Online Estate Agents

[200mwaterresistant]

We're going to be trying to sell our house to move somewhere not neighboured by the clampets, hopefully saving our relationship and mental health.

I've had one of the better local estate agents round who wants 1.5%, but I can't help feeling they don't really do anything beyond relay offers back and forth - it's not like they pull some hardball tricks and get a better price as such, they just show people round and be nice to them.

I'm interested in these online estate agents, but would ideally want a package which includes them doing the viewings.

Has anybody sold with one of these and can share their experiences? Or anybody who thinks a traditional estate agent is actually worth it over these?

[broxie]

Has anybody sold with one of these and can share their experiences? Or anybody who thinks a traditional estate agent is actually worth it over these?

I'd vote for a really good bricks and mortar estate agent any day. I was tempted towards the online route, like anyone, to save money but when I sold my last house, I really saw a decent agent working to maximise the sale price.

If you live on a housing estate with dozens of recent comparables, then it may be all you need is a Rightmove ad via an online place, but my own experience was having my last house valued by 4 agents. Three were all pretty similar (and they were big names, Knight Frank, Savills, Strutt & Parker). The fourth came and explained things about my own house (owned for 4 years and totally renovated) that the others didn't see. They priced it almost a clear half mil more than the other agents.

I challenged them and signed the contract and agreed to 1% plus VAT. They sold it in four weeks (summer 2016). What I did experience them doing was positively marketing the property. They wore out shoe leather showing people around, they followed up calls almost every day. They created a market between three interested parties. They were professional sales and marketing people, not just call takers in shiny suits.

I wouldn't pay more than 1% plus VAT anywhere in the country. I agreed this fee but then paid for professional photography (£300) and brochures (£250) since the agent wouldn't agree to the no sale/no fee at 1% unless I put my foot forward in some of the non recoverable costs.

There is no way I would have had the courage to price the house out where it was so, for me, a decent agent worth their weight in Omegas.

[walkerwek1958]

When I see the Purple Bricks sign it immediately sends out the wrong message to me, it smacks of cheapskating to me. No substitute for a local agent who you can deal with on a face to face basis, even if they charge a little more. In the grand scheme of things it’s a mistake skimp on sellng costs, choose a local agent with a proven track record of selling similar properties in your area and be prepared to spend a little more.

Paul

[MCFastybloke]

Just used Settled to sell 6 four bedders i am building, reservations on 5 units and only one is plastered out and 3 still have scaff up. Easy to amend and edit advert, add remove or change pictures easy interface with direct contact with buyers, £4000 cheaper than the locals and i feel i am connected to the buyers not an intermediary, i dont generally rate intermediaries.

Would use them again in a breath. And prob buy a watch with the savings.

[200mwaterresistant]

They priced it almost a clear half mil more than the other agents.

Just used Settled to sell 6 four bedders i am building, reservations on 5 units and only one is plastered out and 3 still have scaff up.

Ah the difference between north and south.

[sevvy]

The thing to remember with most online agents is that, although they’re cheap they take your money off you up front in most cases. So where’s their incentive to work hard for your benefit. If they don’t then they try to tie you to their preferred conveyancer where they no doubt get a kick back.
Do your research, see how many in your area have sold through online agents and at a good price. If your area is slow then there’s no substitute for a good bricks and mortar agent who will work hard for the sale as they’ll probably be on no sale no fee.

[demonloop]

I’ve said this before on a similar thread, listen to the others above and go for a proper good estate agent. When I bought a BTL last year Purple bricks were the agent (which is why I was interested in it) and they had no interest in maximising the price.

When they heard I wasn’t in a chain and was paying cash they turned away other viewings and those that the vendor arranged they showed up late! Saved me a fair few bob (I’d have paid about 10% more than my offer) but I’d never ever use them to sell.

[200mwaterresistant]

Good advice, thank you.

Hear what you're saying - I might save a bit on the costs, but at the same time lose out on maximising the sale price.

Think I will go for the "proper" estate agent.

[Devonian]

I’d go for a high street again - but I’d negotiate the price. See if you can get them down a bit.

[200mwaterresistant]

I’d go for a high street again - but I’d negotiate the price. See if you can get them down a bit.

I'm in Yorkshire, the haggling comes with the territory.

[awright101]

When I sold my mums house the sales pitch I got from an estate agent to use them rather than an online was was that they would acheive a better price by generating more interest. This was a while back when it was a sellers market and they got over the asking price.

[broxie]

It's a simple sum. Can an b&m agent get you half or one percent more than you can do with an online broker? Then you're quids in.

[watchcollector1]

A good estate agent can mean the difference between the chain holding together or falling apart. This was certainly the case when we moved last year. It's not just about marketing your house, if they have good backroom staff there's more chance of any sale actually going through.

Plenty of bad agents out there too though unfortunately.

I'd be put off from buying a house that's being marketed by an online agent. Not for any snobby reason, I just think there's less chance of resolving any issues and completing the sale if things start to get tricky in the chain (as it often does). Often it means buyer and seller communicating directly which is a bad idea if one or both sides start to be difficult.

This happened at the very top of the chain when we were buying last year and ultimately meant we missed out on the 1st house we wanted (but luckily the house we ended up buying was much nicer and that sale only went through due to the work of our agent).

[GC2012]

I am in the process of buying a BTL property and spoke to multiple agents when viewing houses. Two of which were online agencies and their service is absolutely terrible, every time you call you have to give a list of details to the person on the phone before they pass you on to the 'estate agent' which is annoying when all you have is a quick query but you need to tell them your address, mobile, email address etc and half the time they apparently cant find the details so your on hold for a few mins while they look. A couple of times it was over 5 mins getting past this process and I just hung up, absolutely useless.

It took them forever to get back to me and the whole thing was just annoying, in the end it put me off buying from them.
Springbok properties were the worst. Prior to this I would have probably tried to sell a property with one of these companies but would steer clear now.

The other agents I spoke to were local, their advice on the area and property was excellent and I spoke to 1-2 people the whole way through who knew me each time and the stage of the sale etc.
You will pay more money but the service from my experience will be much much better.

[Maysie]

My recent experiences of traditional estate agents has been overwhelmingly negative, from both buying and selling sides of the fence. Very unprofessional, very unreliable, very inconsiderate, lying b'stds and they brought very very little to the party, if anything at all, other than leaving my house with an overpowering smell of aftershave/perfume following each visit.

How an online agent could be any worse it is hard to imagine, but I suspect they would be.

Unfortunately, traditional agents are a means to an end for the time being and are an irritation that you have to endure and pay handsomely for the privilege. There are some professional agents out there, but they are rare beasts to find and are almost certainly working in the more 'established' surveying practices, rather than the 'high street wide-boy' end of the market.

It is still all very raw in my mind, so my apologies for such a negative post.

[Michael 38]

My neighbour sold his house with purple bricks took 6 months but he held out for his asking price and never complained about them though

[reecie]

I guess if like high street shops you still want them you have to try and use high street estate agents https://www.theguardian.com/business...t-study-claims

[Michael 38]

All that will happen is when all these online businesses put all the bricks and morter ones out of business all the great deals will disappear and they will jack thair prices up when the competitions gone

[Maysie]

All that will happen is when all these online businesses put all the bricks and morter ones out of business all the great deals will disappear and they will jack thair prices up when the competitions gone

It is a bit of a 'race to the bottom' I suspect.

Maybe if there were more professional standards that EA's had to abide by then it would be different. Maybe. The RICS qualified surveyors are few and far between compared with standard High Street agents, but are generally tarnished with the same brush as the shiny-suited wide-boys who are now selling houses instead of selling double glazing.

Most of the standard high street estate agents that I have come across don't have any qualifications related to property at all. Some of the utter BS I have had to endure from them while viewing properties was at a minimum unprofessional and misleading, but on occasions frankly dangerous.

[broxie]

When choosing a traditional agent, try to find a local or regional independent. And whatever you do, avoid any that are part of Countrywide PLC.

[JohnW]

Go with a local independent - sadly all are just sales people not chartered surveys now.

[200mwaterresistant]

As an update to this I used the best local independent estate agent I could find. Their rates were good (under 1% by the time I negotiated them down to a fixed price). We have today accepted an offer on our house for 13% more than the asking price after a bidding war ensued between two interested parties. This would never have happened without their crafty management of the negotiations and their good work has paid for the extra cost above doing a 'purple bricks' many, many times over.

Now to find somewhere to buy!