# Estate agents



## Han2275 (Oct 3, 2010)

Sorry guys but not really sure where to put this post  

Just wondered if anyone had any advice re choosing an estate agent? 
We have been with the same agent for 10 weeks now and no sale  . We come to the end of our contract with them soon and are looking to choose someone else but there are just so many and they all seem to do the same thing really. Haart came round to see us last week and their brochures are very professional with great photos but their fees are 2%!!! We have 1% fees with our current agents. We have another company coming round tomorrow. Their fees are only £800 for everyone as they have premises away from the high street. They have the view that most people look for property on the internet these days so all the posh brochures and expensive premises are not necessary, so they can then hand over these savings to their customers by charging a lot less than everyone else. Of course when you ring them all they all say they will sell your house quickly blah blah blah  . We're not in a major hurry as relocating to Northern Ireland and will be renting and DS1 not starting school til next year, but it all just gets very disheartening and confusing.


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## Caz (Jul 21, 2002)

Oh estate agents... 

Yes, they will all tell you they'll sell your property quickly but that's because they want your cash! If you're in no hurry to sell, you can afford to be picky, but remember cheap isn't always best and, there's other considerations that may mean you're financially no worse off going with a higher commission and a quicker sale (particularly if house prices are dropping).

The other thing to bear in mind is how saleable is your area? In my road, properties used to sell within 48 hours but these days, typically they are on the market at least 12 weeks. My BIL's neighbour's house has been on the market 3 years! 10 weeks might not be a long time in you area. Your estate agent should be able to give you a rough guide of how quickly other similar properties in your road/area are selling.

Have you had many / any viewings with this agent? Can they tell you how many people have enquired about your property (and I think there's a way of measuring clicks on the internet sites too) If you've not even had interest yet I'd definitely be asking why not? It might also be worth looking to see where they list the property. Is it on line too? Rightmove and FindAProperty seem to be the main two and it ought to be on one - or preferably both - of those sites as well as their own website if they have one. Also how many photos / description of your property have they taken? Buyers will be looking for as much information as possible; if you only have pictures of your kitchen, bathroom, living room and master bedroom that's not much. As a buyer I'd want to see all rooms plus views from the front, rear and of the back garden and front/garage/parking spaces and a floorplan if possible. An agent that's putting the effort into selling you property ought to be able to do all that as part of the package (you're paying them enough!) Also check if your property will be advertised in local papers etc. 
Probably a good place to start would be to look at all the agent's own websites / brochures etc. and see what kind of information they provide as standard service. But also have a look at what prices similar properties are up for to see if you've been valued correctly (I had an agent a few years ago who vastly over-valued our house and his ability to sell it within a given timescale, given the market conditions.  ) It could be as simple as that. this site can tell you the sale prices of properties in your area: http://www.houseladder.co.uk/Information/House_Prices.aspx?gclid=CM-tt63PlKkCFQRP4QodH2eMdg

I'll pop this thread into the Time Out (general chit chat) boards as you'll get a wider response there. 

C~x

/links


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## ritzi (Feb 18, 2006)

we are in the middle of buying a house - found on the internet (rightmove), arranged a viewing and made an offer. have not stepped foot into the EA office and will only need to do so to pick up keys   
no glossy brochure, snazzy office necessary.... 

but 10 weeks is not long - how many viewings have you had? - look how you compare with similar houses? £ right? 

the house we bought was on the market for 2 weeks when we made the offer - but we wanted the location   

ritz


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## Springflower (May 23, 2010)

We've (hopefully!) just been through the process.  

I wouldnt worry too much about fees I think you should be able to get them down.  When I choose our agent I bartered the fees down (I said offers had offered x amount but I prefered their agemts so could we do something etc etc)  2% is far too high.  I've sold a flat this year and thst was 1% and have hopefully sold our house at 1.25%.  I don't think anywhere should be charging higher than 1.5%.  

When choosing your agent look at which agent usually sells in your street.  Also when you pick your new agent.  I would try to remember the reason why you bought the house and make sure they are mentionned in the blurb.  For me it was a sunny garden and being close to the station.

I would also hassle your agent, with the flat I was phoning every 2 days bugging them and I think that helped.

One thing to think about is have you set a realistic price for the house.  can you check to see what other have gone for in your area?  You may be pricing yourself out?  I know with the flat we ended up dropping the price by 20k and then eventually sold it.  In hindsight I should have listened to the estate agent who orginally told me it would sell for that price, but I ended up going with the estate agent who flattered us by saying it should be on for higher.  A complete waste of time!

Anyway hope that helps a bit.

Spring
x


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