“Sold STC” is a UK property term that means “sold subject to contract” : an offer has been accepted by the seller, but the sale is not yet legally binding and can still fall through.

What “Sold STC” Actually Means

  • The seller has accepted a buyer’s offer at an agreed price, usually after some negotiation.
  • The property is marked as sold subject to contract (often shown as “Sold STC” or “SSTC”) on portals and boards, signalling that a sale is in progress.
  • Legal work (conveyancing), surveys and mortgage arrangements are still underway, so either party can usually still walk away without legal penalties before exchange of contracts.

Where You’ll See “Sold STC”

  • On property websites like Rightmove and estate agents’ windows, it flags homes that are effectively “taken” but not fully sold yet.
  • Many agents stop actively marketing a home at this stage, though it may still appear online and some will accept backup interest or note your details in case the sale collapses.
  • In Scotland, a similar idea appears as “Sold STCM” (sold subject to conclusion of missives), where an accepted offer can become binding earlier in the process than in England and Wales.

Why It Matters For Buyers

  • If you’re looking and see “sold STC”, it usually means you’re too late for first place but might still have a chance if the sale falls through (chains, mortgage issues, survey problems, etc.).
  • You can ask the agent to register your interest so they call you if the existing buyer pulls out or if the seller invites other offers (sometimes called being “on the reserve list”).
  • Until contracts are exchanged, gazumping (seller accepting a higher offer) can still happen in England and Wales, which is why “sold STC” is less secure than a sale that has exchanged.

Why It Matters For Sellers

  • Marking a property “sold STC” tells others you have a committed buyer and starts the formal conveyancing timeline.
  • You’ll usually: instruct a solicitor, supply property information forms, cooperate with surveys, and wait for the buyer’s mortgage offer and searches.
  • The deal only becomes binding at exchange of contracts ; before then you can still accept another offer, though this can damage trust and delay your overall move.

Related Terms You Might See

  • Under offer / Sale agreed – often used interchangeably with “sold STC”: an offer accepted, but contracts not yet exchanged.
  • SSTC – simply another way of writing “sold subject to contract”, common on listings.
  • Sold (without STC) – usually used after exchange or completion, when the sale is legally tied in and then finished.

TL;DR: “Sold STC” = offer accepted and the sale is in progress, but nothing is legally guaranteed until contracts are exchanged and completion happens.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.