Choosing an agent – should you go with online or traditional?

publication date: Feb 5, 2018
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author/source: Kate Faulkner, Property Expert and Author of Which? Property Books

Online agent or go traditional?

This is actually the wrong question to ask!

What you should be asking is: ‘who is most likely to sell my home’?

This is how you find out:

Put your postcode into a ‘sold property price’ database, such as the ones on Nethouseprices and Rightmove.

See how much similar properties are selling for on your road – or within a ½ mile if you’re in a town; 3 miles if you’re more rural.

Once you get an idea of the range, search for properties within a slightly wider range - for example:

If similar properties are selling for £200k to £250k, put in a search for properties for sale between £180k and £275k.

Crucially, tick the box that says ‘Include under Offer, Sold STC':

When you click ‘find properties' or the search icon, you’ll see which agents are selling properties similar to yours:

Then ask the two or three agents that are selling most of the properties similar to yours to visit your property and give you a market appraisal.

In some areas, online agents may appear to be doing a good job; in others, you may not see them on the list, suggesting it might be a risk to go with them. However, this is no different to some traditional agents not appearing on the list, even though they are in your area, because they simply aren’t good at selling your particular type of property.

Got a problem selling your home? Contact us and we’ll do our best to help.


All our information is brought to you by Kate Faulkner OBE, author of Which? Property books and one of the UK's top property experts.
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