How on earth do you chose an estate agent and moving on time restraints - any tips?

[IcyZebra]

Bit of background - we moved into our new build Taylor Wimpey home in 2017. In terms of new builds, we have been exceptionally lucky that we have a ‘well built’ new build with no drastic snags or structural issues. Nice big garden, detached garage,
parking for 4 cars, so we don’t think we would have any problems with actually selling our home.
I need to start applying for Primary schools for my son in September, with the deadline being January and we sadly fall outside of the catchment area for the Primary school I desperately want him to go too. He is in the adjacent nursery which is a feeder into the school, but from what I’ve heard, that doesn’t count for anything if you don’t live near by (we are 4 miles out). SO, I’ve had some estate agents round to value the house. I’ve gone for the local estate agent to where we are moving too, a standard high street EA who have sold 3 houses on our development and another with exceptional reviews and considered the best EA in our city (but are classed as mid-high end houses. They said ours would be fine to market but I doubt they have any real knowledge of the area as we are not considered to be in a sought after location). My only concern is, the EA whom have sold in our area 3 times have priced our house £15,000 higher than the other 3 we have had to value. I would like the max (I mean who wouldn’t!) given the area we are moving into we will have to massively compromise on space, garden, and parking to get like for like therefore every penny counts.

So what I’m basically asking is, do I go with the local EA who has more intel on the area we are moving too?
Do I go greedy and try to get the max with the EA who knows our area?
Do I go with the EA with the exceptional reviews and bigger social media platform? Also, I want brutal honesty in terms of getting into a new house by January??!! The market seems very slow but I’m optimistic it’ll pick up as we head into spring, but I know I need to act fast on my house to be in top poll position. Lengthy post I know, but I’m brain dumping and could use all tips help and advice as we have never entered the housing market! Thank you if you got this far :D

Just because you instructions one agent doesn’t mean you have to take their price - you can tell them to list for whatever you wish. Be aware some estate agents do over value to get your business though.

I would negotiate a short contract length, go on for the higher price. But I wouldn’t use a high end agent- if yours is on at 600k and they usually deal with properties of 800k they won’t have the right buyers on their database. Test the waters and see what response you get. At only 15k difference most people would factor that in on their offer.

I don’t think I’d go with the high offer, since you want to move quickly, before you make a school application. Agents will tell you that they pick up potential purchasers from anywhere, but most people will look on Rightmove in the area they want.

A local agent may have local prospective buyers who want to stay in the area. Many agents are insisting on long contracts these days. 20 weeks isn’t unusual.

I wouldn’t use an agent who deals with high end properties either. They aren’t looking for your style of house.

I would go with the agent who has sold in your development but tell them to list at offers over what the other agents have suggested. You might find that people who viewed and missed out on the other 3 properties will be interested and already on their books?

We’re on the market and haven’t found that agents are particularly searching for buyers, everything we’ve viewed so far has been found online initially, even when listed with our own agent.

Go with the agent that knows the area you're selling in, not buying in!

As someone who's just done the 'swift move before school applications' ....you need to take a deep breath and try to take a 'what will be will be' attitude as there is SO much about the buying/selling process that is out of your control.

Things you can do:
Get all your paperwork returned to solicitor swiftly.
Be clear with your solicitor and agent the deadline.
Make sure your agent does not entertain anyone who isn't prepared to move swiftly.
When the chain is complete, make sure everyone in the chain is aware (via your agent/solicitor) that that's what you're aiming for.

Choosing the agent isn't just about getting the offer, they need to hand hold the process for you through to completion, communicating with you buyer on your behalf and keeping things moving.

Try not to panic, you've plenty of time. For context we listed mid August, completed chain mid Sept and completed purchase exactly three months later in a chain of 4. It can be done!

Go with the EA you want but you don’t have to agree with their valuation - which may have only been high to win your business. You can tell them we are picking you but we want the house to be advertised at x amount because we want a fairly fast sale.

It’s a hard time to sell so I wouldn’t go with the highest valuation but one that is more in the middle of what all the EAs are saying.

As an ex EA I would say that you’re much better off using the local agent. Giving a higher valuation is often a way to get you to sign up and can be a problem as people tend to do their research so you may well be asked to reduce the price after a few weeks by which point your property has ‘gone stale’. There’s nothing wrong in discussing the higher valuation with the local EA, but take their advice if they’re not convinced it’s the right price. Don’t forget commission % can be negotiated with the EA before signing up with them too.

Go with a local agent but pick your price. If you are keen to sell fast then be flexible on price and let the estate agent know so they can entice buyers in with "it's on at this price but I know they will consider offers" we got lots of offers that way and they were all above the asking price

Also it’s quite usual to sell with one EA and buy with another

I would go with one of the local agents who has recently sold houses in your estate. They have local knowledge and know what is likely to sell currently and for what price. Tell them your time frame and ask for their honest opinions. Only agree to a short contract with them. If you market is 'very slow', as you say it is, don't be tempted to go for a high asking price. You may be lucky, of course, but it's more likely that you won't get a lot of interest and things are more likely to drag out, with reductions, etc. If you need to sell quickly, this isn't a sensible thing to do. If you market at a lower price, you are more likely to attract a really good level of interest and have the best chance of making a quick sale at the best price for the current market.