Alternatives to estate agents
Discussion
Hi all, usual thing kind of, we're selling a flat / rental property (our only one, we're not players in this market), have had a miserable experience with an estate agent (a local independent small chain) who have been completely useless.
We need to move on - are there realistic alternatives out there to estate agents? Does anyone have any advice or recent experience of such businesses, such as Strike? Are Purple Bricks any different from the usual estate agents in reality?
Grateful for any advice, sorry for a bit of a rushed post, I'm off right now for another useless meeting with our current agents, it's time we moved on with somebody else but how to choose when they all seem the same?
We need to move on - are there realistic alternatives out there to estate agents? Does anyone have any advice or recent experience of such businesses, such as Strike? Are Purple Bricks any different from the usual estate agents in reality?
Grateful for any advice, sorry for a bit of a rushed post, I'm off right now for another useless meeting with our current agents, it's time we moved on with somebody else but how to choose when they all seem the same?
If it's on rightmove, most serious buyers will find it.
A good agent can make a deal happen.
If people are seeing it on Rightmove and not buying it, why is that?
Could be the price, could be the way it looks on the interweb?
Talk to the agent, as about Rightmove viewing stats, ask about what he's sold in the area, what other agents have sold, what kind of people are buying.
Are people viewing then not buying? Or no interest?
Do your own research into the market, what else has been hanging around? vs what has sold?
Talk to other agents who seem to be more successful?
TBH, not a great time to be selling, I might consider going against the herd and hanging in as a landlord if I hadn't got out already.
A good agent can make a deal happen.
If people are seeing it on Rightmove and not buying it, why is that?
Could be the price, could be the way it looks on the interweb?
Talk to the agent, as about Rightmove viewing stats, ask about what he's sold in the area, what other agents have sold, what kind of people are buying.
Are people viewing then not buying? Or no interest?
Do your own research into the market, what else has been hanging around? vs what has sold?
Talk to other agents who seem to be more successful?
TBH, not a great time to be selling, I might consider going against the herd and hanging in as a landlord if I hadn't got out already.
heebeegeetee said:
when they all seem the same?
I would be surprised if that's the case, there should be at least one in the local area who is vaguely competent and able to provide useful and appropriate advice.The vast majority tend to make the rest look bad.
heebeegeetee said:
such as Strike? Are Purple Bricks any different from the usual estate agents in reality?
Strike and PurpleBricks are now essentially the same company, and in most cases will manage to make even a useless estate agent seem on the ball.My usual advice would be to seek out the local independent company, but sounds like you've already done that and it hasn't worked. What in particular is going wrong?
We used house simple which I believe is now strike when we sold 4 or 5 years ago.
I think being shown houses by estate agents in the past who could do little more than explain the function of each room made us think we'd try the online agent, driven by the lower fees. From memory it was around £1k where as the agent was closer to £5k.
They took photos and got the property on rightmove which IMHO is where it needs to be. We did all of the viewings and sold within a few weeks, personally I'd rather have viewing with the seller as they're far more likely to be able to answer questions potential buyers have.
I didn't feel the process was made any more difficult by using them.
On the other hand we used an online conveyancer, never ever again would I consider doing this.
I think being shown houses by estate agents in the past who could do little more than explain the function of each room made us think we'd try the online agent, driven by the lower fees. From memory it was around £1k where as the agent was closer to £5k.
They took photos and got the property on rightmove which IMHO is where it needs to be. We did all of the viewings and sold within a few weeks, personally I'd rather have viewing with the seller as they're far more likely to be able to answer questions potential buyers have.
I didn't feel the process was made any more difficult by using them.
On the other hand we used an online conveyancer, never ever again would I consider doing this.
Many thanks for the replies guys.
Our complaint is that the property has sold, it sold beginning of December, yet here we almost 5 months later and we've not moved forward one jot.
We've had near to zero feedback or updating from our estate agents, we always have to chase them, we get promises of calls back but never get them, the last email we had from them was early December. We first marketed the property in September, it took them a month to put a For Sale board up.
In short, it's just been the usual, miserable, forlorn, godforsaken estate agent experience and I'm thinking "FFS we must be able to do something different!".
Our conveyancing solicitor has been as useless as they all are, the buyer's solicitor is actually the solicitor himself who is buying our property, who seems to be playing games.
We have no chain, he has no chain, yet still this process drags on for months. I realise we could auction the property but I feel we would take an unnecessary financial hit.
Hey ho, seems like there isn't a viable alternative. Meanwhile we are remarketing the property with a view to putting pressure on for completion.
Our complaint is that the property has sold, it sold beginning of December, yet here we almost 5 months later and we've not moved forward one jot.
We've had near to zero feedback or updating from our estate agents, we always have to chase them, we get promises of calls back but never get them, the last email we had from them was early December. We first marketed the property in September, it took them a month to put a For Sale board up.
In short, it's just been the usual, miserable, forlorn, godforsaken estate agent experience and I'm thinking "FFS we must be able to do something different!".
Our conveyancing solicitor has been as useless as they all are, the buyer's solicitor is actually the solicitor himself who is buying our property, who seems to be playing games.
We have no chain, he has no chain, yet still this process drags on for months. I realise we could auction the property but I feel we would take an unnecessary financial hit.
Hey ho, seems like there isn't a viable alternative. Meanwhile we are remarketing the property with a view to putting pressure on for completion.
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