Who has sold a property using an online estate agent?

Lit_Up

And which one did you use?

MobileSaver

Lit_Up wrote: »

And which one did you use?

Me, used HouseNetwork and saved several thousand pounds compared to using a local High Street EA.

Lister_2

Housenetwork. Posted my experience here

Lit_Up

There should be a way for owners to sell their own properties without the need for agents. I fail to see why these fees are justified, even for online estate agents. Lots of other "agents" have disappeared with the internet. Travel agents for example.

If Rightmove opened itself up to people selling their own properties, rather than using the service of an agent to access the database (which is a total con) - then you wouldn't need agents. Look at airbnb.com. Free to list a property for rent. No agent needed. If you don't need one to rent a property, why do you need one to sell it?

nick100*2007

But who would regulate it and make sure you weren't misleading buyers? It is the agents job to take responsibility for all legislation and believe me there is loads of it. If you don't know 100% what you are doing it could be more costly.

Sponge

I tried to sell via an online agent and I sometimes wonder if it was a waste of money.

Hardly a viewing in over 2 years. No advice. They take your money, place the online advert and forget about you.

I finally gave in and instructed a high street EA. I've been using both for the last 9 months and recently got a sale through the high street agent.

Sometimes, I wonder if I'd just gone via them in the first place, if things would have been different. There's no way to know.

I had to try online as the potential savings can be huge, but, and I hate to admit it, there is still a difference and I fear high street is the way to go. Just remember to negotiate hard on fees and sub 1% is possible.

Lit_Up

nick100*2007 wrote: »

But who would regulate it and make sure you weren't misleading buyers? It is the agents job to take responsibility for all legislation and believe me there is loads of it. If you don't know 100% what you are doing it could be more costly.

What? You don't need ANY qualifications to be an estate agent. The majority don't know their !!!! from their elbow. Most can't even use a camera. They don't take responsibility for nothing. They're just middlemen. When you buy a property you get solicitors and surveyors involved. THEY do the legwork and underwrite legislation.

It's time that the industry was democratised. Rightmove is afraid of opening up its listings to private sellers because the agents (who have a monopoly) would object and withdraw to their rival, primelocation. But at some point, a business model will emerge which will enable sellers to list their properties for free (or for less than 50 quid) on a comprehensive database like rightmove (or similar). Then estate agents will shrink as an industry or just become property managers.

Thank god. As I said - if you can rent a property online without an estate agent, you should be able to sell one.

mymemory

My mum used Housenetwork.co.uk, but don't expect them or any other estate agent to "sell" your house - it's up to you.

Estate agents will take pictures and post them on websites, and put pictures in their shops, but as more and more things going online, rightmove and zoopla are increasingly becoming the places people to go to search online, so I helped my mum get her house up to scratch, then placed it on housenetwork using voucher code: JPAIEZEFDW which saved her 5% off the price.
They advertise on rightmove and zoopla and she got plenty of viewings.

I would strongly recommend that if you want to sell your house, make sure it is priced right and presentable before using any estate agents, online or otherwise.

Hope that helps.

Sdk2012

We have just sold our house through an online agent using myhouseadvert.co.uk

We are extremely happy with their service.
House visit, photos, floor plan and EPC scheduled quickly at our convienience. The advert was up within 2 days and we had our first viewing appointment within 2days of the advert going up.

More importantly the house sold within 4 days- cost for sale £70 (+ EPC and optional floor plan costs).

Dixons quoted us £3k including VAT.


I'm so happy that I registered on this forum to post this (long time lurker)

googler

Lit_Up wrote: »

What? You don't need ANY qualifications to be an estate agent. The majority don't know their !!!! from their elbow. Most can't even use a camera. They don't take responsibility for nothing. They're just middlemen. When you buy a property you get solicitors and surveyors involved. THEY do the legwork and underwrite legislation.

So the Estate Agency Act, the Consumer Protection Legislations, and the Properties Misdescriptions Act, all of which EAs are expected to be familiar with, and abide by, are legislatures which are 'underwritten' (whatever that means) by solicitors and surveyors, then ....?

Are you sure about this?

Have you any notion of what the penalties are under the Properties Misdescriptions Act?

googler

Lit_Up wrote: »

It's time that the industry was democratised. Rightmove is afraid of opening up its listings to private sellers because the agents (who have a monopoly) would object and withdraw to their rival, primelocation.

What would be the benefit of this democratisation, if any, to buyers?

The PMA and CPR regulations mentioned above, and the EA Act 1979 exist for the protection of buyers, so that they can be assured that descriptions are accurate, that they're not being misled about what they're buying.

This was the point being made by nick100*2007 above, but you seem to have mis-read it as a point about qualifications.

How would you ensure the same level of consumer protection for buyers who buy from private sellers?