The numbers this week are the lowest we've seen in a while. 15 sales agreed across the entire Sittingbourne patch.

I'm not going to dress that up. It's a quiet week market-wide.

But here's what I'm also going to tell you — because it's equally true and most agents won't say it.

Quiet markets don't mean dead markets. They mean the quality of what's happening matters more than the volume.

We're reasonably busy. And that might sound like a contradiction when the sales agreed number looks like that but it isn't.

The buyers we're talking to right now are some of the most committed and serious we've seen all year. The casual browsers, the "just seeing what's out there" crowd, they've stepped back. What's left are people who genuinely need to move and are ready to act when the right property appears.

We negotiated three offers at asking price today alone on newly listed properties. The pipeline is active. The deals are being worked.

The properties sitting? Almost always the same story, launched above where the market is prepared to pay. We've been saying it all year. That hasn't changed. Buyers in this market are informed, patient and not prepared to overpay when they have 712 properties to choose from.

This is the number that stopped me this week.

156 property sales have collapsed in this area in the first half of 2026.

That's 156 sellers who thought they'd sold. 156 buyers who thought they'd found their home. 156 sets of legal fees, survey costs, wasted time and emotional energy.

And here's something people don't always acknowledge, it's not just buyers who pull out. Sellers do too. A better offer comes in. Circumstances change. Cold feet set in. Without any formal commitment on either side, there is nothing stopping either party from walking away at any point, for any reason, right up until exchange.

That's the reality of how most property sales in this country still work in 2026.

We introduced reservation agreements at Harrisons six years ago. The moment a sale is agreed, both buyer and seller sign a legally binding commitment. It doesn't replace exchange but it creates a serious financial and moral obligation for both parties to see the sale through.

The result? Our completion rate on reservation agreements sits at 94%.

It removes the moment where someone can simply change their mind with no consequences. It protects sellers from buyers who aren't serious. It protects buyers from sellers who might be tempted by a better offer. And it removes one of the biggest sources of stress and wasted time in the entire process.

The government has now announced plans to introduce similar protections across the industry. We think that's the right move and we've been saying so for six years.

We didn't wait for legislation. We just did it because it was the right thing to do for our sellers and buyers.

Fall-throughs happen for all kinds of reasons. But two of the most common and most avoidable are surveys coming back with surprises, and one party walking away because there's nothing to stop them.

On surveys — consider commissioning your own before you go to market. Know exactly what's in your property before a buyer does. Fix what needs fixing. Price accurately. Remove the renegotiation tool from the buyer's hand before they even have a chance to use it.

On commitment — ask your agent whether they use reservation agreements. If they don't, ask why. In a market where 156 sales have already fallen through this year, a commitment from both sides at the point of sale isn't a nice to have. It's a safeguard.

These aren't revolutionary ideas. They're just things most of the industry hasn't got around to doing yet.

I'm here, I'm staying, and I'll tell you what's actually happening in this market. Not a version of it designed to make you pick up the phone.

Quiet weeks happen. Busy weeks happen. What matters is having the right strategy, the right preparation and the right protections in place so that when your buyer comes and they will nothing gets in the way of getting it over the line.

Sell for more. Complete faster. Sleep better.

DM me VALUE — let's talk about your home, how to protect your sale from day one and how to make sure you're one of the ones that completes.

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