Estate Agent - Valuation

[Kateykrunch 10]

We are 'considering' downsizing and want to have an initial idea of the value of our property. I am aware that many estate agents will give a free valuation and advise of their selling fees, what I want to know is.....do they always take the photos at this visit, I wouldn't want that, I want to stage it a bit to get the best look for the property.

[Cyclone 10]

No, they won't take photos until you decide to list the house for sale with them.

[geared 319]

You can do the same job as them for nothing using Rightmove/Zoopla.

 

Look at similar houses in the area, see what price they are being advertised at.

Look at similar houses in the area that have sold recently, see what price they actually sold for.

 

There are slight adjustments depending on condition, extra features etc

Obviously a massive extension or loft conversion usually adds a decent bit of money.

[vincentb 10]

We are 'considering' downsizing and want to have an initial idea of the value of our property. I am aware that many estate agents will give a free valuation and advise of their selling fees, what I want to know is.....do they always take the photos at this visit, I wouldn't want that, I want to stage it a bit to get the best look for the property.

 

No, they won't be taking photos at the valuation visit - the estate agent staff and the photographer are usually different people and work differently. And anyway, any good estate agent would let you set up the house properly first before sending a photographer.

[Interlaken 10]

Just ask for' a market appraisal'. That's just quick view to get a price and see if you MIGHT want to sell.

It's free.

[misspedantic 11]

You can look at http://www.nethouseprices.com and that will indicate recent completed sale prices in your postcode. It does take 5 or 6 months before the most recent sales are updates.

[biotechpete 10]

The RICS, and I think estate agents too, have access to more recent transaction data from the land registry. It's a paid for service though.

[mlfc 10]

We'd be happy to give you a valuation. No obligation, no photos and no charge, just a cuppa required. You can even have a free copy of our book, The 39 Steps to a Successful House Sale

[Ghost Train 10]

We are 'considering' downsizing and want to have an initial idea of the value of our property. I am aware that many estate agents will give a free valuation and advise of their selling fees, what I want to know is.....do they always take the photos at this visit, I wouldn't want that, I want to stage it a bit to get the best look for the property.

 

Get two or three valuations. Play them off against each other on the fee. I've just put my house on the market with a highly regarded agent for roughly half of their normal fee. That will save me over a thousand quid.

[mogwai84 10]

definitely get a few. each one will take about 15 mins for the valuation and about 20 mins for the sales pitch. but we found that across the 5 we had there was over 15% difference in the valuation price, which is quite a lot, especially as the house was worth less than £200k.

[NetherSheff 10]

While everyone want's to minimise their costs of sale, in the majority of case having a knowledgeable, competent, proactive and communicative agent will be worth their fees several times over. I have personally had experience of using very good and very crap agents. So don't be fooled by 0.25% cheaper fee and a shiny cheap next suit.

 

And if you really think you want the hassle of dealing with your own sale, be prepared to spend significant time dealing with enquiries, tire kickers, and human's who say one thing and do another. It's not a free lunch!

[perplexed 10]

Another thing is to not necessarily go with the one who gives you the higher valuation. If it's unrealistic, the house could just stick unless you're prepared to shift on price or are lucky.

 

Last time we sold, we had I think 4 valuations. Three were within 3 or 4 thousand of each other, the last one was 30K more! The agent with the higher valuation thought I was disappointed, going on the look on my face. I said 'no, I think you're way over valuing it, it'll never shift!'