Not sure whether to choose between a traditional high street agent or an online one? Find out if Yopa are any good…
Short on time, here’s the bottom line:
- Yopa are the online estate agents that have a team of local experts which will sell your property on average 25 days faster and they can do that whilst typically saving you £2,500.
- There is no commission to pay with Yopa, just a fixed transparent fee. That fee can be paid upfront or paid later. They also offer a ‘No Sale-No Fee’ option for those truly not yet won over by online estate agents.
- They have a better TrustPilot rating than competitors PurpleBricks and offer further extras like EPC’s and/or conveyancing.
- As standard, your home will be listed on Rightmove, Zoopla & Prime Location and they state that they achieve 96% of asking prices, just like the high street.
- Standard packages are just £999 (£1499 in London) and you can handle the viewings yourself or they can.
How Yopa Works…
Yopa’s message is clear, they like to keep it simple. They offer all the services of a traditional high street agent but they are just online. Oh, and they are cheaper, much cheaper! That usually gets everyone’s attention.
The process of selling your property is laid out by Yopa in 6 simple steps.
No.1 – The Valuation – A Yopa estate agent will visit your home when it’s convenient with you and value your property. They then explain how they arrived at that valuation and whether you have any questions about the valuation or the sale process itself. In light of the pandemic they now offer virtual valuations.
No. 2 – The Decision – To list or not to list that is the question? After the valuation you need to have a think about whether or not you want to place your home on the market. If you decide to go ahead, you can call them up or just kick the process off online.
No. 3 – Choose Your Fee – Yopa offers a choice of 3 fair fixed fees to sell your property. You can pay upfront, you can defer the payment or you can pay after your home has been sold.
No. 4 – The Advert – The Yopa agent will then create a listing for you and when you are happy with it, it then goes onto the ‘BIG 3’ which are Rightmove, Zoopla & Prime Location.
No. 5. – Viewings – The Yopa agent can handle all the viewings for you, or if you want to you can do them, the choice is yours. In light of the pandemic they now offer virtual viewings too.
No. 6 – Sold! – Your Yopa agent will handle all the offers and negotiations making sure then you get the best price.
Yopa created the YopaHub on their website so during the whole process you can just login and you have access to everything at your fingertips. From keeping track of viewings, to seeing what offers have been made, to communicating directly with buyers.
When was Yopa founded?
Yopa was founded in 2014 and was classed a ‘disrupter’ it was designed to a offer low cost, no commission service for selling properties – all online. They caught the eye of the posh estate agent Savills, who actually backed them. [Savills probably saw the writing on the wall as everything has been moving online since the dot com conception and so no surprise that estate agents were next.]
Is Yopa Any Good?
Well to answer that, let’s ask over 11 thousand people to rate them on a scale of between 1 & 5? That’s exactly what Trustpilot have done since Yopa have started and Yopa has achieved a very very high score indeed.
Yopa Reviews
The proof, as they say is in the pudding and the fact that nearly 90% of people who reviewed them said they were ‘excellent’ means they must be doing something right.
Plus that’s not just a few reviews either – you come to expect with any business a few ‘friends and family’ reviews. Where they write glowing reports and say everything is amazing, totally 5 star. But you’ve nowhere to hide with well over 10 thousand reviews, which Yopa has.
Compare that to Purple Bricks at 4.6 and Emoov at 4.4 and you can see that Yopa have got it spot on.
Yopa Fees Explained
Yopa offer 3 payment choices and you get to decide which one you want to go with. Those 3 are ‘Pay Now’, ‘Pay Later’ & ‘No Sale No Fee’. But they can come with added extras, with the Pay Now’ and ‘Pay Later’ packages you have the option to go ‘Premium’.
- Fees for the Pay Now or Pay Later are £999 [outside London] £1499 [inside London]
- Fees for the ‘Premium’ Pay Now or Pay Later are £1399 [outside London] £1999 [inside London]
- Fees for the ‘No Sale – No Fee’ package start from £999 [outside London] £1499 [inside London]
Basically they charge an extra few hundred pounds, no matter where you live for this ‘Premium Option’. So what does that get you?
Core Package
Yopa calls the standard or non premium its ‘Core Package’ and there is everything in there you’d expect, except for viewings. The core package is designed for people who want to conduct viewings themselves. After all, letting someone in and showing them around your home is fairly straightforward. So the core package contains:
- Designated local estate agent
- Professional Advert
- Floor Plan
- Photos
- For sale board
Premium Package
The Premium Option contains everything that the core package has but contains #2 upgrades.
These upgrades are the viewings package and a premium advert listing.
#1 Viewings
So with the Premium option Yopa will handle the viewings for you, perfect then if you work or have little free time. Or you might just want it handled by a professional.
#2 Premium Advert
The premium advert listing will help boost your home’s visibility on the advertising sites like Rightmove. This option is really great if you want a quick sale. It’s a numbers thing, the more people who see your properties advert, the better.
Further Extras [for a fee]
Let’s say you went for the Core option, it’s actually possible for you to purchase the viewings package or the Premium advert package separately anyway. Meaning you’re covered if you change your mind or if you just want one of those upgrades but not the other.
Even more extras include:
EPC [Energy Performance Certificate]: All homes being sold require an EPC. Yopa can handle this for you for a fee. FYI you can actually get your own certificate yourself without Yopa or any agent, for that matter. Just look online.
Featured Property – Places your home at the top of the search results for 2 weeks – perfect if you need a quick sale!
No Sale – No Fee
Sell your property with Zopa with no upfront costs. If they don’t sell your home you pay them nothing. Perfect option then if you need all the pennies you can save for the deposit on your next home!
So how this Yopa package works is you will sign a sole agency contract. This is standard and nothing to worry about. Nearly all agents make you sign one, whether they are online or on the high street. What this means is it gives Yopa the sole rights to sell your home for a 16 week period, so say you were to sell your home with another agent during that time you’d still have to pay Yopa their fee.
Where do Yopa advertise?
Purely online – they list your home on the largest property sites, where they claim 92% of people begin their property search.
Does Yopa advertise on Rightmove?
Yes, Yopa advertises on Rightmove. This is the one question everyone wants to know, as Rightmove are such a powerhouse [excuse the pun] for selling properties now. As standard with Yopa your property will be listed on Rightmove, but also Zoopla and Prime Location.
Can I cancel Yopa?
We found point 8.1 in their Terms & Conditions where Yopa state the following:
‘You may be entitled to cancel this Agreement at any time within 14 calendar days of the Acceptance Date, up until the time that your Property is listed by Yopa of the Acceptance Date, up until the time that your Property is listed by Yopa.’
Yopa goes on to say that: ‘At the time your Property is listed by Yopa it will be deemed that we have provided the Marketing services to you and you will no longer be entitled to a refund of the Yopa Fee.’
Yopa vs PurpleBricks
Purple Bricks were first to the party, offering a low cost, low frills DIY service in 2012.
But Yopa thought that they could offer a sort of PurpleBricks version 2.0, as people liked the idea of saving a fortune on a high street agent but maybe wanted a little help when it came to viewings, a for sale board etc. After all, selling your house is a big deal, it’s the biggest thing you will probably sell [and buy!] in your life.
Yopa was an instant hit from the start and fast before to today and thousands of people have used them to sell their homes, saving a fortune in estate agents fees.
The fees are identical between the two companies [Yopa & PurpleBricks] for their basic package and there is little in their small print to separate them but according to Trustpilot Yopa has better reviews and feedback.
Estate Agents – Fixed Fee or Commission
So nearly all the online estate agents like Yopa have a fixed fee. Whereas nearly all the traditional high street estate agents charge a percentage commission. This is usually between 1.5-2%.
So on £300,000 with a 2% commission the fee you would pay to a traditional high street estate agent £6,000. Even at 1.5% commission the fee is still £4,500. Not hard to see then why Yopa is so popular charging a fixed fee from just £999.
But which one gets the best sale price, fixed fee or commission?
The argument against the fixed fee is that the agent is not incentivised to get the best price for the property as they get the same fixed fee regardless of sale price. A valid point maybe, except for the fact that with Yopa you get to choose from the offers that come in. Your Yopa estate agent can negotiate [or you can yourself!] a better offer all using the YopaHub, you are totally in the driving seat.
Yopa Summary [in #4]
- Yopa has a fixed fee with options to pay now or pay later.
- Don’t want to do the viewings yourself? – Then upgrade to the premium package and let a professional handle them plus with the premium upgrade you get a premium advert package.
- Yopa has a better Trustpilot reviews and rating than Purple Bricks.
- They save customers £2,500 in fees and sell houses 25 days quicker than average. Refer a friend and currently you get a £50 amazon gift card.