How to find local a Independent EA?

RedfordML

Seen the following advice:

Use an indepedent estate agent NEVER a coporate/national one with chains of offices, as local ones count on their reputation in the community and have no head office to support them.

Does anyone know how I can access Independent Estate Agents in my local area? Directory list etc/websites??

ty

JQ.

Personally, I don't agree with that statement at all. The quality of the EA is totally dependant on the actual EA / Manager of the branch you use and how good they are. We've used the same guy for our last 3 sales and he's been absolutely fantastic. He's the manager of a branch of national EA's but has worked in the same branch for the last 10 years and is very good at his job. There are plenty of small firms who are crap as well.

If you plan to pick your EA based on the yellow pages or walking down the local High Street then it's a complete lottery.

The only way to get a good EA is to ask everyone you know and get recommendations. Speak to your neighbours, work colleagues, the guy in the pub.

Also if someone slates an EA don't always discount them - find out why they don't like them. It may be that they were the buyer and the EA managed to get them to pay too much for the property, always a good sign.

G_M

The advice you quote comes from a source on here (I suspect) who regularly quotes it in relation to solicitors AND estate agents. It is a point of view.

Where EAs are concerned, in addition to JQ's sensible comment above, membership of a professional body should be a key factor in your choice. Bear in mind also that with a national chain you also normally get a) an internal code of practice (which admitedly may or may not be asiduously followed locally - but at least it is specified) and b) a higher authority (Head or Regional Office) to whom you can complain IF things go wrong.

I'm not saying there are not excellent local EAs - obviously there are. Just as there are terrible national chains. But the quote you provide above is VERY simplistic and a gross generalisation.

betmunch

I have to say I disagree with the advice you are following, however I see where it comes from.

Each EA must be judged on their individual merits, with particular attention to the staff that work in the branch that will be marketting your property.

National chain EA's will often have their hands tied over what fees they can charge, but if they have the best staff in town then its got to be worth paying their higher fees to get their services.

Look out for the EA that convinces you they can sell their house for more than the rest, the is one National Chain that is notorious for this, but its a tactic they can all use.

I would get a few quotes in and the maybe summarise everything back here and everyone will help you choose.

Good Luck

tyllwyd

The first place to look for estate agents in your local area is probably to keep an eye out for 'For Sale' signs as you drive around. That will give you a good idea of who is active in the area. Have a look in the local paper to see who is advertising. You could have a look on rightmove, and have a search for houses similar to yours, and see who they are on with. Another internet site is home.co.uk - you cand find statistics on estate agents there. Ask around to see if anyone has any recommendations.

Then have a look at websites, have a walk down the high street & see their offices, get two or three round to give you a quote - and see who you like best!

We've moved a few times, and I would agree that the quality of the service you get does depend on the individual agent you are dealing with. Having said that, we are currently with an independent EA with only two partners, and I do prefer that rather than dealing with a branch of a national chain.

Yorkie1

G_M wrote: »

The advice you quote comes from a source on here (I suspect) who regularly quotes it in relation to solicitors AND estate agents.

And you'd be right

timmyt

OP follow the advice and you will do far better, make sure you read the whole of the post that gacve that advice as everything is reported directly to me first hanmd by those affected. None is my guesswork.

Don't follow it and we may see your own post on this forum with your disaster

Yorkie1

timmyt wrote: »

OP follow the advice and you will do far better, make sure you read the whole of the post that gacve that advice as everything is reported directly to me first hanmd by those affected. None is my guesswork.

Don't follow it and we may see your own post on this forum with your disaster

Oh for heavens' sake, timmyt, that is just plain ridiculous. There are good and bad apples in every single cart. I do not doubt that some national chains have produced bad experiences for people for whom you have done the conveyancing. Ask any conveyancer and they will be able to tell such tales. But I'll bet they can also give loads of examples where national chains have been used and there have been no problems.

To categorically state that the OP will end up with a woeful tale needing advice here is a) impossible to predict, and b) unnecessarily scaremongering.

A friend of mine who is currently selling a house has just sacked a local independent EA who was completely cr*p. Your constant harping on without any recognition of the whole range of competence from all strands of a profession is tedious, undermining any integrity the rest of your posts might have had, and counterproductive.

G_M

Yorkie1 wrote: »

Oh for heavens' sake, timmyt, that is just plain ridiculous. There are good and bad apples in every single cart. I do not doubt that some national chains have produced bad experiences for people for whom you have done the conveyancing. ....

Timmy is, I assume, a solicitor with his own firm or working in a small local firm. He's been told countless times about the irrationality of generalisations but somehow it just doesn't get through....

Frankly if he were typical of 'local solicitors' I'd go for a national any time rather than give him or his like my conveyancing business.

Fortunately he's not typical. There are good local firms of solicitors....

googler

timmyt wrote: »

OP follow the advice and you will do far better, make sure you read the whole of the post that gacve that advice as everything is reported directly to me first hanmd by those affected. None is my guesswork.

Don't follow it and we may see your own post on this forum with your disaster

You're like a stuck record.

timmyt

Happy to PM you OP, or vice versa, as the posters' advice is all theory, and yet I have woeful stories first hand, hence my comments - ignore the latter posters, I witness personal attacks on me and others from time to time