Purplebricks

[DaughterOfEvening]

Anyone have any experience or advice regarding using this route rather than the usual high street estate agents?
I understand how it works but trying to decide whether the service is any different in reality.

Following as we are considering using them also.

It seems to depend a great deal on how effective the 'local property expert' for PB is. A pretty significant spectrum between good and bad reviews suggest.

Avoid using the tied solicitors like the plague.

Have you had a poor experience?

After a couple of disaster viewings with Purple Bricks it would take the house of my dreams for me to view through them again. The agents we have met have been very poor, local knowledge minimal. Neither could answer questions we had about the houses. I’d only go with them if I had the time, inclination and knowledge to practically sell it myself and chase chains because I’ve rarely heard good things about the agents.

I used this route rather than high street estate agents, but not Purplebricks.
I got three local estate agents to value my property and set my price accordingly. Someone from the internet company came round and took photos which I was happy with, I did all the viewings and it sold. I went with my own independent conveyancing solicitor. Saved myself a lot of money.

We sold ours through purplebricks 18mths ago, the estate agent we had at the start did our photos and they were brilliant! Much better than previous move where I had to send the estate agent pics as there's were dark and dingy. The viewing process etc was fine we did them all then offers could go through you or your agent. Our agent did change halfway through but not really a problem. Only issue we had right at the end of the process was because our buyers were getting a 100% mortgage with parents acting as guarantors there was no physical deposit so exchanging was pointless and riskier our side as if they pulled out they'd lose nothing but we'd lose ours. If we'd used a traditional estate agent that checks out finance etc we might have been aware of this sooner and may have gone with a different buyer or made sure we safe guarded ourselves better.

Purplebricks don't have a customer base to suggest your home to like a high st agent so interest is gathered purely from your online listings.

My son sold through Purplebricks and found he had to do a lot of chasing and legal stuff himself. He wouldn’t use them again. He actually sold via one of the daytime tv property shows in the end (they approached him).

Sold twice through them. Agent pretty useless but so are high street ones sometimes and you are paying them thousands!

They took pics, we edited the house info to sound better. I did all the viewings as it’s my house - I know it better than any agent. Sold, dealt part with agent part with buyer and got all sorted and done.

It helps if you have a good buyer who is keen and helps you get things done. The saving is HUGE. I’d do it again, but I’m a control freak and find paying thousands to high street useless agents very galling!!!

Very high priced house or something a bit different I wouldn’t consider using them. Did run of the mill properties it can work but it’s hit and miss I think. Few people use them where I live. Easy to sell properties might be ok but viewing can be tricky with owners there and lots of buyers don’t like it. Profession of sale can also be iffy.

Thanks for the responses. It’s been a long time since I’ve had to deal with estate agents and the two local ones who I asked to value my house were astonishingly bad.

The first one, who came highly recommended, partnered with a national chain, was rude, unprofessional and seemed to assume that he already had the job (he wanted to take photos there and then)

The second one is the estate agent who I purchased the house through 20 years ago. He was full of bullshit, gave a wildly overpriced valuation and was more interested in pushing his affiliated conveyancing service than discussing how to market the house.
It’s a very distinctive period property, one of only 4 in a sought after village BUT on a busy main road.
I don’t want to do the viewings myself for lots of reasons and I understand that Purplebricks will do them, for a fee, which I’m happy to pay.
I’m not in a hurry to move but I’ve made a decision about work and no longer need to be in easy reach of London.

Several years ago we sold a semi in a very nice setting, in the catchment for a sought after school, which we had renovated and extended. Not to blow my own trumpet but the extension was very well designed and the property presented well but other than that it was a standard house.

We got other valuations before PB and actually went with a high street agent but when they sent the blurb through for us to approve it was the same blurb that had been used when we bought the house (not via them!) with a few alterations and a distinct lack of alterations where there should have been some (said there was a concrete drive for one car, we had changed it to gravel parking for two etc). After that experience we thought to hell with it and went with PB but insisted it went on at a higher price than the agent gave us. It sold after 1 viewing at full asking price. We had an excellent solicitor we had used before and he helped the sale through, PB had very little involvement.

In hindsight perhaps if we had gone via a high street agent we may have ended up getting offers over asking but we were happy with the price.

I wouldn't use them for anything other than a good but normal house, I wouldn't use them in a difficult market, I wouldn't use them over a certain value (dependent on area probably), I wouldn't use their solicitors.

We bought through Purple Bricks earlier in the year and it all went fine but we had a nice seller and we didn't need any advice or persuasion re the area or street as we were set on it. We had one viewing with the agent who was nice, and not at all pushy.

I’ve sold with purple bricks, was great, did viewings ourselves.
Dad sold with purple bricks, was great did his own viewing and sold to first person. They were very helpful for key exchange on completion etc.
Currently using them on behalf of a family member. They have been great. We’ve paid more for them to do viewings etc. They helped my family member get the relevant paperwork sorted (park home so different to a normal sale, speaking with the park owners etc to be able to give us correct info) . Also knowing they are elderly and living alone took time to have a chat and give some social contact. I would use them again. Found being able to negotiate, having the feedback on the app and being able to accept offers etc.
The local agent we also looked at was about as useful as a chocolate teapot!

We are buying a house that was marketed through purple bricks - they have been absolutely useless. The chain came close to collapsing several times due to their lack of communication. Our seller was tied in to using their conveyancers too and they have been totally rubbish.

Also you pay whether you sell or not.

I would not use them for a distinctive period property. The main road could be an issue but I would have thought an agent used to marketing interesting properties would be better. If you are going to be in a chain I would also be careful. Purple Bricks was tried for a cottage near me (country lane, needed modernisation, only a front garden and a bit quirky) and it didn’t sell for £825,000. Sold via a local agent for a bit more as 2 people wanted it. Why they didn’t when it was up with PB might be a concern. Get quotes from higher quality agents who know the market.

We viewed a couple through them. The 'property expert' was awful to try and get hold of to arrange viewings. Nice enough bloke, just very busy I guess.

One of the houses was going to best and final. He told us to bid high to be in with a chance of winning..... then to negotiate down using the survey findings
Definitely made me vow to never sell with them

I don't think they are incentivised to get you the best price as a seller, because they get paid a flat fee regardless.

As a buyer I dislike them (I flip houses so buy and sell quite a bit) I saw one house, the agent knew nothing, I made an offer through the online system, the owner did not respond, so had to ring the agent. It went nowhere so I dropped it. Second house, again PB, agent only knew how to unlock the door, useless.
Third house, agent actually on the ball and did a video walk through afterwards for me as I'd missed some details. But he was the exception. I actually haven't ever had an owner show me around.
Just seeing a house listed with PB gives me pause.
The high st agent I had last week was the kind of agent I like: proactive, knows the neighbourhood inside and out, is on top of all competitor's listings, follows up immediately (I emailed him at 7.30pm about a listing and was amazed I got a response right away) and I imagine would follow the sale through chivvying everything along. Not sure an anonymous online agent would provide that level of service.

Thank you for sharing your experiences. Maybe it’s this area but ALL of the estate agents I’ve spoken to seem so patronising and unenthusiastic. I don’t think I’m being unreasonable (maybe I should have posted in AIBU?) in my requirements, the house is in a good state of repair and has been professionally staged. All I want is an efficient, honest and enthusiastic selling agent.

You only have to use their conveyancing if you don’t pay fees up front. So we paid up front. If you don’t want to pay up front they you have to use their conveyancing. But have to pay 10 months later if not already sold

When I was selling, I put on an offer to buy a house and they wouldn't accept it because purple bricks were below Us in the chain. The estate agents hate dealing with them.

I’ve heard such bad things that I wouldn’t even waste my time looking at house being sold through them.

It would put me off even viewing a house being marketed br PB.

I wouldn't be keen to view a house with Purplebricks. They're not like a proper estate agent.

I've used them twice and both times had an excellent experience.