Talk to me about choosing an estate agent

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About to start talking to estate agents about putting my house on the market. Never done this before, so don't know what to be looking for regarding estate agent terms and conditions. For instance, is an exclusivity clause fairly standard, or something we should be objecting to? If it is typical, then what sort of period is reasonable? What should I be expecting in terms of fees? Any key questions to ask when choosing who to go with?

Any and all advice greatly appreciated!

I think many have exclusivity clauses in return for a slightly lower fee. Fees can range from 1% to 2% so shop around. I was locked in to 8 weeks sole agent but it sold!

You want, ideally, to look at the brochures they produce and how this will be translated onto a web site. Which web site? I’ve seen so many useless pictures and descriptions on MN, it does pay to look at this very closely because you want your house to tick as many boxes as possible. Therefore think in advance what boxes your house and locality tick. Make sure any description is accurate. Look at other property for sale descriptions from the agent. Are you enticed or put off? Does it contain what you need to know?

Then narrow the choice down and get quotes for a selling price and a fee. Be a bit sceptical about “lots on our books waiting for a house like this” remarks. Look at sold prices, not inflated asking prices of properties that are flying kites. Price reasonably.

Be super critical of your house. A good agent should be able to tell you what might need attention or small improvement in order to sell and also how to stage the house. They should know what people are looking for!

Lastly, I would like to think they would be enthusiastic and sell lots of properties!

Apart from the obvious: contracts, fees, presentation of properties, and so on........go for someone you like to talk to. Because you will be doing that a lot. House selling/buying is stressful enough as it is, but if you feel at ease with the people involved it makes a big difference.

It's good to see it from a buyers point of view. We viewed a few houses before we went on the market and actually helped us narrow down which estate agents to approach to sell our house. There was such a variance in experience and you obviously want the buyer to have a good experience. (That put us off some of the online based agents and also purple bricks.)

I would try an independent local firm rather than one of the big chains who can be ruthless to say the least.

I would try an independent local firm rather than one of the big chains who can be ruthless rubbish to say the least.

Have at least 3 round to see your house and see who you like or think you can work with. Look at the properties on their books on rightmove and see if the pictures are good and how long the houses have been on for. Have they done things like update photos? I saw a house on rightmove yesterday that had a Christmas tree in the lounge and pulled curtains in all the rooms, the pictures were dreadful. It let me know the house had gone "stale" on the market and I wondered why on earth the agent hadn't updated the photos.

Ask what their plan would be for marketing the property? (e.g. "open day", if not sold after 4 weeks then "featured" advert on rightmove so your house appears at the top of each page). Have a look at sold house prices in your street so you can get an idea of a likely price and match it to what the agent thinks. Some agents will suggest a very high price to lure you in and then get you to reduce after a month or so but you may end up getting less than if you had offered the house at a realistic price (and might even get a bidding war).

Fees do vary but cheapest isn't always best, most agents will be willing to negotiate on the fee. How many staff do they have? try to judge if they have the staff to do viewings to suit buyers or if they would be hard pushed to manage all the properties for sale on their books. Phone up a few times and see if the phone gets answered. You want an agent who makes it easy for potential buyers to book a viewing. Do they report back on viewings? Do you think they will be honest about viewer numbers? (we had an agent lie about this, easy to do as we had already relocated). Qhat agents did you rate when you were buying in the area? do you have any local friends who ahve bought or sold recently , who did they use and was it a good experience?

Good luck

My recommendations:

• use local if possible - they know the area.
• check on rightmove and see how many houses they sell and how close to the asking price they are. Also monitor rightmove for a few weeks (if you have time) and see how many prices they have to reduce
• speak to friends and neighbours for recommendations
• get three round - save the best question til last "So why should I choose you to market my property" and see how they answer
• remember its not just about them showing people around and getting an offer - just as important is how they help the whole sale process through. Check out reviews on Trustpilot etc for comments - mine scored particularly highly for the post -acceptance work.
• ask direct questions such as "how long after viewings will you get back to me" - if the answer isn't "we will call you before the end of the next working day whether we've got hold of the person viewing or not" then don't go with them - its so frustrating waiting for feedback if they can't get hold of someone but don't tell you!

oh and the most important one - will they tell you if anything needs doing with the house. I recommend leaving a 'trap' placement of something subtle which really would do better being moved for viewings - to see if they pick it up. If they say "oh no everything looks fine" and you KNOW there is something wrong then they are only interested in getting another property on their books.

Thanks all, some great tips in here - definitely some things I wouldn't have considered! We've got a few potential agents coming round for a valuation and chat next week.