How to interview an estate agent

[Clemintina]

Planning to put my house on the market soon and need to start searching for an estate agent. It's been a while since I've sold a property.

Locally there's two estate agents, both part of a larger company, that dominate. There's also two not quite so local independent estate agents who havent been around so long but both have very good reviews - going the extra mile etc.

My intention is to invite all 4 agents to give a valuation and I'd like to be prepared with some questions to ask them.

Help me, wise ones, to put together a list of quesions for them.

Before you do any of that go into the estate agents and pretend you are looking to buy a house like your current home. If asked say you are a cash buyer and don’t need to sell. see how you get treated and what vibe you get from them.

I did this and found one of the potential companies so disinterested in me and my potential £500k that I knew they’d treat anyone wanting to buy my house the same.

''@Defaultsettings · Today 09:28
Before you do any of that go into the estate agents and pretend you are looking to buy a house like your current home. If asked say you are a cash buyer and don’t need to sell. see how you get treated and what vibe you get from them.''

That really is not a good advice.

Even the ones you end up choosing will remember you as someone who basically pretended to be something they were not and tried to be ''clever''.

Trust works both ways.

OP, speak to each agency but also check their website and Rightmove to see how long their properties have been listed, how successful they are in selling the type of house you have, read reviews, post on local Facebook groups to ask for recommendations from other people.

Don't just go for the highest valuation because some agents will just over-value the house to get your business but buyers won't bite if the price is inflated and you will have to reduce later on which will make it look like your house is not selling.

We had 4 agents come round for valuations and they basically sold themselves. All but one showed up with print out of local properties to show which ones were still on the market and had been for a while and how much the sold ones had gone for. They talked us through their marketing plans. The only question we asked was what they thought we needed to do before the photos. We liked the one we chose because he talked us through a few bits for staging each room. He also said he would set up a visit for the other four agents at his branch to view the property before it went on the market so all of them knew what they were selling and could deal with enquiries.

Ask if you will have a dedicated sales progressor, the difference a good one makes once you have an offer is massive.

superdupernova that's interesting about getting other agents at the firm to view the property before they were there with potential buyers. Guessing most just turn up and wing it.