NEED to sell house but what to do with estate agents

des123

hi

finaly we decided to put house on market :j . Its a first time buyers house. We got 4 agents around and valued . Three agents all valued the same and the other was not far off. Was not we expected with the price but i guess we have to go with this value due to market condition.

We signed a contract with one agent for 12 weeks for a fee of 1.5 . now the problem we are not sure if we made the right decision as they seem to be not driven to get our house sold. its been 9 weeks and they are slow at things

Just wondering if anyone knows if its worth going duel agency . Would this drive a better sale . We did enquire about it with a few other agents but they said the fees would be at 2.7 % to 3% if going duel agency . This is far too high. Does anyone know a way around to get a good deal with duel agency. anyone had any recomendations or experiences.

Please advise as we want to sell quickly as possible.

rlfan82

More than 1 board would appear to me to be someone who is desperate,and maybe accept a low offer. Better off swapping after the initial period.

We werent impressed with our EA, I sent them an email at the 'evaluation' period, after 3 months, and basically told them what we werent happy with. Big improvement after that

G_M

Switch agent. Don't agree to 12 weeks. When they are trying to sell themselves before you sign they'll say how great they are - at that point say 'then you're confident you can find a buyer in a month or so? - great I'll sign a 6 week sole agency agreement with you.'

jmt

What made you use this EA over the others that valued at the same price?

When I am looking for property, I look at Rightmove every day - does your agent advertise on Rightmove?

Is your agent a local or national company. I have just sold a property and in my area I used a local agency that has 4 offices and I was very happy with them. My sister used a national company and they were useless.

kentishdoris

I agree, switch agent at the end of 12 weeks. It's only 3 weeks away now so not worth paying the extra to go multi-agency and I also think that more than one board at any one time probably makes people suspicious.

Make sure you check what you need to do to end the agreement with your current EA now - they'll probably want 2 weeks notice in writing otherwise the contract will just roll on.

des123

So am i right to think that at this stage i should NOT go duel agency . what if i stay with the same agent and let him roll on at 1% with no tie ins . less 0.5% what the initial fee and then get a new agent at 1.5 % and have only his board up. this agent we are with now does advertise on rightmove and local papers and has three shops . but is a independant small local agent. we went with a national co-operate agent and had the worst nightmare . we ended the contract within 5 days of signing. but now this new agent we are with is so slow at things. we nare not fussy and being over demanding . only one vieweing so far.after 9 weeks is not acceptable when our house is a first time buyers house . where we live is a nice area . our house is lovely and all done up . i really dont know what this agent is doing and why they cannot get people to view this property . we are getting so frustrated as nothing keeps happienng . when we ask and ring them they saying they are trying and cant force people to view . we arevtied in for another three weeks and then two weeks notice .

Do you think we should hold back going duel agency as its only been 9 weeks ?. should we give more time for another agent to give a try?. all the agents we contacted are been very difficult at negotiating selling fees . all want 1.5 to 1.7% .

any futher advise would be appreciated and thanks everyone .

lellow_lorry

I personally think dual agency is a waste of time....better finding a good agent in the area that does a good job.....dual agency can put out an impression of desperation...remamber nearly all advertise on rightmove where 99% of house hunters tend to check now. So multiple adverts does not do your property any favours in this case. Most people question why? and whats wrong with it. Also the key thing to you is commision which most will charge you as much as 3% for multiple agency..ouch! Good luck with the sale.Only my opinion (4 sales 5 buys in 8 years)so go with what you think is right.

des123

what about national agents to independant agents ? would this make a difference .

tabskitten

I do not think that there are any ''right'' answers here. As with anything it depends on the circumstances, the house, the particular agent, the area........

As sellers we are all in agony at the moment, there is no 'key factor' that is going to guarantee you a sale. you just have to do your best.

Davesnave

des123 wrote: »

what about national agents to independant agents ? would this make a difference .

No. No matter how useless the agent is, if the property is on Rightmove and looks good value then you will get some interest. The chances are that it doesn't look that way, which might be the agent's fault, if the pictures and other presentation are bad.

At the moment, things are slow, and that's as true of FTB properties as any others. If you can give more detail about the type of property and the area, without identifying exactly where, then there might be others on here who can give local feedback.

Besides changing your agent when the 12 weeks are up, you can get on the case of the one you have now. Have a hard look at the Rightmove advert, get friends to do the same and get honest feedback. If you can see room for improvement, get it altered with new photos if necessary; it isn't rocket science.

In the final analysis, there is only one thing that will shift a property quickly, and that is a keen price. In current conditions, it's no good just matching others; if you are in a hurry, you must beat them. That may not be what you want to hear, but nine weeks is no time at all for marketing, as others will confirm. However, you do want some viewings, especially early on,so what you do now will likely be a mix of altering price and presentation.

If you NEED to sell (your capitals) then you need to be pro-active and that may mean being 'fussy,' as you put it, not so much about the agent, but about the way the property looks to others and how it relates to those competing with it, because it is a competition.

Middlers

des123 wrote: »

. we are tied in for another three weeks and then two weeks notice .

In one week's time give two weeks notice and move to another agency.