Best way to Sell?

Seanymph

We are selling my husbands house, it will be vacant at the end of May, and we don't want viewings until after then, but it would be nice to have a plan. I like a plan.

We have had it valued by a surveyor - there was a chance it would be sold within the family, but now it will not be. However this does mean we have had an appraisal done which we paid for so we know what we are looking to achieve.

I saw a Purple Bricks sign on the way to work - I know that the woman off the television whose name escapes me has an online service, or, obviously, there are 'normal' estate agents locally.

Can anyone share some pros and cons please? We do have a mortgage on the property, so are looking to sell fairly quickly, but it isn't an emergency to get rid of it.

Sootoo

You can save money by using online estate agents (depending on the value of the house) but you would have to pay them whether it's sold or not. They have pretty much the same exposure as high street agents i.e Righmove, Zoopla etc and as most people look for new homes on the internet now it possibly doesn't matter that there's no shop window. You're thinking of Sarah Beeney and Tepilo but they don't have such a high profile as Purple Bricks. You'd have to do all your own viewings but I think they will negotiate on your behalf when it comes to offer time.

Seanymph

The house value is £190,000.

GaggingOrder

A friend used an online agent and saved a lot of money, but she said they were rubbish at sales progression (sorry, can't recall which one). In her case that was a pain because she was pregnant and wanted to move before the baby arrived (they ended up completing 2 weeks after!). However if you're a proactive person and don't mind pushing things along a bit, that's probably bit an issue. We went for a traditional high street agent as we've got two small children and didn't want any hassle, and I managed to negotiate a pretty good deal on the fee so I felt it was worth it.

eddddy

Some people will say that as long as it's on Rightmove it makes no difference - so a low-cost online agent is best.

Other people will say that a local EA is a professional salesperson and negotiator, with local knowledge - so will achieve a better price.

(A bit like a car salesman at a dealership tends to achieve better prices for cars compared to cars that are just advertised online.)

I think it also depends on the type of buyer you are targeting.

SevenOfNine

Our neighbour is using a company called ewemove, can't say I was massively impressed with the on-line photo's though.

MerrilyA

Emove is alright, I viewed a property with them which was lovely and you have a chance to give feedback.

Online agents are definitely growing in popularity.

Traditional agents are a mixed bag, some are great others are not.

You can shop around and get in touch with a few agents. I like looking at reviews just to get a sense of them. You can proceed to go ahead with the agent you feel is a good communicator (replies swiftly and is polite), seems to know what they're talking about and is not only concerned about making a sale but helping you as well as potential buyers.

You can find potential buyers directly by talking to people you know and meet.

I'd say shop around and see how agents respond and with the one you feel is most competent. Also let them know you're looking for buyers who are in a clear, ready position to purchase so delays are mitigated.

ElsieMonkey

I'd never use a traditional high street agent again.

We're in NW London suburb. Tried to sell last autumn with trad agent. 3 months and 2 buyers later, we took it off the market (1 buyer pulled out due to a divorce, other went AWOL). Ok this isn't the agents fault, and think we were particularly unlucky. However, the agents were a headache to deal with with their antiquated booking system which caused confusion/mis-communication with viewing times etc., when you call the office they're out of office on viewings, they can NEVER answer a question about a property, even basics (this is my experience as a seller AND buyer). My list goes on. All in all they're a complete headache and do not deliver a service which matches the fees they demand. You're paying for branded company cars and their premises.

This spring we put our property back on the market but with online agent eMoov. Cost £395 (usually £495 but we caught their Easter discount). They have pay after completion options too if you'd prefer. The level of service and ease of process just doesn't compare. People say you get what you pay for, but this really isn't the case with estate agents! We sold out flat in 2 weeks. Sales progression so far has been good. Yes we are proactive, but you need to be no matter who you're selling with. Difference is when we call out sales progresor he's never out of office on viewings, he's available to talk to, and is keeping all parties in the loop. The viewings stage was seamless, there's an online dashboard where you can edit your online advert, and also set your availability for viewings. People can book a viewing online 24/7 or over the phone. You then get a text message notification which you then approve the viewing ot not. Viewers afterwards get email asking for feedback - we learnt so much from this feedback, which helped us sell quicker I believe. Even viewers commented on how easy the process was and how nice it was to be shown around by us and not a bullsh*tting estate agent. That's the only difference, you show people around.

hteresa50

I will be putting my fully refurbished flat on the market in August and I was still unsure about what agents to use. My local agent is rubbish and has a very bad reputation so I was under no circumstance going to use them. I will check our your recommendations. May I ask, did you move to another part of London or have you moved out of the area completely?

mrsmazza

I think if the property is empty, go with a EA . You can give them a set of keys and they can do all the viewings.
A lot of traditional EA you can haggle the fee. I know we did.

Dan-Dan

Sootoo wrote: »

You can save money by using online estate agents (depending on the value of the house) but you would have to pay them whether it's sold or not.

Not totally correct , you can pay House Network on completion, or nothing at all if the sale doesnt proceed

It is a slightly higher cost than the other HN options but i think worth it as its still a couple of thousand less than a high street EA