Any decent ways of selling without agents

sweetd

Hi folks wish to sell property but still aghast at the extortionate fees the estate agents are asking, is there a site where you get decent coverage and do the viewings and negotiations yourself, I can't believe these cowboys are still thriving in the age of the internet! Any thoughts appreciated.

Mind_the_Gap

I agree; in many cases, estate (and letting) agents' fees have very little to do with the reality of the work required, or the level of professionalism involved.

I suspect it is in the interests of the big property portals to keep agents sweet though, by not accepting adverts from private individuals.

Also, there is a psychological barrier for some purchasers when it comes to dealing with the vendor directly. The hundreds of thousands of pound involved make them nervous and for some reason, they feel they are 'safer' with an agent.

There is nothing to stop you erecting your own 'For Sale' sign, producing fliers and targeting places where potential buyers might see them - large local employers, schools, hospitals, etc. You'd need a personal contact in those places, of course.

timmyt

Don't let strangers unchecked into your house. Use an agent. They can squeeze best price to pay their own fee.

googler

sweetd wrote: »

Hi folks wish to sell property but still aghast at the extortionate fees the estate agents are asking

How much is 'extortionate' in your area?

sweetd

well it is 1.5 % so it comes to £3200 and frankly this is month's net wages for someone with a decent job and all they are doing is what we all do each day on E Bay ie take photos and describe a product and negotiate a price (if you use best offer)......... to me they are not adding value, all a seller wants is the potential buyer out there to realise that that a house he is interested in is actually for sale..... all this "marketing your property sir is flannel"........ and at least the solicitors are qualified and unavoidable, the estate agents are ten a penny, wear a suit and the jobs more or less yours, is there a cheap way of getting onto the sites like Right Move for instance without using an agent

pill

Have a look at this thread https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3210448 post #8 - there are few links and options to getting your house onto rightmove.

http://www.tepilo.com/ - also lets you advertise your own property on their site for free.

sweetd

thanks pill will check these options out........

googler

sweetd wrote: »

well it is 1.5 % so it comes to £3200 and frankly this is month's net wages for someone with a decent job

Like any other business, the price/income has to be set to cover the expenses and outgoings, and leave a profit, otherwise there's no business.

Comparisons with net wages are misplaced, as you're not paying the EA a 'salary' directly, but a price, or their 'business income' from which expenses have to be met.

It's plain from the recent Mary Portas programme that London agents are expected to drive their viewers to and from office/properties, whereas this doesn't happen in other parts of the country. Notch up one fleet of vehicles, and all that goes with them, in the 'expenses' column.

sweetd

yes but none of them can explain why the middle range owners are subsidising the lower range owners eg someone with a house worth 200k pays twice as much as someone with a house worth 100k but the effort to sell is just the same, not right, and the on line sites charge up front but a small fee so if they can do it why can't the EA's - it is appalling how much they want

poppysarah

Some of the sales sites like houseladder.com get used round here... Well their boards been up for a long long time - mainly used cos people can't stand what the EA suggest as a price.

GAH

If you get a good agent they are worth their weight in gold,

They have advertising costs (websites,newspapers, flyers, printing costs)

time - travelling to and from showing your house, showing your house, time on the phone,

Costs on High street location, wages etc

Time again on chasing sale through.


There is a lot more to selling a home than sticking it on rightmove, most people that enquire about a home don't end up buying the one they enquired about. Thats where the agents real skill comes in matching buyers.


You will get relativly decent coverage sticking it on with an online agent, as long as your property is extremely comptetivly priced, but you do have to pay a lump upfront, so there is no motivation for the online agent to do anything then.

As for free sites, they are free for a reason, as you won't get any enquiries.