What should I ask an estate agent before selling with them?
1. What are the fees
2. What advertising is included
3. What sort of contract will you sign
4. What tie-in period do they have
5. Are they regulated?
6. How long will selling with them take?
7. The value of your house
8. Will they handle negotiations
9. Are they easy to contact
10. What will they do if your house doesn’t sell?
Selling a house is a lot of work, and going to the right person to help you secure a sale is essential. If you’re selling for the first time and aren’t familiar with estate agents processes, or want to make sure you’ve not missed anything when you start looking, Quick Sell Your House have compiled a list of handy questions to ask before you choose your estate agent.
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1. What are your fees?
Fees will differ agent to agent, so it’s vital to find out what they charge. Standardly, agents will charge anything between 1-3% and can be higher if you’re not careful. Knowing what the fee is will prevent any nasty surprises down the line. You should also ask when this fee is implemented; make sure that you’re not liable to pay anything until your house sells.
2. What sort of advertising do you include?
Find out what the agents do for their advertising. Do they include floor plans, professional photos, for sale signs? Do they host the viewings, or are you expected to do that? Know their advertising process and make sure that you know exactly what service you’re paying for. You don’t want to be caught out and realise that you’re getting less than you expected.
3. What contract am I signing?
There are a few different contracts that estate agents can offer, and there are critical differences between them. Make sure you know what you’re signing and what you’re agreeing to.
4. What’s the tie-in period?
This can vary from 4-20 weeks depending on the agent you’re going ahead with, so knowing their time frame is a priority. It means that if, after 12 weeks of your house being on the market with little interest, you know if you can move to another agent without incurring fees.
5. Are you regulated?
Check if the agent you’re looking to go ahead with is signed up to any regulated associations. These regulations make them more trustworthy and give you some comfort in knowing the level of professionalism that you’ll receive; you don’t want to be conned or lose the value of your house by working with an agent with a bad reputation.
6. How long will my sale take?
Your agent can’t give you a definite answer, but they should know enough about the area, the market and your property to provide you with an outline. Asking about other houses on the market in a similar area and similar price range to you can also be helpful, as you can see how long it took for them to sell and get a better idea of what you might be facing.
7. What’s my house worth?
If you can, it’s a good idea to have your house valued by a few different estate agents. This will give you an average to work off. Hopefully, all of the valuations are in a similar region. Still, if there are significant differences, you may want to delve into the reasons behind their assessment and check there aren’t any hidden problems in your house you’re not aware of.
8. Do you handle the negotiations and sales progression?
Find out just how much your agent will be doing for you. They should be keen to see the sale through and get you the best price possible, but don’t assume that this is part of the service. Find out every step of their process and know everything they offer.
9. How can I contact you?
How easy is it to get hold of your agent? Do they live locally to you, and do they answer their phone every time? There’s nothing worse than trying to get hold of someone and not being able to reach them, so you want to make sure that your agent is accessible to give you the best experience during your sale.
10. What will you do if my house doesn’t sell in the timeframe?
Your agent should do everything they can to get you plenty of viewings to try and secure a sale. Knowing what they offer if a house is struggling to sell is crucial so you know that you can count on them to do as much as they can if the house is sat on the market for some time. Whether that be increasing advertising or trying to source potential buyers from other areas, make sure that your agent will be proactive in selling your house and that it isn’t left to you to deal with if things don’t move as fast as you’d like.
You don’t have to sell your house with the first agent that you speak to. Shopping around is a good idea so you can get the best offer possible. More and more homeowners have negative experiences with estate agents, which is why we do what we can to avoid those downfalls. With your legal fees taken care of, no commission, and free valuation, Quick Sell Your House will do everything we can to make your house sale a comfortable experience.
