
  3. Expect contact from an agent. The page frames this as a "free agent valuation," so the output is an appointment or conversation with a local agent rather than an automated number.
  4. Use the visit to ask about local comparables — what has sold nearby, how long homes are taking to sell, and what the agent would list at versus what they expect it to achieve.

The trade-off is clear: this route costs you a sales conversation, but it gives you a human read on your specific property, including condition and street-level differences that an online tool cannot see.

Getting an instant online valuation

The "Instant online valuation" link is described as the fastest and easiest way to find out how much your home is worth. The flow is: enter your property details, receive an estimated value immediately, with no agent visit required.

Treat the result as a starting range, not a listing price. Instant tools work from address-level data and broad comparables; they do not know about your refurbished kitchen, the noisy road at the back, or the extension you added. If the instant figure matters — for example, you are deciding whether selling is even worth exploring — follow it with the expert valuation or a sold-price search before acting on it.

Using the result before you sell or let

  • Sense-check against sold prices. Run a "Search sold house prices" query for your postcode and compare like-for-like homes (same bedroom count, similar floor area, similar street).
  • Get more than one expert view. The site's model connects you with agents; comparing two or three valuations tells you more than any single figure.
  • Separate sale and rental questions. If you are considering letting instead, ask the agent for a rental appraisal too — the valuation routes on the homepage are framed around home worth, so confirm the rental figure explicitly.
  • Keep your own records. Note the date of each valuation and the comparables cited, so you can see how the market has moved if you return to the decision months later.

Common sticking points

  • The instant estimate and the agent's figure disagree. This is normal. The agent's number usually reflects condition and presentation; the online number reflects data. Ask the agent to explain the gap.
  • You are not ready to be contacted. If that is a concern, use the instant valuation and sold-price search first, and only request the expert valuation when you are prepared for follow-up.
  • You want a formal valuation for a mortgage or legal purpose. Rightmove's tools are marketing-stage estimates, not formal valuations — those come from a qualified surveyor or valuer instructed for that purpose.

The practical sequence for most people: instant valuation to see if the numbers are interesting, sold-price search to sanity-check them, then a free agent valuation when you are seriously considering a move.