Private Price Broker
A secure, structured environment where vendors and buyers can exchange price offers and responses — privately, with every back-and-forth recorded as an encrypted, timestamped audit trail.
A structured offer exchange — not a chat room
The private price broker is a purpose-built negotiation environment within FYSH. It is not a general messaging tool. Its sole function is to allow a vendor and a buyer to formally exchange price offers and counter-offers in a secure, private thread attached to a specific property listing.
Every message in the broker takes the form of a structured offer — a price and an optional note. The other party can accept, decline, or respond with a counter-offer. Nothing outside that scope is sent through the broker; ordinary conversation uses the separate FYSH messaging system.
The broker is completely free to use for all registered FYSH users. No credits are consumed. There is no time limit on a negotiation. Either party can close the session at any time.
Replacing the agency's sales negotiator
Traditionally, the offer stage is handled by an estate agent's sales negotiator — the person who carries offers back and forth between buyer and seller, reads the room, and tries to keep a deal moving. In England and Wales an offer isn't legally binding until contracts are exchanged, so the weeks around an agreed price are fragile, and this is exactly the stretch the negotiator manages. Done well, it's a real skill. But the phone-led way it usually happens adds friction that has nothing to do with the price itself:
- Verbal offers with no shared record. A figure agreed on a call can be misremembered, rounded, or disputed later — with nothing written that both sides can point to.
- "Chinese whispers." Every offer and condition passes through a third party who paraphrases it, so intent gets lost between buyer and seller.
- Confusion over what stands. After a few rounds of calls it's easy to lose track of whose offer is current and what was attached to it.
- Phone-tag and delay. Progress stalls waiting for callbacks in office hours — momentum a fragile pre-exchange period can't spare.
- Divided loyalty. The negotiator is instructed and paid by the seller, yet is also the buyer's only channel to them.
- Nothing to fall back on. If a figure is later questioned, there's rarely a complete, timestamped trail to settle it.
Whose side is the negotiator really on?
It's worth being clear-eyed about the incentives. A high-street agent is almost always paid on completion — no sale, no fee — so however hard they work, weeks of effort earn nothing unless a deal closes. That model rewards getting a sale over the line, which is not always the same thing as getting the vendor the best possible price.
An agent's stated duty is to the vendor, but their commercial allegiance is to the agency that pays them. Sitting between both parties, they also hold information each side would value — and because they speak to the buyer too, there is little to stop a nudge of "just enough" insight about the vendor's position to help pitch an offer that closes. Whether it ever happens, you rarely get to see.
The Price Broker carries none of that. It takes no commission, has no deal to chase, and passes no private intelligence between the parties. It is a neutral record that shows both sides exactly the same thing — the offers, in order, with nothing said off to the side.
The Price Broker takes on that job — the structured back-and-forth of offers and counter-offers — and removes the friction. It works the way you already message, in a familiar two-way thread, but every message is a firm figure, recorded and timestamped, and both sides see the same record.
| In the offer stage | Traditional agency negotiator | FYSH Price Broker |
|---|---|---|
| The record of offers | Often verbal and relayed — no shared written trail | Every offer written, timestamped and shared |
| Which offer stands now | Easy to lose track between calls | Always the latest recorded offer, in view |
| Who carries the message | The agent, as a go-between | Directly, party to party |
| Whose turn it is | Ad-hoc phone-tag | Structured — one clear move at a time |
| If a figure is later disputed | Rarely a full record to check | A downloadable, timestamped audit report |
| Confidentiality | Discussed across an office | Private to the two parties, encrypted |
| Whose interest it serves | Paid only on completion — needs a sale to earn | Neutral — no commission, no deal to chase |
| When you can act | Office hours and callbacks | Anytime, from your phone |
| Cost of the negotiation | Built into the agent's commission | Free — no credits, no commission |
The Price Broker is a communication and record-keeping tool, not a party to the sale, and FYSH does not provide agency services. No offer is legally binding until contracts are exchanged — see the limitations below. This is general information, not legal advice.
The right tool for price negotiation
Use the broker when
- A buyer has submitted an expression of interest and you want to discuss price before instructing solicitors
- The buyer's offer is below your asking price and you want to counter formally
- You want a private, documented record of agreed terms before the legal process begins
- You prefer a structured offer exchange rather than an informal email or phone call
- Either party wants a clear, timestamped history of what was offered and agreed
Do not use it for
- General conversation about the property — use the FYSH messaging system for that
- Negotiating sale conditions, fixtures, or completion dates — those are matters for your solicitors
- Reaching a legally binding agreement — the broker cannot do this (see limitations below)
- Sharing personal contact details such as phone numbers or email addresses
- Communicating with anyone other than the direct buyer or vendor on a specific listing
How the private price broker works
Buyer submits an expression of interest
The process begins when a registered buyer sends an expression of interest on your listing through FYSH. You receive a notification and can read the buyer's message in your EOI inbox.
Vendor opens a broker session
If you want to negotiate price, you open a private price broker session from within your EOI thread. The broker is vendor-initiated only — the buyer cannot open a session unilaterally. This ensures the vendor controls when a formal negotiation begins.
Vendor sends the opening offer
The vendor enters a price — either the asking price, a revised price, or an invitation for the buyer to make their offer — and an optional short note. This opening message is encrypted, timestamped, and delivered to the buyer within the broker thread.
Back and forth negotiation
The buyer responds — accepting, declining, or counter-offering with their own price. The thread continues with each party responding in turn. Every entry is encrypted and stamped with a UTC timestamp at the moment it is submitted. Messages cannot be edited or deleted.
Offer accepted — download your audit and instruct solicitors
When one party accepts an offer, the broker thread closes. Both the vendor and buyer can immediately download a clear, formatted audit report of the full negotiation — every offer, counter-offer, and response, each with its UTC timestamp, in a print-ready document. Your conveyancer will find this a helpful chronological reference when reviewing the agreed price and the steps that led to it. You should then instruct your respective solicitors to begin the formal conveyancing process.
Everything the broker keeps on the record
The details a good negotiator carries in their head, the broker keeps written down — for both sides.
Structured price offers
Every message is a clear figure plus an optional note — never a vague, second-hand paraphrase.
Accept, decline or counter
Clear responses, taken in turn, so the negotiation always has a defined next move.
A familiar two-way thread
It reads like the messaging apps everyone already uses — there's nothing new to learn.
Vendor-initiated & controlled
The vendor decides when a formal negotiation begins; a buyer can't open a session unilaterally.
Scoped to one listing
Private to the two parties and the specific property — not a general chat channel.
End-to-end encryption
Messages are encrypted with libsodium AEAD before storage — not readable in ordinary operations.
Immutable, timestamped record
Every entry is written once with a UTC timestamp; nothing can be edited or deleted afterwards.
The standing offer, always in view
Both sides see the latest offer and exactly where the negotiation stands — no ambiguity.
Downloadable audit report
On close, a print-ready PDF of the whole negotiation — every offer and response, in order.
A reference for your conveyancer
Hand the report to your solicitor as a clear chronology of the agreed price and how you got there.
Free to use
No credits are consumed — the broker is free for buyers and vendors alike.
Close anytime
Either party can end the session whenever they choose — you're never locked in.
What the private price broker does not do
Read this section carefully. Understanding what the broker cannot do is as important as understanding what it can.
Not legally binding
Offers exchanged through the broker are not legally binding contracts. In England and Wales, a property sale is only legally binding on exchange of contracts with solicitors. An agreed price in the broker is a statement of intent only — either party may withdraw at any time before legal exchange without financial penalty (subject to any separate arrangements made outside FYSH).
Not a substitute for solicitors
The broker does not replace conveyancing, legal due diligence, property searches, or any other part of the formal sale process. You must instruct a qualified solicitor or licensed conveyancer to handle the legal transfer of title. A price agreed in the broker is a starting point for that process, not a conclusion of it.
No payment or deposit handling
FYSH does not process, hold, or transfer any money in connection with the broker. No deposit, reservation fee, or payment of any kind is made through this feature. Any financial transaction — including a holding deposit if mutually agreed — must be arranged separately between solicitors.
No identity verification
The broker confirms that you are communicating with a registered, email-verified FYSH user. It does not verify that a buyer has mortgage approval, proof of funds, or the financial capacity to complete the purchase. Vendors should request evidence of funding directly through separate channels before committing to a sale.
Not a memorandum of sale
The broker record is not a memorandum of sale and cannot be submitted to a Land Registry, mortgage lender, or solicitor as formal evidence of agreement. A formal memorandum of sale is produced by the vendor's solicitor following legal instruction. That said, the downloadable audit report is a useful reference document — your conveyancer can use it to confirm the agreed price and review the negotiation history as they begin the legal process.
No guarantee of progression
An agreed price in the broker does not guarantee that the sale will proceed. Sales can fall through after agreement for many reasons — failed survey, mortgage withdrawal, change of circumstances, or gazumping. FYSH has no control over, and accepts no liability for, any outcome following a broker negotiation.
Not a general communication channel
The broker is restricted to structured price offers. It is not a general chat system. Questions about the property, viewing arrangements, or any non-price matter should be handled through the standard FYSH messaging feature, not the broker. Attempts to use the broker as a general chat may be flagged and removed by FYSH moderation.
No legal, financial, or survey advice
FYSH is a property marketing and negotiation platform. Nothing communicated through the broker — by either party or by FYSH — constitutes legal, financial, mortgage, surveying, or property valuation advice. All parties should take independent professional advice appropriate to their circumstances before committing to any property transaction.
How your negotiation is protected
Downloadable audit report
Once a broker session closes, both parties can download a formatted, print-ready PDF audit report. It lists every offer and response in chronological order with UTC timestamps, the final agreed price, and the property reference. Your conveyancer will find it a useful reference document when beginning the legal process — hand it to them alongside your formal instruction.
End-to-end encryption
All broker messages are encrypted using FYSH's libsodium AEAD encryption before storage. The content of your negotiation is not readable by FYSH staff in ordinary operations and cannot be extracted in plain text.
Immutable audit trail
Every message is written once with a UTC timestamp at the moment of submission. Neither party can edit, delete, or backdate any entry. The record as written is the record as it happened.
Access control
Only the vendor and buyer named on the specific EOI thread can access a broker session. The session is permanently linked to the property listing and cannot be transferred or shared with third parties through the FYSH platform.
Data retention
Broker records are retained in accordance with FYSH's Privacy Policy. If either party closes their account, the encrypted record is preserved for the retention period required by our legal obligations and then permanently deleted.
Ready to negotiate
on your terms?
The private price broker is available to all registered FYSH vendors and buyers at no cost. List your property to get started.
The private price broker does not constitute legal advice and does not create legally binding obligations. Always instruct a qualified solicitor before exchanging contracts on any property transaction.