Barb E Dahl Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 I know this question has most probably been asked before, but I cannot find any posts. I keep questioning why one should sell their house through an estate agent and pay what I consider in an over inflated housing market as an extortionate amount of commission. In my experience they may sell your property but the whole process could have been a far simpler, than it has previously been! And let's be honest, the Estate Agents I have come across are not that great at selling. If there was no buyer, there would be no sale. I don't believe 99.9% of the population have ever bought a property just because an Estate Agent did a good job. What is the main thing preventing Estate Agents from going out of business? I just looked at Sarah Beeny's Tepilo site and it still hasn't really taken off! Why? It's free, what have people got to lose? I seem to remember some talk about Tesco's setting up a property site. What happened to that? What are the legal boundaries to these sites, when the BBC once showed how easy it was to set up an Estate Agency in 24 hours, with no skills, experience or regulation? Maybe I'm missing something... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patfig Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 I know this question has most probably been asked before, but I cannot find any posts. I keep questioning why one should sell their house through an estate agent and pay what I consider in an over inflated housing market as an extortionate amount of commission. In my experience they may sell your property but the whole process could have been a far simpler, than it has previously been! And let's be honest, the Estate Agents I have come across are not that great at selling. If there was no buyer, there would be no sale. I don't believe 99.9% of the population have ever bought a property just because an Estate Agent did a good job. What is the main thing preventing Estate Agents from going out of business? I just looked at Sarah Beeny's Tepilo site and it still hasn't really taken off! Why? It's free, what have people got to lose? I seem to remember some talk about Tesco's setting up a property site. What happened to that? What are the legal boundaries to these sites, when the BBC once showed how easy it was to set up an Estate Agency in 24 hours, with no skills, experience or regulation? Maybe I'm missing something... Un necessary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickincash Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 I sold my house without going to an EA. I put an advert in the local paper. Also did my own conveyancing so I got to keep all the money. Go and do likewise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arrgee1991 Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 What is the main thing preventing Estate Agents from going out of business? Not allowing private sellers to advertise on Rightmove. (and lettings) Apparently 90% plus of EA enquiries come via Rightmove, PrimeLocation etc., but you have to be a registered agent to advertise your house for sale on it. There are a few online EAs who do a flat fee sale for less than £500. EAs don't worry about boards anymore. Typically a buyer will register with all the local EAs and then watch Rightmove for new properties. One practice that does occur is properties not reaching the market which means you should register is that EAs mail shoot popular roads with a view to offering the property to known prospective buyers with a lower commission. An EA offered us a 0.5% commission last year to sell our house to a very interested buyer. Only problem was the couple had done their own leafleting and we were showing them around the next evening. We only found the house we offered on last year because an agent told us about it before it was advertised. We went to see it that evening and there were two offers on it the next morning. Ours was eventually accepted, though we had to withdraw as our sale fell through. Once private sellers can list on Rightmove, EAs will concentrate on the far more lucrative lettings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arrgee1991 Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 I sold my house without going to an EA. I put an advert in the local paper. Also did my own conveyancing so I got to keep all the money. Go and do likewise. I just replied to the two leaflets posted in my letter box, and answered the door to someone else and got three offers last year. Didn't even advertise! I did list with EA for one weekend while I mulled over one of the offers, but none of the viewers made an offer. Legal fees for Conveyancing don't add up to a lot in comparison, but if you can do it yourself, why not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milton Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 Do we need estate agents? No. And when house prices are reduced by 60% from peak, and I buy my first home. I will do everything possible to cut them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arrgee1991 Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 No. And when house prices are reduced by 60% from peak, and I buy my first home. I will do everything possible to cut them out. I guess it depends on where you are looking, but I see them as an necessary evil. Unless you are prepared to do a lot of legwork or have a very specific area you wish to buy in, it's very hard to find sellers. Once a property portal for private sellers becomes available it will make life easier for buyers to bypass agents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the shaping machine Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 Once a property portal for private sellers becomes available it will make life easier for buyers to bypass agents. If Ebay (for example) were to enter the market things could change very quickly. I can only assume that there are some Byzantine government regulations which prevent this happening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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