The state of Estate Agents
Apologies for lack of new material... I spent the latter half of last week off sick.
Whilst I was off, we had our house valued by three different estate agents, as we were thinking of selling.
What was interesting was the different ways that each approached the task and how each one viewed our house.
The first man came, and it was immediately apparant that he knew the area well. He had sold houses on this street before and was glad we were on the side of the road that we are on, as we have a nice view over the parkland behind us. He was enthusiastic about the property - commenting on each room - and felt that our main points were the view and our bathroom. His agency was also the most expensive, at 1.6% plus VAT. As they are a large national chain, there isn't much room for negotiation on that, although I'm sure they'd not throw away business should I insist. His valuation was to market it for £285k, and to accept £280k.
The second man was from an agent around the corner. They normally deal with houses on the
council estate and as such I wouldn't use them, but they are local so I thought they'd be worth a shot. This man was about 12 years old and didn't say a word whilst looking around the place. He didn't even comment on our view. When he finished, he reckoned to market at a whopping £310k and to accept not less than £300k. I felt this was a bit over-priced, but I'm sure he's still learning. Their price to sell was 1% + VAT.
The third man wasn't a man at all, but actually a woman. She also didn't shut up for the entire time she was in our house. She was from the agency that sold us the house so I thought I'd get them round. She insulted our lounge so I didn't like her ("ooh, it's very rustic isn't it. People like smooth walls and halogen spotlights these days, you know."). Excuse me, but I like it! She did notice our view but wasn't as enraptured as the first man. She came in with a valuation the same as the first guy, at £280-£285k. Their fees are the cheapest by far, at a fixed rate of £2000 including the VAT, which is about half the price of the others.
I don't think we're going to sell, but it was interesting to have the valuations done. Overall, on a personal level, I much preferred the first guy, even though they are more expensive. If we decide to actually go ahead then I'll get more valuations done.
But I think finding the ideal estate agent is a quest that may never be fulfilled.
Whilst I was off, we had our house valued by three different estate agents, as we were thinking of selling.
What was interesting was the different ways that each approached the task and how each one viewed our house.
The first man came, and it was immediately apparant that he knew the area well. He had sold houses on this street before and was glad we were on the side of the road that we are on, as we have a nice view over the parkland behind us. He was enthusiastic about the property - commenting on each room - and felt that our main points were the view and our bathroom. His agency was also the most expensive, at 1.6% plus VAT. As they are a large national chain, there isn't much room for negotiation on that, although I'm sure they'd not throw away business should I insist. His valuation was to market it for £285k, and to accept £280k.
The second man was from an agent around the corner. They normally deal with houses on the
council estate and as such I wouldn't use them, but they are local so I thought they'd be worth a shot. This man was about 12 years old and didn't say a word whilst looking around the place. He didn't even comment on our view. When he finished, he reckoned to market at a whopping £310k and to accept not less than £300k. I felt this was a bit over-priced, but I'm sure he's still learning. Their price to sell was 1% + VAT.
The third man wasn't a man at all, but actually a woman. She also didn't shut up for the entire time she was in our house. She was from the agency that sold us the house so I thought I'd get them round. She insulted our lounge so I didn't like her ("ooh, it's very rustic isn't it. People like smooth walls and halogen spotlights these days, you know."). Excuse me, but I like it! She did notice our view but wasn't as enraptured as the first man. She came in with a valuation the same as the first guy, at £280-£285k. Their fees are the cheapest by far, at a fixed rate of £2000 including the VAT, which is about half the price of the others.
I don't think we're going to sell, but it was interesting to have the valuations done. Overall, on a personal level, I much preferred the first guy, even though they are more expensive. If we decide to actually go ahead then I'll get more valuations done.
But I think finding the ideal estate agent is a quest that may never be fulfilled.
posted by Nej at
12:53 pm
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