About to sell my house online! (advice welcomed)

jeanzbeanz

I know this isn't what you want to hear but...
It's very easy to negotiate price on traditional EAs. Just tell them you will pay 1% inc VAT on completion, no more, and you want EPC FOC. Basically every agent we tried agreed to do that.
My experiences with online agents have only been negative.
The reasons you list of not using a traditional EA seem a bit bizarre.

Hoof_Hearted

Bizarre? What, saving thousand of pounds? This is a money-saving site.

glasgowdan

Sold with house simple in under a week. Good service, excellent photographer and I'd do it again.

ellie27

Sold with an online agent, great service. £500 They came out took the photos, wrote the garb, arranged viewings, phoned viewers next day for feedback and provided feedback to me by email straight away. They took offers and called me, negotiated on my behalf

I did the viewings.

ReadingTim

Hoof_Hearted wrote: »

Bizarre? What, saving thousand of pounds? This is a money-saving site.

There is economy. And there is false economy. In some cases, online EAs prove to be more of the latter than the former.

bylromarha

As a buyer, I have arranged 2 viewings in the past week via Purple Bricks. Both those appointments were cancelled by vendors and rearranged. I had rearranged my diary to see those houses, for things then to change.

Not had any of that faff using high street agents. Hubby does EPCs, photos, floorplans for EAs - he's lost count of the amount of people who've moaned about online agents and said the potential saving isn't worth the money.

argeetee

UPDATE

In the end due to a significant increase in pressures from work I (regretfully) went with a local traditional agent. I carefully selected them from a number of local firms, which I'd been courting for a few years.

This local firm with many many years reputation and glowing reviews GOT IT COMPLETELY WRONG, costing me thousands (what with the drop in market, mortgage payments etc.)

The agents were lazy to the extent that I have yet to receive a contract! I had to chase them over their poor photos, poor descriptions, not listing on Zoopla and more.

HOW ABOUT THIS: After a viewing they even left the from door unlocked for the best part of a week!

Through ineptitude or sheer laziness their team (yes about 5 of them) simply got everything wrong and the house is yet to be sold.

They over priced it. I knew they did that so within a couple of weeks I had them reduce it to a realistic amount.

I asked them if it should be "dressed" - I'm not living there and just moved and redecorated, refurbed etc.. They said leave it empty - a BIG mistake, as "dressed" properties sell way faster (I rectified that at further cost). I always had to request their "bland" and probably inaccurate feedback from viewings.

When they did get an offer from a "vetted" locally known regular buyer, they took the house off the market only for the "buyer" to then disappear, never to be heard of again!

Now I'm in a position to take control, will try to an online Agent, drop the price further, price it to sell and pass on the savings

So as far as I'm concerned, it doesn't matter what the agent says or say they'll do, it's best to get local recommendations from someone who has JUST used one, or better still DIY it!

PS. I strongly suspect many of the responses in this thread and elsewhere extolling the virtues of traditional Est. Agents are provided by the agents who have spare time in the office!

eddddy

argeetee wrote: »

....I carefully selected them from a number of local firms, which I'd been courting for a few years.

This local firm with many many years reputation and glowing reviews GOT IT COMPLETELY WRONG, costing me thousands (what with the drop in market, mortgage payments etc.)

The agents were lazy to the extent that I have yet to receive a contract! I had to chase them over their poor photos, poor descriptions, not listing on Zoopla and more.

That sounds bad. But I guess if I were to be harsh, I might wonder why you ended up choosing such a bad EA if you'd been checking them out over a few years?

In general, there are good and bad 'traditional' EAs, as well as good and bad online EAs. As you suggest, you just have to do a lot of research, and 'interview' them thoroughly before giving them your business.

When checking online reviews etc, bear in mind that branches/regions in an EA chain may be franchised, or just managed in very different ways, so good reviews for a chain may not imply good service in your area.

westernpromise

The risk with an online agent is you have no idea what properties are actually selling for now (as opposed to months ago via the Land Registry) on deals going through now, and neither do you know who's a genuine solvent bidder versus a timewaster with no money.

You only might encounter these issues with a real EA but you definitely will with an online one. A poster above reckoned they sold in under a week. That might be great service or that might be that it was grossly underpriced.

Cheap can work out very expensive.

What still amazes me is that people fall for stupid high valuations agents give them to get the instruction, then blame the agent when it doesn't sell.

argeetee

I carefully scrutinised the agents, BUT they are wickedly devious (to put it mildly). I'll be posting a few reviews about them to help others.

I ensured my property was marketed below the cost of other comparable properties in the area and monitored others coming onto the market to ensure mine was competitive (daily email notifications from right move etc.)

My update was to offer my experience to others considering online or traditional EA!

Thanks anyway!