Online estate agents

[nokidshere]

I hope I am nbu to ask if anyone has used any of the online selling agencies such as Purple Bricks to sell a property?

I'm tempted obviously by the flat selling fee which is quite low but am unsure (even after reading up) of exactly how successful they are and how easy it is to use them.

Any stories from sellers who have used them would be very helpful thanks

Do a search of MN and have a look at the Property/DIY board. The consensus seems to be that they are crap. Even crappier than high street EAs.

Friends used them with terrible results. I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.

Don't use estate agents and save your money! My parents successfully sold two houses using gumtree.

It was many years ago so can't remember the company but they came round took photos uploaded to rightmove. They would call with appointment times, feedback and offers etc. I found the process the same as a high street estate agent except 1. They were much much cheaper and 2. You had to do your own viewings which was better for me as I could weed out the idiots that I would never dream of accepting an offer from as flaky.

We used an online estate agent. We're very happy with them.

Other side of the coin, I tried to view a Purple Bricks house and it wasn't a good process in my opinion.

I found the property on Rightmove and used the online request form to ask about viewing on the weekend. I waited a few days and realised I hadn't had a call back. When I called Purple Bricks, they said I wasn't to use the online form (which has their name all over it!), I should call. Nowhere did it say that and the guy on the phone was quite funny with me about it.

I told the vendor when I did view as I thought he'd like to know.

Ugh we tried to view two properties with purple bricks- firstly you have to register (couldn't do this on my phone) so long winded processes to get computer on etc etc. And the backwards and forwards trying to get convenient viewing slots was a mission so we gave up. One has been on sale with Purple Bricks sons July 2015.

If they advertise on rightmove, which is where everyone looks anyway, how are they different to places with offices?

When we sold, we hosted our own viewings anyway - the estate agents didn't do it - I didn't know they did that as we were mostly shown the houses we looked at to buy by the existing owners. There was only one or two where the owners had moved out already where the estate agent did viewings.

I moved in November and used purple bricks as one of DH's old school friends worked for them.

Purple bricks were fine in themselves. Took photos, up on all the sites that evening the next day we had 4 viewings booked in and the 1st one offered the asking price.
It was good we could get feedback online, and that you could manage your own diary and potential buyers could book online and then we would get the notification through to accept or not.

But, to use them you have to use their solicitors. Who are absolutely awful!!!! And I mean awful!!
We nearly lost out on the house we were buying. They were slow, we had to chase everything for them. We had to get the director involved in the end and we didn't exchange contracts until the same day we completed and we didn't even know if that was happening until 12pm that day.

Never ever ever again would I use any online solicitors so therefore I wouldn't use purple bricks again.
Them on their own were fine though

Thanks for the replies