Choosing an Estate Agent
Discussion
We've decided we're done with London and are moving back 'oop Norf', well, Cheshire/Staffs border.
We've contacted two agents in our local area and they both came round last night. Both put a marketing value on the house within 10k of each other and were exuding confidence of a sale as one would expect.
The agents represented KFH and Foxtons. Their styles were chalk and cheese and both have aspects that are very appealing.
Anyone have any decent advice or experience they feel able to share?
What do you look for when choosing an agent?
I wasn't suprised that Foxtons were the higher valuation although his justification also made sense but was based on land reg data rahter then local sales.
There was also a diference in the commission but that's not drastically important in the grand scheme of things.
ETA: If anyone has something to relate that would clearly break the Naming and Shaming rules feel free to mail me through my profile.
We've contacted two agents in our local area and they both came round last night. Both put a marketing value on the house within 10k of each other and were exuding confidence of a sale as one would expect.
The agents represented KFH and Foxtons. Their styles were chalk and cheese and both have aspects that are very appealing.
Anyone have any decent advice or experience they feel able to share?
What do you look for when choosing an agent?
I wasn't suprised that Foxtons were the higher valuation although his justification also made sense but was based on land reg data rahter then local sales.
There was also a diference in the commission but that's not drastically important in the grand scheme of things.
ETA: If anyone has something to relate that would clearly break the Naming and Shaming rules feel free to mail me through my profile.
Edited by IainT on Friday 3rd June 11:31
maddernj said:
KFH wanted 4% to market my place, they may have been the dominant agents in the area (Beckenham) but that was a joke. We went with Winkworths @ 1.25% and sold it in 6 weeks, this was last May
Interesting - I think the local KFH must be feeling the squeeze from Foxtons then as they're offered the more competetive fee vs Foxtons who will not negotiate on the fee.I think it matters less now, with sites like Rightmove. They all advertise on Rightmove anyway, so it's only the 'selling' that you'll need to worry about. Do you have confidence in the price of your house and the saleability of it? If so, go with the company with the lowest fees (although make sure you know what you're getting for the money; for example some won't provide decent photos, some won't do many photos, some don't put floorplans on).
Do you have any fixed fee agents near you?
Do you have any fixed fee agents near you?
I got 5 of them round and all were within £5k of each other and all were between 1.25% & 1.15% except KFH. We felt confident that the place would sell itself so did not see the value in appointing KFH @ 4%. I guess the only bit we did get annoyed with was the post sale paper chase with solicitors, maybe KFH would have been better at this part ?? If you are confident in your property i would start asking questions about the after sale service and how pro active they are in chasing your buyers people to get the paperwork sorted.
Pulse said:
Do you have any fixed fee agents near you?
None with the coverage of KFH or Foxtons.Both seem to offer very similar marketing packages although the Foxtons website seems a little more advanced but most people seem to use the portal sites anyway.
One feature of Foxtons was their web tracking for providing interest vs viewings and guiding the price.
One big plus for KFH was thier pre-vetting of viewings - they make some attempt to be sure that the people coming for viewings have a realistic chance of being able to make the purchase!
Both agencies were confident of selling the house as are we - kitchen, bathroom, windows all done recently and the rest of the decor is in good nick.
The branch manager at KFH was very keen as they have more interested parties than houses on their books at the moment. Doesn't mean we can be overly bullish about the prices but the local market has really picked up.
Both agencies mentioned that a lot of trade is people who can't affort Blackheath prices but want to be in the area.
maddernj said:
I guess the only bit we did get annoyed with was the post sale paper chase with solicitors, maybe KFH would have been better at this part ??
We explained that we'd be quitting our jobs to make the move so abvoidable delays and cock-ups would be a big problem.Both were adamant that they are extremely proactive to make sure things work smoothly.
Which is why I thought of my fellow PHers for advice
I'd avoid Foxtons. Leopards don't change their spots.
You've not mentioned them, but Barnard Marcus would also be one I would never deal with again.
I'm just in the process of selling my place. First thing I did was meet the guys who'd be selling the place. Get a feel for what they're like.
I would also want to see what they have actually sold houses for that are similar to my own. Advertised prices mean nothing. You want people with bonafide experience of having sold similar properties.
One agent did this without even being prompted. They were also prepared to negotiate on fees and to work "outside of the box" in that respect. And have been thoroughly nice blokes to deal with thus far. Mine's with Hamptons.
I guess the only other thing to consider is that each chain will have better and worse branches...so YMMV depending on where you are.
You've not mentioned them, but Barnard Marcus would also be one I would never deal with again.
I'm just in the process of selling my place. First thing I did was meet the guys who'd be selling the place. Get a feel for what they're like.
I would also want to see what they have actually sold houses for that are similar to my own. Advertised prices mean nothing. You want people with bonafide experience of having sold similar properties.
One agent did this without even being prompted. They were also prepared to negotiate on fees and to work "outside of the box" in that respect. And have been thoroughly nice blokes to deal with thus far. Mine's with Hamptons.
I guess the only other thing to consider is that each chain will have better and worse branches...so YMMV depending on where you are.
I would have a look at rightmove adverts from the agents you are considering - see if you like the style and content of one versus the other. things like floorplans are important to me, I would be more likely to view a house if I had already got an idea of how it's plan works, good pics that have clearly been well considered are important too. I once engaged an agent who came to take pics the day before the bin men were due and he managed to take great pics of a pile of bin bags, which even after he had cropped them for the add went into the draft details!! just careless really but my feeling is, if they cant get simple stuff like this sorted out they are not going to do well in other areas of their job either.
In the past I have used agents for a sale after I had a positive response from them when enquiring or viewing a house they were already working with.
In the past I have used agents for a sale after I had a positive response from them when enquiring or viewing a house they were already working with.
A couple of things:
1. In my experience both agents will try to tie you into a long contract, upto 16 weeks + 2/4 weeks notice. 4/5 months is a LONG time to be on the market with 1 agent, especially if you feel they are not living upto their initial promises. 8 weeks is fair, gives them enough time to market it properly. Bear in mind that they will have worked through their registered applicant base in the first 3 or so weeks and after that are just waiting for new people to hopefully come in.
2. Do your research on you local market, who is the agent who is selling the types of property like yours, how many have each of them sold in your locality in the last couple of months? Drive around your area, count the For Sale and Sold boards, that's a good indicator of success.
3. Remember, the person who came to value your property is not going to be the one who sells it, their job is to work their charm to get the property. Do a bit of mystery shopping, phone up and enquire about an advertised property and see how they handle you.
Good Luck!
1. In my experience both agents will try to tie you into a long contract, upto 16 weeks + 2/4 weeks notice. 4/5 months is a LONG time to be on the market with 1 agent, especially if you feel they are not living upto their initial promises. 8 weeks is fair, gives them enough time to market it properly. Bear in mind that they will have worked through their registered applicant base in the first 3 or so weeks and after that are just waiting for new people to hopefully come in.
2. Do your research on you local market, who is the agent who is selling the types of property like yours, how many have each of them sold in your locality in the last couple of months? Drive around your area, count the For Sale and Sold boards, that's a good indicator of success.
3. Remember, the person who came to value your property is not going to be the one who sells it, their job is to work their charm to get the property. Do a bit of mystery shopping, phone up and enquire about an advertised property and see how they handle you.
Good Luck!
One thing to be very aware of (I speak from painful memory) is the type on contract you have. A sole selling contract is very different to a sole agency contract - the law types can explain better than me. You will also find in the small print that the contract is in force until you formally write to cancel, even after the "contract period". This is usually the time that has to lapse before you can write to cancel. It may be too late now but if possible negotiate an all in fixed fee for the sale. Also do not use a solicitor that is linked with the agents - if anything goes wrong (not that it will) they will refuse to represent you due to conflict of interest and you are up the brown and smelly creek.
Personal experience the other side - the small local firms (1 or 2 sites) are generally much better as although they dont cover as much ground they rely heavily on reputation to get business from the biggies.
Personal experience the other side - the small local firms (1 or 2 sites) are generally much better as although they dont cover as much ground they rely heavily on reputation to get business from the biggies.
In the end we went with KFH on a 1.6% commission deal. They valued slightly lower than Foxtons but have more local presence and were less 'hard sell'. I'm sure the Foxtons approach works well for some but it left us a bit cold.
First round of viewings have kicked off so proof of the pudding will be in the selling!
Pretty impressed with teh quality of the photos and floor plan the company they outsource it to did:
http://www.kfh.co.uk/residential/houses-for-sale/l...
First round of viewings have kicked off so proof of the pudding will be in the selling!
Pretty impressed with teh quality of the photos and floor plan the company they outsource it to did:
http://www.kfh.co.uk/residential/houses-for-sale/l...
IainT said:
Pretty impressed with teh quality of the photos and floor plan the company they outsource it to did:
http://www.kfh.co.uk/residential/houses-for-sale/l...
You drink too much wine.http://www.kfh.co.uk/residential/houses-for-sale/l...
mattdaniels said:
scenario8 said:
You drink too much wine.
Thats the least of his problems - someone's built a wall through the middle of his kitchen!It's just the way it is with the medium sized London terraces. Fortunately people have realistic expectations and don't expect a farmhouse kitchen replete with french dresser and island in the middle.
Just my opinion but I'd be pretty disappointed with their efforts if it were me.
The pictures make your house look tiny (i'm assuming it's not), they've not captured 2 of the bedrooms, and there is practically no description of the property.
I'm also assuming there is quite a nice fireplace somewhere behind your table?
The pictures make your house look tiny (i'm assuming it's not), they've not captured 2 of the bedrooms, and there is practically no description of the property.
I'm also assuming there is quite a nice fireplace somewhere behind your table?
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