Is there a Low fee estate agent in the north west?

[tickious]

My parents are thinking of moving from Oldham to be closer to us. In the south west House-Hut is a great estate agent with a flat online fee of £500 to sell for you. Does anyone know if there is a similar agent in the north west? All I can find is agents who charge 1.7%. But every penny counts when you're moving from Oldham in your late 70s.

[tickious]

Or to put it another way how many people still look in estate agents windows and papers for houses? I.E. Is it worth paying more to get more than just an online presence on rightmove?

[tickious]

Has anyone outside of the southwest used House-Hut?

[SO27]

There's still a fair bit of value in a high street agent. As a buyer, you'd be crazy not to register your details with all of the local agents so that you'll be notified as soon as anything new crops up.

You also have to be aware that some of the internet-only agents ask for an up-front fee that isn't refundable if the house doesn't sell.

[AndySpecD]

Having had experience of people using 'online agents' and heard the good, the bad and the ugly, I would say it is still best to use a decent local estate agent. The level of exposure/expertise/negotiation is completely different. Just think how hard the 'agent' will negotiate for you when they're on a £500 flat fee. It also gives out a message to the buyer that you're trying to save a few quid, and then they want their slice of that too.

The only people who rave about online agents are those that think they've saved money. In reality they probably would have got a better price with a proper agent, much more than just the difference in the fee.

Disclaimer - I'm an Estate Agent!