Which estate agent would you pick?

[ACatCalledFang]

We're about to put our flat on the market and have had three estate agents round to value it. I'm probably overthinking things here but can't decide who to go with. Which one of these would you pick? All three came back with more or less the same expected sale price, all would hold an open house before inviting offers. It's not a difficult flat to sell.

Agent 1. National chain. Guy who came round was very pleasant. Standard offer system (as in, people offer, agent may ask whether they can up their offer). Fee 1% + VAT.

Agent 2. Local agency. Good reputation. Very good photos. Again, I actually liked the agent - very straightforward. Was very clear that all buyers would be vetted in advance so they know they are in a position to proceed. Standard offers system. Fee 1.5% + VAT.

Agent 3. Local agency. Good reputation & photos. Very good at marketing - really stand out. But the guy who came round set my teeth on edge - a bit too smooth, a bit too try-hard. They use a sealed bids system, which I have reservations about. Fee 1% + VAT.

Prior to getting people round, I thought we'd be going with agent 3, as their marketing really stands out. But now I'm torn as I'm not sure about sealed bids - I would find that really stressful as a buyer and would be annoyed to be pipped by £500, say. Am wondering about agent 2 if they can match the 1% fee.

So how did you pick your estate agent? And were they worth it? Did you negotiate on the fee?

You need the agent to find you a buyer and do sales progression so pick the one you like. Tell them you like them and ask if they can match the 1% everyone else has quoted.

Yeah, I don't doubt agent 2's ability to find buyers, I'm just really torn because the third one is great marketing-wise! But, as you say, they also have to get the sale to go through....

Apart from any question of fees, I would look at their current blurbs on RM etc. Is there a really good floor plan, good photos, full information, etc.? And personally (yes, I'm a bit of a pedant) would discount any with basic spelling errors/poor English in the blurbs, since to me it smacks of general CBA sloppiness.

When buying a flat a while ago I was astonished at how many didn't have the most basic info, e.g. length of lease, and seemed to think it was a minor detail, like the colour of the front door.
A word of mouth recommendation is always good - if you can get it -and vice versa.
After both buying in the same area within a few years, my dds learned to avoid one particular EA like the plague - utterly incompetent and sheer frustration to deal with.