Estate Agent Fees

[stonecircle 10]

Before anybody makes the dire mistake of setting foot into an estate agents (you know, the ones with all the offices, adverts and flash cars driving round with their name on it - all of which you pay for) read this.

 

Thanks for the link, looks like we had a lucky escape when selling my late parents house, we started with Saxton Mee who over valued and ended up with Blundells who did at least manage to sell it.

Edited August 13, 2011 by stonecircle
typo

[foxwater 10]

Before anybody makes the dire mistake of setting foot into an estate agents (you know, the ones with all the offices, adverts and flash cars driving round with their name on it - all of which you pay for) read this.

 

This was very useful and has made me even more certain that I will not be using one of the larger estate agencies!!

 

Especially Haybrook as what i've seen of them so far purely just to arrange viewing a property has appeared to be a hassle for them!!

 

But do you think the smaller estate agents would be the same?

[mamasquirrel 10]

There are quite a few online estate agencies to choose from - just google "online estate agents"; we looked at a few, found some reviews, and chose the one that starts with "Ha*****" (not sure if I'm allowed to blatently name them!).

[wchads 10]

total rip off in this current climate the fees they charge

[Total Chaos 10]

There are quite a few online estate agencies to choose from - just google "online estate agents"; we looked at a few, found some reviews, and chose the one that starts with "Ha*****" (not sure if I'm allowed to blatently name them!).

 

Halifax?.....

[Xtreme 10]

We weighed it up and decided to go with an online estate agency - apparently over 80% of people looking for houses look on sites like Rightmove etc and don't step foot in an estate agent's office (which I can identify with, as I only look on Rightmove!). We paid £250 upfront (to get it online on sites like Rightmove, photos, floorplan, EPC, photos, for sale board etc), and will pay £200 upon completion. We decided it was worth gambling £250 against the 2K + that estate agents would take!

 

The online estate agency so far has been brilliant - and people who've come to view have also said how impressed they were with the speed of service from them to arrange viewings. In contrast, I've contacted a couple of local estate agencies recently to try to arrange going to view houses and it was like pulling teeth! One didn't even get back to me at all! It has made me question what they do to earn their huge commissions!

 

 

Can you please pm me the online agency you used, thinking of putting house on market

 

thanks

[mc55 10]

we have also had issues trying to get viewings for properties that are being marketed by Haybrook and yet they are on the phone non-stop trying to get us to sign up with them.

 

We were thinking of signing with Blundells - but they want 1.5% and £800 for marketing ... how have others got cheaper deals ?

 

I'm also interested in the online estate agents and would appreciate pms with experiences / details. Thanks

[BoroB 10]

Has anyone used JMC estate agents to sell?

 

From their website they offer a similar service to the large agencies but at around a quarter of the cost.

[Evei 10]

I think if you can get on rightmove.co.uk you should be fine.

 

The only time I stepped into an estate agents was when they insisted I showed them proof of a morgage request so I could veiw a house they had advertised in right move. Which I thought was wrong as they then knew our upper limits and how much they could push for in a sale so we stopped looking at houses through them.

 

After that we never bothered going around estate agents as I felt they were underhand and did all our searching online. I actually felt quite sorry that the selller had to pay his fees as the house we bought was only up for sale 1 week and we spotted it when driving and then looked it up on rightmove. The photographs and write ups are not exactly hard to do and they did nothing during the transaction of the sale that I as a seller would not be able to answer.

Edited August 14, 2011 by Evei

[Jeffrey Shaw 90]

It's bizarre that Estate Agents mostly stick with a fixed % fee. Solicitors' fixed % fees were abolished decades ago.

[DaFoot 10]

We've been looking into feasibility of selling our flat recently and had a couple of valuation visits from agents. They put it about the price I would have asked for without them visiting.

 

Both suggested fixed fees to include marketing via their website, brochures, local papers but also rightmoove/zoopla et al.

 

One wanted £2k, with nothing payable if not sold and the other wanted more like £2.5 payable when we sell OR if we withdraw from market or if not sold within 9 months. So the second one I'd have to pay regardless.

 

The agent asking for £2k promised he would show people around the property, meaning we wouldn't have to be in - that is worth something more than the marketing in my opinion as I could happily do the online marketing.

 

For a £70k ish asking price, £2k seems quite steep to me (around 2.85% if my maths is correct).

[Jeffrey Shaw 90]

Like I said: EA fees are grotesquely overpriced, compared to those of solicitors!