after 4 valuations, how do I decide which estate agent to use?

[BellaBear]

All lovely and charming, very similar valuations (within 25k), different fees and so on.

Is it just about price? Don't know how to make a decision.

Drive round a bit, look for For Sale/sold signs and see who has the most sold signs.

Ask them about their policies on keeping the chain moving, contacting solicitors, and accepting offers.

For instance, when we sell our current house we will def use the agents we bought it for - they were agressive with the sols, called right down the chain to find out what was going on, don't accept an offer unless you are proceedable, really consitently in contact.

Our agents we sold through were totally useless when it came to it and needed badgering all the time

If one is Foxtons, then don't use them. Have a good idea of your market and steer clear of anyone making over-optomistic promises (eg will sell within a month or too good a price).

Do you know anyone who has bought or sold in your area? What was their experience? Also, check what internet sites they're on as most buyers look online as well as in the papers/agents' windows. Go online and have a look at other property details from all your prospective agencies. Are the photos good, are the descriptions clear and useful, can they spell?

When they came to value did any of them give you useful information, eg ways to make your home more appealing by change minor decor or moving furniture? On the whole if they seemed professional and courteous to you then they will to prospective buyers too.

Our valuations were all in the same ball park. We went with the ones who have the highest profile in the local papers, seem to sell the most (have sold signs popping up all the time) and I liked the brochure format the most as well. They were the lowest valuation and so we went with them but at our average valuation. The guy was happy to do that and as it turned out it was the right thing to do because we have sold at his valuation which we wouldn't have if we had gone on the market at his value.

Thank you all, very helpful comments

Look at their website and look at Rightmove. What are the descriptions and photographs like? Also, do they do floor plans? That helps a lot.

We went with the estate agent who spoke the same language as us. Trust your gut feeling on which one to choose.

They act on your behalf so you have to have some rapport with them. Also who is the most proactive in the area . Lovely and charming can be superficial and irritating !

If you are also looking at a place to buy you can get very good info that way, firstly by seeing how often they call you/send you details of properties, how professional they are about it and whether the places they inform you about match what you said you wanted or not - also by the quality of the website and particulars for the houses they send you.

Secondly, if you are doing viewings you can often learn a lot from the people using that agency to sell. Loads of people moaned to us about one particular agency (hardly sending anyone around etc), so we were glad we hadn't used them!

Also look at number of sales and number of boards round your area, like others said - different agents often seem to specialise in particular areas and know them especially well. (Our agent lives on our street!).

As for commission, that's relevant too of course but always worth negotiating on anyway, so if the agent you like best is not the cheapest, you can always say you will go with them if they can drop it to x% (e.g. what the other agents are asking, or even a bit less!). They can only say no... and then you can still make another offer.

The one with the office most convenient for you to contact/walk into?

Ask them what they do when an offer has been accepted. I loved my agent who did this: phone both soliciters each Monday morning to see what progress had been made, and then phone the buyer/seller to inform them. Such obvious customer service, and most estate agents don't seem to do it.

Thanks, I really appreciate all this advice