Online only estate agents

ben_m_g

Our recent communication with the local estate agents can be summarised as such:

-Two wildly different estimates, one from the biggest estate agent being over the price of a new larger property on the next street. not convinced.

-One estate agent contacting me several times about properties £45,000 over my stated budget. He response was, we can help you borrow more money! Again despite being very clear about it being affordable not just the maximum I can borrow.

-One estate agent cancelling 15 min before an appointment, no reason just wasn't going to show up. no real apology.



I've been seeing a lot of online only estate agents, no/one office, no paper adverts just rightmove and zoopla.

On the face of it, it makes sense, I would imagine that is the main form of advertising these days and the prices they state are as little as 10% of some traditional agents.


Has anyone sold using one of these companies? How did it go? Was there any issues?


((Two agents that I have seen are mi-home (the biggest I've online agency I've noticed in my city) and house simple (apparently the online agency of the year)))

Doozergirl

We're using an online agent. It is hard to book a viewing, it's done online amd you have to register first. I have also only had one piece of feedback because they send an automatic email, not make phonecalls.

We didn't get a lot of viewings to start with. It has picked up in January. I keep thinking I will move to a regular agent but then another viewing comes in.

I have used another in the past, with success, but they were more telephone/human based. I know this house has a couple of compromises with it but it has been really fairly priced. I think that we probably need a good agent to be able to explain them.

car0line123

I am currently using on online agent. I am at home for the viewings anyway, so it made sense for me to try.

So far: very helpful and very quick to put property on rightmove etc..
They sent the draft ad, we changed a few things (their description is VERY generic) and add went live on the main sites.
The photos were good, nothing to complain about. We made sure not to use too many in the ad, I think it looks more professional without 25 photos when you have a small place.
They are sending a monthly report, but email me more often when I ask.

Lots of viewings after Christmas, always confirmed by email.
We had several offers, accepted one, and things seem to be progressing so far. (too quickly even!)
We did not even pay for a "for sale" board

I had no reservation about marketing with an online agent, and they worked perfectly. I have seen other properties on our street sold with them.

I am more concerned about the sell process, but relay on my solicitor anyway (I chose a local one, with a fixed fee).

However, they do not negociate for you at all, and don't advise you on price (which was fine, we had 4 valuations and they were all completely different anyway).
I am not sure they would push a buyer to pay more, that's up to you. We do know the value of our property, so worked for us. So far.

Local EA seem a bit cold with us when we book viewings however, I don't know if it is because they have seen we sold with online EA, or because they look down at our small budget!

good luck.

eddddy

Perhaps the first consideration is your target market...

If it's (clueless) FTBs, they may prefer to deal with a good local agent who can advise and guide them.

If it's 'older' buyers, they may prefer dealing with a long established local EA.

If it's seasoned buyers/sellers, who are keyboard warriors, who like a bargain and who distrust EAs (i.e. the sort of people who post here), then an online agent may be best.


But there are good and bad local EAs, as well as good and bad online EAs,

Choose an EA based on their ability to sell properties - not just because the have the lowest fee, or valued your property the highest.

ben_m_g

eddddy wrote: »

Perhaps the first consideration is your target market...

If it's (clueless) FTBs, they may prefer to deal with a good local agent who can advise and guide them.

If it's 'older' buyers, they may prefer dealing with a long established local EA.

If it's seasoned buyers/sellers, who are keyboard warriors, who like a bargain and who distrust EAs (i.e. the sort of people who post here), then an online agent may be best.


But there are good and bad local EAs, as well as good and bad online EAs,

Choose an EA based on their ability to sell properties - not just because the have the lowest fee, or valued your property the highest.

Our house is a three bed semi on a quite estate with a primary school being built in the next three years, so target market of young families seems ideal for a online only.

We asked the three biggest estate agents in the area to come round and flog their services, the one with the highest sales figures was by far the worst and the least prepared.

How well the online ones actually sell properties, I guess I will have to contact them individually and get their sales targets.

ben_m_g

A small update tepilo (Sarah Beeny's website) now use right move.

At £800 for everything it seems like a good deal, need to check out there local presence and see how they are selling.
(http://www.tepilo.com/#packages-anc)

Conrad

On the plus side low fees, but in general (not always) not as local and personal service and can lack time to do things like properly chase a chain.


Also a traditional agent will often know lots of local inside info and contacts which can prove valuable whereas online tend to deal with large geographic areas.

Hoof_Hearted

We were delighted with Housenetwork. There is a review thread of them here.

Jhoney_2

Does anyone have an opinion on pros/cons of these Online EAs?

It appears HN have the MSE user's thumbs up, but looking at both websites offerings why would you not use them or pick one over the other. I'm finding it hard to decide between the two, for my first online agent experience.

Thanks to all in advance.

inatdeepend

Can I give a view "from the other side" as a buyer dealing with an online estate agent? I realise an agent works for the seller but the buyer is still a rather important part of the equation!

Compared to the "local" estates I have spoken to, they were okay initially at sorting out the viewings with the vendor. Vendors doing their own viewings isn't much of an issue to me anyway.

Afterwards though they were very much "I'm not sure... don't know need to find out..." about basic queries about the area - something markedly different to a local EA. Okay if you're moving within the same area but if you're moving from elsewhere is a downfall.

They also weren't very good at responding to emails or calls, and talking to the same agent even would have forgotten who you were if you spoke to them a few days later - unlike the local EAs who would remember you speaking to them and a more "personal" service. I'm not too bothered about impersonal service, but I don't like having to repeat myself.

Overall it wasn't a totally bad experience but they certainly felt a bit impersonal and cold - I guess when you're not being paid a commission of sale price you have less interest. It would bother some people more than others. And that is just my personal experience based on one online agent.

It did make me question a little though why the seller was trying to cut corners so much...

car0line123

inatdeepend wrote: »

It did make me question a little though why the seller was trying to cut corners so much...

I can only answer for myself: to have as much as possible towards our next property. £2000 or £3000 difference mean being able to redecorate straight away, or simply cover the cost of solicitors and removal companies. Nothing more sinister in my case.