Choosing an agent! 1% and 1 week lock in going down like a lead balloon!

Bluemeanie_2

Hello,

Wanting to get house on the market. It's quite low value (looking to market at £110k with a view to selling at £105k.

I've had 4 agents around. 3 fixed fee and 1 wants 1.5% commission plus vat. They fixed fees are coming in at:

Connells £2250 haggled them down to £2000. Lock in 12 weeks manager ringing back with minimum time they'll do.

Haart £1990 with 16 weeks lock in. Didn't get right vibe of them so not bothered to haggle as won't be using them.

Taylor's Property Services commission of 1.5% and lock in of 12 weeks manager ringing back with minimum lock in.

William Bourne haggled down to £2000 as we'll. 20 week lock in, haggled down to 12 weeks with the valuer, said he'll ask his managing director for shorter lock in.

I'm been blunt with all of them and said if you're confident with your customer services then why are you worried about negotiating a short lock in. They say they need to be given a chance. Fair doos they're a business and there to make money.

Has anyone haggled down to a weeks lock in? Like the selling guide on this website suggests?

Connells and William Bourne have tried to sell me an extra package up front for fancy photos etc.

Looked at Emoov is that any good!

In need of help peeps please!

Strapped

I think it's only fair to accept a few weeks "lock in" if the EA will be having some initial outlay in terms of photographing and marketing your property. In the past, I've agreed 6 weeks, which should be plenty of time for you to see whether they are getting people through the door or not, but short enough to still market if you change agents (esp at this time of year). On a low value property, you'll be lucky to do better than 1.5%. Personally I wouldn't use Connells as they have a lot of "trainees".

Bluemeanie_2

Thanks. I was following the advice with the 1 week lock in. If I was to go for a superior package where they're asking me to outlay nearly £400 I wouldn't accept more than 4 weeks as they've already got some of their costs. Any used Emoov? Or an online agent?

ACG

If i was an estate agent i wouldnt lock in to 1 week.

Be realistic, it goes on right move on day 1.
People may not see it for a day or 2 (assuming they are looking often), they then have to book an appointment to see it.

It could be a week before the first viewing is done, what about a potential second viewing? (personally i dont do second viewings i know if i want it or not but not all people are the same). So with a 1 week lock in, the person viewing could just cut out the EA and come directly to you and the EA can do very little.

I think realistically you are going to be looking at a 2 month minimum tie in.

Your alternative would be to use an online agency where they charge a set fee to list your property on rightmove.

googler

One week isn't enough for a significant proportion of the buying public to even notice that you're for sale, never mind get themselves in gear to come along and view your house, so I'd suggest that's a ludicrously short timescale to allow any agent to sell your home.

And that's even without considering the practicality of them going through the rigmarole of signing you up, measuring up, photographing, setting up the marketing, only to have you walk away after one week.

Essentially, it makes no business sense at all to do this.

Bluemeanie_2

Let me clarify what I mean when I say a week lock in period. When I say 1 week lock in, I don't mean I'm going to expect a miracle or a sale in a week! I mean if I'm unhappy after a while like no viewings etc and I get a friend to mystery shop etc and I'm not happy I want to get out pretty quick. Not be stuck with them for a further 12 weeks as I'm locked into a 20 week contract. I thought it was quite short myself when I first read it on the "guide to selling" on this website but being the money saver I am I thought I'd go for it! You have to start negotiation somewhere.

I wasn't expecting to get 1% hence why I pointed out the house is low value so £2000 or 1.5% does seem reasonable. It's being trapped with a useless service I don't want.

After 12 weeks with Haart my friend was not impressed as they'd not done anything. Tried to sack them off and then found out she couldn't for another 2 months. I don't want to be in that situation. She changed agents her house sold in a week.

googler

So you want the option to arbitrarily judge their service within a week, and then, with no opportunity for them to dispute this or reason with you, nor for them to go through any complaints procedure or arbitration, you want to be able to exit from the agreement straight away?

Again, from a business's point of view, this makes no sense for them to participate at all on this basis.

From the public's point of view, they could well look at you hopping from agent to agent and wonder why. They could well think you're an argumentative so-and-so who can't get along with anyone, and avoid your house altogether.

Bluemeanie_2

googler wrote: »

So you want the option to arbitrarily judge their service within a week, and then, with no opportunity for them to dispute this or reason with you, nor for them to go through any complaints procedure or arbitration, you want to be able to exit from the agreement straight away?

Again, from a business's point of view, this makes no sense for them to participate at all on this basis.

From the public's point of view, they could well look at you hopping from agent to agent and wonder why. They could well think you're an argumentative so-and-so who can't get along with anyone, and avoid your house altogether.

Yes and no. Not within a week as such. I just don't want to be stuck with an agency who are not for filling all the promises they have given me for weeks on end. I think 8 weeks is a fair amount of time for them to do all they promised with regard to getting it on websites and ringing buyers on their lists. I see using an agent the same way I would any other service. I'm the customer so if I wasn't happy I wouldn't bother with arbitration etc I'd just take my business elsewhere. So yes I do want that option. I wouldn't arbitrate with Asda etc I'd just shop elsewhere.

Forgive my naïvety I've never sold a house before so I turned to this site for advice and the selling guide advises to aim for a week lock in so I thought I'd start from there. I didn't realise it so badly thought of to even suggest it or I wouldn't have bothered.

Principia_2

Do you mean a weeks notice period with say a 4-6 weeks lock in period? So after that time you can give a weeks notice to end the agreement?

If so then it might be that the EAs are misunderstanding you.

Personally I would consider an online Estate Agent in your position if you have a property suitable for a younger market. one that you think will sell easily at the price you have set and you are definitely going to sell and do not want an EA to show prospective buyers round.

Fee up front and no lock in or multi agency problems with them. Read the terms and conditions as some vary as to what included eg amount of photos, marketing times, floorplans etc. You can look up reviews on each one and a few of them have threads discussing them too here.

Bluemeanie_2

Principia wrote: »

Do you mean a weeks notice period with say a 4-6 weeks lock in period? So after that time you can give a weeks notice to end the agreement?

If so then it might be that the EAs are misunderstanding you.

Personally I would consider an online Estate Agent in your position if you have a property suitable for a younger market. one that you think will sell easily at the price you have set and you are definitely going to sell and do not want an EA to show prospective buyers round.

Fee up front and no lock in or multi agency problems with them. Read the terms and conditions as some vary as to what included eg amount of photos, marketing times, floorplans etc. You can look up reviews on each one and a few of them have threads discussing them too here.

Thank you! Yes that's exactly what I meant! Maybe my communication isn't good! I just don't want to be stuck for weeks if they don't do what they promise. I understand an initial period. They've got to be given a fair chance to do what they promise but if I don't I just want to walk.

I'm happy to show buyers around myself etc. we've set the price realistically too as I want to sell so I'll look at an online agent. Just looking at them on a review site.

zzzLazyDaisy

Strapped wrote: »

Personally I wouldn't use Connells.

Neither would I.