Choosing an estate agent

Look beyond the proposed asking price and fee. Consider the agent’s local track record, quality of marketing, database of active buyers, viewing service, negotiation skills and how they manage a transaction after an offer is accepted.

Greg McCann, Ashtons Sales Manager at our Harpenden office adds: “The person valuing your property should also be able to explain clearly how they intend to position it in the market.”

Specifically, Greg also talks about what makes Ashtons the right agent to act for you. “Unlike most of our competitors, Ashtons markets properties on all the major portals, promotes every property to buyers across every office each week, and sells an additional 21% of properties through our unique Property Select product. We also have a very wide reach, with six key offices across Hertfordshire in Berkhamsted, Harpenden, Hitchin, Redbourn, St Albans and Welwyn Garden City, and regularly market beyond the county into London. Our whole ethos is to achieve maximum price for our clients with the minimum amount of fuss in the shortest possible time.

Every year, we register over 13,000 buyers and list over 1,000 properties for sale across Hertfordshire. You can see from these numbers, not just how active we are in the market, but also how demand outstrips supply.”

Here's a link to our Selling with Ashtons page.

A good local agent brings detailed knowledge of individual streets, schools, transport links, previous transactions and active buyers in the area. They can also provide accompanied viewings, face-to-face advice and active sales progression.

Online models may be cheaper, but sellers should compare the level of service as well as the headline fee. Traditional estate agency still accounts for more than 96% of UK property transactions, and for good reasons. Online agents tend not to have the same level of detailed local knowledge nor a back catalogue of waiting buyers.

For most properties, a strong sole agent with a focused marketing campaign is usually sufficient.

Using several agents can increase exposure in some circumstances but may result in higher fees and can sometimes make a property appear difficult to sell. The best arrangement depends on the property and the market.

There can be merit in using more than one agent if your property is particularly unusual, sits in an area well served by two different agencies, or has a degree of mixed residential and commercial use.

There is no single correct period. It needs to be long enough to allow the agent to carry out a proper marketing campaign without unnecessarily restricting you if the service does not meet expectations.

Pay particular attention to the minimum term, notice period and circumstances in which a fee can remain payable after the agreement ends.

Traditional estate agents commonly charge a percentage of the eventual sale price, although fixed-fee and alternative arrangements also exist.

Compare what is included rather than simply comparing percentages. Photography, floor plans, portal advertising, accompanied viewings, negotiation and sales progression can all form part of the service.

At Ashtons, we have developed a unique product called Flexi-Fee. You can invest alongside us in some of the set-up costs and, in return, save considerably more on the final fee. Put simply, you choose the fee that suits you best rather than simply being told what it will cost.

With a conventional commission arrangement, the fee usually becomes payable when the sale is completed. It is commonly settled by the seller’s solicitor from the proceeds of sale.

Your agency agreement should state precisely when the fee becomes due.