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Selling our flat online: a good experience, £4k saved
passingthrough
Posts: 5 Forumite
We've just exchanged on the sale of our London flat, the first time we've sold anything. After a lot of research, and valuations from local agencies (lowest commission 1.75%, though we might have been able to beat them down to 1.5%), we went with https://www.hatched.co.uk , which doesn't seem to have had much of a mention here.
Basically, we'd recommend them highly. There are various price points you can choose; we went with £100 up front, and £200 on completion (this has now changed to £200 + £200), which got us a visit from one of the guys who run it, DECENT photography, a full floor plan and 360 degree room shots. (We could have had a board too, but forgot to ask!). The downside, if you can call it that, is that you do the viewings yourself. Having also been looking at properties at the same time, I'm not sure this is such a bad thing; owners can answer all the questions in a way that agents can't. And besides which, it's not hard to show people around, and you can pick and choose the times you're available. We quite enjoyed it.
Hatched handle all the appointments, and call you to arrange times etc. All offers are made through them too, so basically they're just like a regular agent, which means that (crucially) they're up on rightmove and a bunch of other sites. The local agencies told me that 75% of their leads come via rightmove - possibly a little shortsighted, since it just reinforced our decision to go with an online agency.
Anyway, to cut a long story short, we sold our place quickly for a price which was only lower than Foxtons' ill-educated guesswork, and £20k higher than the biggest local agency's recommended price. Total saving on fees: around £4k. But just as importantly, I think the service we got was just as good, with updates, feedback and follow up calls right through the process.
I know it won't work for everyone (can't do viewings, or few people looking on rightmove) but if you're lucky enough to live somewhere where property is moving fast, then I can't see why you wouldn't give it a go, for a few weeks, at least. It's certainly the single largest cash saving we've made in recent years. (And nope, we have no financial interest in hatched, other than the saving they've made us on this sale.)
Good luck!
Basically, we'd recommend them highly. There are various price points you can choose; we went with £100 up front, and £200 on completion (this has now changed to £200 + £200), which got us a visit from one of the guys who run it, DECENT photography, a full floor plan and 360 degree room shots. (We could have had a board too, but forgot to ask!). The downside, if you can call it that, is that you do the viewings yourself. Having also been looking at properties at the same time, I'm not sure this is such a bad thing; owners can answer all the questions in a way that agents can't. And besides which, it's not hard to show people around, and you can pick and choose the times you're available. We quite enjoyed it.
Hatched handle all the appointments, and call you to arrange times etc. All offers are made through them too, so basically they're just like a regular agent, which means that (crucially) they're up on rightmove and a bunch of other sites. The local agencies told me that 75% of their leads come via rightmove - possibly a little shortsighted, since it just reinforced our decision to go with an online agency.
Anyway, to cut a long story short, we sold our place quickly for a price which was only lower than Foxtons' ill-educated guesswork, and £20k higher than the biggest local agency's recommended price. Total saving on fees: around £4k. But just as importantly, I think the service we got was just as good, with updates, feedback and follow up calls right through the process.
I know it won't work for everyone (can't do viewings, or few people looking on rightmove) but if you're lucky enough to live somewhere where property is moving fast, then I can't see why you wouldn't give it a go, for a few weeks, at least. It's certainly the single largest cash saving we've made in recent years. (And nope, we have no financial interest in hatched, other than the saving they've made us on this sale.)
Good luck!
0
Comments
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Sounds like you've hatched a sales pitch there0
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Nice first post.. Smells like an advert to me...0
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yeah I know, I'd be suspicious too, I don't blame you for thinking the same thing. I wondered about it before posting...but then thought what the hell, I don't have any vested interests - follow it up, ignore it, entirely up to you!0
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