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MSE News: Home information packs 'more expensive' via estate agents
Former_MSE_Guy
Posts: 1,650 Forumite
This is the discussion thread for the following MSE News Story:
"Sellers can pay £300 more for their home information pack (Hip) if they get it from an estate agent, research out today shows.
Consumer group Which? says it's often cheaper to buy via independent providers ..."
"Sellers can pay £300 more for their home information pack (Hip) if they get it from an estate agent, research out today shows.
Consumer group Which? says it's often cheaper to buy via independent providers ..."
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Comments
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Would defninately agree. We were in a hurry to get our house on the market in Ester and thought the fastest way of doing this was to go through our estate agent. Hindsight is a wonderfull thing.
Why are the government continuing with hips anyway? I have had a few viewings and not one has asked to see the hips. Our estate agent agreed that they are a waste of money....0 -
Halifax most expensive? You are having a laugh, mine cost £600 through a surveyor and I live in a 5 year old house in Scotland. I think they are a waste of time in new property. I can see the advantage in and old property though. Our previous estate agent wanted to charge £700 but said they would refund in 9 months if the property sold which was not likely since they were appalling and they wanted to charge and extra .3 of percent so it was a con anywaySmile though your bank is breaking:)0
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You should never buy anything via an Estate Agent!! LOL - you have to be careful with these cheap home information packs. Most solicitors get you to commit to using them for conveyancing in return for the cheap hip price. Fridays Property Lawyers (the cheapest hip listed) don't though - so that price is a real bargain - if you can get it!0
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A friend of mine is putting her place on the market & just agreed to go with the EA Hips package as she doesn't have to pay anything until the property sells - mind you, this is the same person who just phoned one agency as 'they're good' despite never having sold before!Total Debt 13th Sept 2006 (exc student loan): £6240.06 :eek:
O/D 1 [strike]£1250 [/strike]O/D 2 [strike]£100[/strike] Next a/c [strike]£313.55[/strike]@ 26.49% Mum [strike]£130[/strike] HSBC [strike]£4446.51[/strike]@15.75%[STRIKE]M&S £580.15@ 4.9%[/STRIKE]
Total Debt 30th April 2008: £0 100% paid off!
PROUD TO [STRIKE]BE DEALING [/STRIKE] HAVE DEALT WITH MY DEBT
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My Agent wanted £300 + VAT. I put my details in online and got 2 x HIP people contacting me locally. The one I picked charged £180 all in. He also told me he does the HIPS for my Estate Agent!0
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I was quoted around £500ish (for a leasehold, central London), but the agent that told me was obviously embarrassed by the price!
I went online, and ended up paying about £280 with an online providor - they were a little slow, but overall provided a very good service, and did exactly what was required.0 -
As with everything, it all depends and you need to shop around - we got our HIP from our EA at £99 +VAT, as they were doing a special offer to get business...
lelole0 -
A friend of mine is putting her place on the market & just agreed to go with the EA Hips package as she doesn't have to pay anything until the property sells - mind you, this is the same person who just phoned one agency as 'they're good' despite never having sold before!
Who 'owns' the HIP in this case? Your friend will find that if the house doesn't sell and/or she decides to switch agent, she will need to start again as the agent will keep the HIP.
If you buy the HIP yourself, it's yours and you can switch agents without worrying about the HIP.0 -
That's good advice! We got a HIP recently when selling and were glad we had no hassles if changing estate agent.Who 'owns' the HIP in this case? Your friend will find that if the house doesn't sell and/or she decides to switch agent, she will need to start again as the agent will keep the HIP.
If you buy the HIP yourself, it's yours and you can switch agents without worrying about the HIP.
There are a few websites out there which can get you multiple quotes from local HIP providers, trustedlocal.com is one. Use your estate agent to sell your house and a HIP provider to produce your HIP!
(Disclaimer - I'm involved with this website so would recommend it, but alternatively look in the yellow pages and you'll be able to find local HIP providers yourself.)0 -
Used a Hips Provider who was an independant so if you switch estate agents it does'nt matter because you own the Hips not the Estate Agents.
Estate Agents always try to make a quick buck for nothing. We used BKS Home Information Services - They were very good and helpfull £249 incl0
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