Best place to compare estate agents?

JamesN

I’m looking to sell this year and a lot of estate agents in my area always seem to talk about high prices. But I’m interested to know what they actually achieve. I think the tactics of some are to advertise higher prices to tempt you to sell with them but what they actually get is much lower. 

I’ve seen getagent advertised but some trust pilot reviews put me off as it seems to tie you in to a few. I just want to see some stats of % of asking price achieved. 

Any recommendations as to where to find this info?

Slithery

I'd never pick an agent based on the selling price alone. After all the agents work for you so it's your decision what the advertised price will be.
Instead I'd choose them based on their contract terms, quality of photos, the demeanor of the person carrying out the viewings, after-sales progression etc etc...

JamesN

Slithery said:

I'd never pick an agent based on the selling price alone. After all the agents work for you so it's your decision what the advertised price will be.
Instead I'd choose them based on their contract terms, quality of photos, the demeanor of the person carrying out the viewings, after-sales progression etc etc...

Fair point. But I didn’t say it’d be the only factor in my decision. I’d be factoring in those too. However, at the first stage I’d want to filter out those who say they’ll get you more versus those who actually achieve what they say it’s worth. 

ka7e

I used https://www.getagent.co.uk/i/compare-agents?gclid=CjwKCAjwur-SBhB6EiwA5sKtjmdNcOfzmZRo8aTj3UWf5Z_ApV6o7M_chpddv6ovyP2Xxeg2wCRSxBoC0M8QAvD_BwE You have to sign up to get all the info on local EAs but they report on number of sales, average time each property is on the market, percentage of asking price achieved etc. Some include their rates of commission. You can monitor your listing and compare it to similar properties in your area.

JamesN

ka7e said:

I used https://www.getagent.co.uk/i/compare-agents?gclid=CjwKCAjwur-SBhB6EiwA5sKtjmdNcOfzmZRo8aTj3UWf5Z_ApV6o7M_chpddv6ovyP2Xxeg2wCRSxBoC0M8QAvD_BwE You have to sign up to get all the info on local EAs but they report on number of sales, average time each property is on the market, percentage of asking price achieved etc. Some include their rates of commission. You can monitor your listing and compare it to similar properties in your area.

Does it not tie you in to using an estate agent through them? Saw a few complaints saying that because they came through them the agent charged an extra £500 or something. Could have misinterpreted it though. 

julicorn

JamesN said:

ka7e said:

I used https://www.getagent.co.uk/i/compare-agents?gclid=CjwKCAjwur-SBhB6EiwA5sKtjmdNcOfzmZRo8aTj3UWf5Z_ApV6o7M_chpddv6ovyP2Xxeg2wCRSxBoC0M8QAvD_BwE You have to sign up to get all the info on local EAs but they report on number of sales, average time each property is on the market, percentage of asking price achieved etc. Some include their rates of commission. You can monitor your listing and compare it to similar properties in your area.

Does it not tie you in to using an estate agent through them? Saw a few complaints saying that because they came through them the agent charged an extra £500 or something. Could have misinterpreted it though. 

GetAgent just shows you a list of agents and various metrics, you can contact the ones you like however you want. I just called the ones I was interested in directly. Worth noting that they all gave me a lower fee than the one advertised on getagent, and they were generally up for negotiating. 

Drawingaline

Getagent were good at breaking down some stats. They called me and gave me more info, but I refused to get drawn into any discussion on who I would choose. 

Ultimately it meant I did contact the agent we used, alongside another one who sold a lot in our area and one who was recommended by a family member. They were all fine, but the one we used had a property on the market we wanted to view and offer on so by going with them we got in first! (End of first lockdown before everything went mad, meant we were allowed to offer and then market to sell in 10 days) 

But I did like how getagent presented the information. Alongside looking ok Rightmove at all the different adverts to see how the houses were presented. 

Chrishwarner

The Land Registry is a reliable source of real estate data, including asking prices achieved. You are provided with accurate data on actual sale prices, allowing you to evaluate your agent's performance objectively. It is also advisable to consult with experienced local agents such as Umega Edinburgh Estate Agents to obtain valuable insight into market trends and realistic expectations. 

dander

All the estate agents I had in to value were very open to talk about actual prices that had been achieved in the area compared to asking, how fast they sold, what's hanging on the market and why (in their opinion). Came round with little handouts of comparable places. It was far more info than just a valuation of mine, so it helped to gauge.