How Do You Choose An Estate Agent That's Best For You?

If you decide to use an estate agent when selling your house, it is important that you follow these guidelines to ensure your house sells for the right price and to the right people.

Do Your Research

Choose an agency that belongs to the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA), the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) or the Property Ombudsman scheme. Their reputation for selling in your area is of utmost importance, as is how previous clients have rated them. Check how often they update their websites and how often they advertise properties on online property portals.

From the outset, you need to have an idea of whether you are after a quick sale or the best price possible for your property. Prepare an accurate description of your home, including tempting information such as being near local town centres, bus stops, and school catchment areas. Be prepared for any circumstances – either a rush of interest or the complete opposite, where perhaps holding an open-house weekend would benefit you.

Commission And House Pricing

It is good to know that if you select just one estate agent (sole agency), your commission fee will be lower than if you use multiple agencies. However, you may reach fewer buyers, so this choice is perhaps dependent on how fast you need to sell the property in question. Commission is usually between 1 and 3.5%, be sure to ask what services are included in these fees.

Although you may be tempted to go with the highest valuation for your property, be realistic. People will not bother to view your home if they think it is out of their price range. Pricing is one of the most important components in the selling process. Remember, once you have interest, price can always be negotiated.

Have A Backup Plan

If your marketing strategy fails to attract buyers, it has to be changed – but only after a period of at least 3-6 months. Keep in touch with your estate agent and review the progress together. If you feel they are not doing enough, do not be afraid to switch to a new agency to generate new interest in your property.  As a last resort, it may be time to consider lowering the asking price to attract a new demographic of buyers.

Selling Online

The internet is the most popular starting point for a growing number of property buyers. This method is by far the cheapest option. Fees range from £40 – £500, but some are completely free. This being said, never rely completely on the internet as your sole marketing resource. A 'For Sale' board can be obtained from a sign maker for around £40, you can place an ad in your local newspaper, use social networking tools (with caution), distribute leaflets and hold your own open-house weekend.  A disadvantage to this method is that you have to do your own viewings, but it is down to the individual to decide whether it is the appropriate and more affordable choice.

Having an estate agent as well as an online advertising agency should be recognised as a very efficient method to sell your house quickly. The combination works well to cover every avenue. Perhaps test both and observe which method achieves the most interest. That way, you can see which is right for your property.

Have you sold your house recently? What kind of real estate agent did you use, and how would you rate the experience? Do share your opinions in the comments.

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Emily Jarvis is an avid writer of anything and everything that takes her interest, with a long term career goal in journalism. She writes for eMoov.