New analysis from a national quick-buy firm alleges that a growing number of estate agents are deliberately over-valuing homes to secure seller instructions, only for asking prices to be quietly slashed weeks later once the property fails to attract offers. The firm's research suggests that as many as four in ten properties currently listed across England and Wales have undergone at least one price reduction since first coming to market, with average cuts running at 5–7% of the original asking price. While the source has an obvious commercial interest in highlighting the inefficiencies of the open-market sales process, the underlying pattern it describes is one that seasoned investors and landlords will recognise instantly.