Choosing estate agent - what questions to ask?

[cashmerecardigans]

We're getting our house ready for the market and I'll be getting agents round shortly. Has anyone got any advice on what questions to ask so I can pick the right one?

Looking at threads on here, getting a good agent does seem to make a big difference, so apart from the obvious cost issue, what should I be asking when they visit?

Off the top of my head and in no particular order:

What exactly are they going to do to market the property? Who conducts viewings? What hours are they contactable? Do they vet potential buyers before booking viewings or is it a free for all? Do they have an after sales team to push the sale through? What is the average time taken to sell a house in your postcode? Do they have any buyers that they think might be interested? What percentage of sales fall through? Who takes the photos/are they decent quality? Is there any sort of online portal for booking viewings/receiving offers etc.?

I'd do/ask the following.....

1. have a look at their website as if you were looking to buy a house on it and check it's reasonably user-friendly.
2. check if they list on Rightmove etc.
3. don't sign up to an unduly long initial period and make sure that if you want to terminate you don't have to give them very much notice - otherwise if you don't think they're doing things right, you'll be stuck with them for ages.
4. when they suggest a sale price, ask them at what point they'd phone you and tell you that an offer is one you should seriously consider accepting.

Good luck!

Firstly if I was you I would use an online estate agent.

I'd check you can edit the blurb and veto photos - agents don't always write the best info. Check out their listings for similar properties - can you read the floor plan?

Who does the viewings. We found that we were more likely to get good offers if the agent did them (possibly because we were quite young to be selling). We've also seen houses accompanied by the local person the get just to do viewings - they aren't nearly as careful in what they say about the property as actual estate agents.

Thanks so much, that's all great advice.
crimsonlake we did think about it but we're in a small village and the impression I've got is that the online agents tend to work better in larger cities with higher turnover.

What are the fees?
Is there any flexibility in the fees?
How long will the house take to sell?
What is the lock-in period with the agent?

What price should the house go for?
What price would they ask?
What was the last similar house they sold?
How many people on their database are looking for this type of property? Is there any prospect of selling it to people on their database? Would they do this st a lower fee?

I wouldn't use an online agent - an estate agent has a list of people on their books who are looking for x, y, z. Online agents rely on people coming to them - my DSis used purple bricks and had a pathetic amount of viewings and PB encouraged her to drop her price 2 weeks after it had been put on the market so she looked desperate. She switched to an estate agent, lots viewings and sold within a week.

Questions - how many people on their books looking for your type of property?
How long does it take to sell your type of property?
What's their fee?
Contract length?

Most people have access to the internet these days. I had local estate agents come round to give a valuation on my property, I used this information and my own research to decide on a what price to sell at.
Potential viewers browse rightmove where online agents advertise your property and can book online, easier than going via an estate agent and waiting for a response as you usually get a booking confirmed immediately. I sold this way and currently viewing 3 properties tomorrow which I booked through online agents.