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Preparing to sell your care home

What will buyers look at in our market, and how does it look?

Register for early access All 153 councils · Ask Orrery · every guide

The market measures buyers and lenders use: occupancy, fees, future demand and quality.

When people use it: A year or more before a planned sale.

In the platform

How it works, step by step

  1. The market a buyer will see

    Occupancy, fees and supply trends, with England positions.

  2. Future demand

    A district moving into shortage supports value.

  3. Your margin

    Model your home with its own figures.

What you see

The views you will use

Orrery platform: The market a buyer will see, Kent example
The market a buyer will see (Kent example)
Orrery platform: Future demand, Kent example
Future demand (Kent example)
Orrery platform: Your margin, Kent example
Your margin (Kent example)
Ask Orrery

Ask the data in plain English

A real question and answer from Ask Orrery, the assistant inside the platform, for a care home owner in Kent (October 2026). It answers only from Orrery's data and the subscriber's own documents, and shows its sources.

What will buyers look at in the Kent market if I sell my care home next year?

Buyers price the market as well as the home. In Kent, the main points they will see are:

  • Occupancy: 87.9% over 12 months, against an England median of 87.7% (Capacity Tracker). The guide calls this "soft".
  • Fees: The council's last fee rise was +11.6%. Its residential fee is £1,187 a week and its nursing fee is £1,378, against England medians of £965 and £1,068 (DHSC MSIF rates).
  • Self funders: 43% of residents, against 33% in England (ONS estimates).
  • Future demand: The 85+ population is projected to grow 51% to 2035, against 41% in England (ONS). However, the Orrery model shows 3,250 spare beds in 2030. Spare capacity can reduce value, while a district heading into shortage supports it.
  • Quality: 79% of homes are rated Good or better, against 84% in England (CQC).

These projections rest on stated assumptions and are not forecasts. A buyer will also look at your own margin. The typical Kent margin in the model is 27.4% (EBITDARM), and yours will differ.

This is not financial advice, so take professional advice before selling.

Reading it well
Related scenarios
Buying a care home or groupLender assessing a care home loan or refinance

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