Why would/n't you use a Solicitor based estate agent? (England)

[numbercrunch]

DH is a conveyancing solicitor and is getting really tired of some of the awful estate agents near us and some of their (ahem) practices . So he thinking of selling houses as well and would offer people selling their house a package which would include all the marketing and the conveyancing fees.

However the feedback he has had when he tried it in a limited way in the past is that people would prefer to deal with a traditional 'agent' (despite being charged far, far more than the 1% all inclusive fee that he would offer.)

Is this still true? Grateful for MNers views.

Sounds like a good idea to me. Here in France the notaires sell houses (usually when they are dealing with the divorce/inheritance paperwork) and the fees work out less. However IME the notaires aren't very proactive when it comes to marketing the property. Not a problem over here where the agreements are not exclusive (you sometimes have the same house with several agents) but could that be what is putting off vendors?

It would put me off as a seller tbh. I'd want an established estate agent that would-be buyers know about. I'd be concerned that I wouldn't get decent marketing using any other than your bog standard estate agent.

Could be, although he did in the past use all the traditional marketing channels (web,press etc) but bless him - he's not very 'pushy' (no gelled hair or typical agent haircut either!). He thinks that because he's not like that - and couldn't be - that people don't want the service he could offer i.e a really professional thoughtful way.

Sorry crossed posts there - thanks titchy - you've confirmed what DH had suspected....

Just out of interest though - what would convince you that you would get decent marketing? Dh has used all the standard marketing tools in the past that all the agents use.....

sounds ideal to me - but I think you would need a really good campaign to get it off the ground so people hear about it and feel at ease with it!

personally, i would keep the two thing seperate

a solicitor is an expert in conveyancing and an Estate Agent is to sell houses

While I'd be sure that he would advertise in local papers, on internet portals and have a sign, I think as a buyer I'd actually want evidence of a long list of buyers wanting exactly the sort of house I was selling, and if I'm being brutally honest as a seller I want the pushy bastard estate agent with the gelled hair who can actually persuade potential buyers to view my house. As a buyer of course I don't want that, but to make money it's the sellers you need to convince not the buyers.

Sorry as a seller I'd want a long list of buyers.....

and, what about if you are buying and selling and the person you are buying from is using your DH? You can't use the same solicior can you

(you can use the same firm but not the same person IYSWIM)

EAs are PITAs but they do have a good presence in the local area and experience of marketing properties. They are let down by playing fast and loose with transactions and stretching the truth. Solicitors would err too far in the opposite direction - feel duty-bound to tell you of every drawback and inconvenience, sound every note of caution and generally be doom-mongering as well as not have the experience of getting your property out there and noticed.

Solicitors do do this in Scotland, I think, though but their whole system is different.

i have just started working for a solicitors and estate agents, and it works really well.

there are 3 solicitors in the practice who deal with the conveyancing and there is 1 guy (and me) doing the estate agency bit. he has only been doing it since december and we have about 15 houses on the books. he has decided to specialise in big country homes and equestrian property, as there are already so many established agents dealing with your average 3 bed semi.

he is marketing it as a specialist service, and will advertise in horse and hound/country life magazine etc as well as internet and local paper. also because there are only 15 or so houses on the books we know themn inside out, which is what marks a small agent out from a big one. we can take care of the customers and not be your typical greasy estate agent.

and because the solicitors are in the same office, they are getting comprehensive and specialist advertising, agents who know the houses they are selling and their conveyancing done for 1.5%

it does work well (obviously no-one is buying much atm but that's another story) but the chap running the estate agency bit is not a solicitor, they just work out of the same office, under the same company name iyswim. maybe your dh could find an estate agent who wants to get away from working for a big firm and set up with them?

I think your dh can get round seller-scepticism with good online marketing. I don't work for a uk estate agent, but I do run websites for several foreign estate agents and I know that even for well-established businesses, over 80% of their leads come from the web (either fvrom the portals, like rightmove, or from their own websites). I bet the figure for the UK is at least 50%. also if he has a town centre office, walk-ins shouldn't be a problem either, in fact as a buyer, I think I'd trust a solivcitor more than an estate agent.

what is an estate agent expert in exactly, rubyslippers?

Thank you all so much for your thoughts.

Rubyslippers - buyers and sellers can't use the same solicitor but in 20 years of practicing, the issue has only arisen once.

Beautifuldays - really interesting - I think that specialism would be good - we have thought about getting an estate agent in. DH is v. nervous mainly because he gets such good feedback locally and has worked really hard to get a good reputation. ( I know I am biased but I used to work there so know its true

I do find it really interesting that despite DH being able to offer a cost effective service and the general bad press of EA's there is still a reluctance to use a combined service. But SenoraPostrophe - glad to hear that you don't have the same reservations and take on board your comments re: web (which could be improved greatly).

Back to the drawing board I thinK!

xxjenny