Who has sold a property using an online estate agent?

googler

Lit_Up wrote: »

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.

High-street and online agents are running businesses, both of which carry expense and outlays. These have to be paid, as do the salaries of those who run them.

Likewise, Rightmove is a business striving to make a profit. It makes this by charging EAs to place their properties there, and this is one of the outlays the EAs have to cover by charging you as the seller.

Why should you get a free lunch?


If you don't need one to rent a property, why do you need one to sell it?

Because of the way that the industry/profession has evolved, in parallel with the legislation that the Govt has put in place.

googler

What are hoping to get from this thread that you didn't get from your other one?

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4364063

googler

Lit_Up wrote: »

Look at airbnb.com. Free to list a property for rent.

That's a booking site for holiday rentals, not those with a landlord/tenant relationship.

MobileSaver

Sponge wrote: »

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.

I'm genuinely surprised at this; did the High St. EA advertise the house at the same price initially advertised by the online EA?

googler

Why does it surprise you?

The online agent advertises the house online.

The high street agent does the same, but also; displays it on the high street, cross-promotes it from activity on their other properties, could advertise it locally in print media, etc etc. ....

and you're surprised that the agent that does more activity achieves the sale?

Lit_Up

Googler can you please stop spamming this thread. If you must post, arrange your thoughts into one coherent post.

googler

Lit_Up wrote: »

Googler can you please stop spamming this thread. If you must post, arrange your thoughts into one coherent post.

Spamming what, or whom?

I mention no businesses by name, whereas others have. Who's spamming, if it's not them ... ? You're the one that mentioned the holiday rental website, not me.

If you're not happy with the way I post, you can use the 'report' function to alert the mods, but you've really got very little grounds to do so...

googler

Lit_Up wrote: »

Googler can you please stop spamming this thread. If you must post, arrange your thoughts into one coherent post.

...and this from someone who started two threads on the same topic.

Hmmm...

lessonlearned

MobileSaver wrote: »

I'm genuinely surprised at this; did the High St. EA advertise the house at the same price initially advertised by the online EA?

This comes as no surprise at all to me. (Ex EA for your delectation:D)

Whenever we had to sell a property that a vendor had tried to sell independently and failed it could be guaranteed that it would takes us far longer to sell this property than those that came straight to us.

Why???

Simple really - the house is "stale". Prospective purchasers have seen it hanging around for ages when other, similar properties, have come and gone.

When a property is on the market for a long time people become very suspicious - they automatically assume it is a "bad 'un" - even though it may be a perfectly nice house with nothing nasty lurking in the shadows.

They will always go for the one that is fresher to the market.

It may well be that in time EA's will become defunct, althougth I doubt it, for all the reasons that Googler and Nick have given. However, remember the old adage "Be careful what you wish for".

If you buy and sell through an EA there is some level of protection for all parties, when you by-pass the EA there are fewer safeguards. OK if your Solicitor is really on the ball, less so if they are not.

As for the poor damn fools who not only buy and sell independently but attempt their own conveyancing....Well what can I say except :eek::eek:

I think it's highly probable that the ways in which EA's trade may well change. They may ditch their High Street premises. They can be outrageously expensive and with the increasing reliance on an Internet presence they aren't as essential as they used to be.

EA's recognised the threat from the internet so they evolved and simply embraced the new technology to survive and thrive. This was something that a good many high street retailers failed to do so they went to the wall.

I think EA's will be here for some time to come, however, they may well evolve again - ditching the high street premises and becoming more home/office based.

If you have a good internet presence, a decent car and a home office then these days you don't really need an office in the middle of expensive retail trading areas.

PS Just added to say that if they felt they needed to keep an office based space then many of them would be better to move away from city centre primary retail trading areas because most of them are difficult to access, parking is always an issue and will deter those who just want to "nip down to the EA's office".

A secondary or peripherary area would be cheaper to rent and often has better car parking and access. Just a thought.....

Lit_Up

googler wrote: »

...and this from someone who started two threads on the same topic.

Hmmm...

You're just a bitter estate agent. Your professional days are numbered, get over it.

Also why should I trust a salesman with no qualification? Or anybody who professes to be in the know, when they actually left school at 16...