Sealed bids. One shot. No feedback. And the only survey comes from the seller's side. Canny reads it against the local evidence and gives you three numbers: realistic value, opening offer, hard ceiling. Back within 48 hours.
Nobody pays us but you. Not the agent, not the surveyor, not a lender.
The bank lends against the Home Report value. Every pound above it is your cash.
Built per property from sold prices, the Home Report, and what the Category 2s will really cost.
In a competitive Scottish sale, the winning bid can land well over Home Report value. Guess that gap wrong on a £205k flat and it costs thousands, in cash the bank won't lend you. Getting it right costs £25.
Seven things a bid should be based on. Your report has all of them, each with its evidence.
Built from what actually sold nearby, benchmarked by size and condition. Not the asking price.
Where to start, where to stop, and how both shift if a closing date is set.
Lenders lend against the Home Report value. We show what each bid level costs from your own pocket.
What "further investigation recommended" means in pounds, at real Scottish trade prices.
Missing factoring, unconsented alterations, and patterns hidden across separate gradings.
What they paid and when, from Registers of Scotland. Context the listing never volunteers.
Five things to check with your own eyes, each traced to a line in the survey. Order before you view and walk in knowing where to press.
Attach the Home Report PDF right on the form if you have it, and pay right away or after our personal reply. Your choice.
Every grading, hedge and photo, checked against sold prices and public records. And we phone the selling agent for the competition picture.
Plain English, every number justified. 24-hour rush available when a closing date looms.
Nobody can see behind plasterboard from a PDF. We tell you what the existing survey is hedging on and what the hedge is likely to cost.
Canny is independent research and information. Your solicitor still submits the offer, and should.
Sometimes the honest verdict is "investigate first" or "don't bid". When it is, we say so, name the check to commission, and what it should cost.
A sample one-pager, details changed. Every number arrives with its evidence.
Our read: worth bidding. The value is real, the competition is modest, and the roof is your lever. Ceiling £214,500, walk away above it.
The evidence: three relevant solds within 400m, last nine months.
The June sale had the roof done. This one hasn't. That gap is where our ceiling comes from.
The seller's position: Bought March 2016 for £168,000, from Registers of Scotland. Equity that comfortable means they can accept a realistic offer. No bargain coming, but no reason to panic-bid either.
Competition read: We phoned the selling agent: two notes of interest, no closing date set. Open at £198,000 and make them come back to you.
Category 2s, costed: Consumer unit pre-1990s, no certificate: £2,200 to £2,800. Rear flat roof "nearing end of serviceable life": £3,500 to £5,000 within five years.
What the report doesn't say: No factoring or sinking fund mentioned for common repairs. Ask the selling agent in writing before bidding.
At your viewing: five checks, each traced to a line in the survey, from the cupboard with the old stain to the question that tests how the stair handles shared repairs.
The full cost at ceiling: LBTT £1,390, checked at Revenue Scotland's calculator. Legals £600 to £900. Cash over Home Report value £9,500. Total beyond deposit: roughly £11,600.
Shown here: roughly half. The full report runs about two pages, every figure with its working. And when the evidence says "investigate first" or "don't bid", that's the verdict you get.
And after the sale: when the sold price reaches the public register, we email it to you, win or lose. You'll be one of the only buyers in Scotland who ever learns what actually won.
Ask them. Most will give you a number from experience, over the phone, without written reasoning. Canny gives you the documented rationale: comparable solds, costed defects, and the cash consequence of each bid level, on paper. Take it into that conversation and you'll have a better one.
AI is one of our tools; it's very good at reading 52-page documents fast. The judgement is not delegated to it. A person builds every report, makes the calls, and signs it off, working from decades of Scottish estate agency experience.
It's a defensive document, not an empty one. What the surveyor hedges on, photographs, and conspicuously doesn't say all carry signal, if you know how to read it. That's the job.
Whenever suits. Right after the form if you're ready, or after our personal reply if you'd rather talk first. The clock starts when we have payment and the Home Report PDF, and if we can't add value on your property, you get a full refund.
Most buyers bid on several properties before winning one. Either way we close the loop: when the sold price reaches the public register, we email it to you, so you finally learn what won. Back within a month with another property? Your next report is £15.
Each client gets their own independent report. We never share, hint, or trade on the fact that anyone else has ordered. The seller and their agent never see anything. Your strategy stays yours.
Especially you. Home Reports, offers over, blind closing dates: nothing here works like England or anywhere else, and you may not be able to view in person. We read what you can't go and see, and give you the checklist for when you can.
Send the listing link. Pay on the next page if you're ready, or wait for a personal reply within a few hours. Your choice.
Not sure your property suits, or whether the timing works? Ask. A reply comes the same day, usually, and your email is used for nothing else.