Selling your home, should you do-it-yourself or use an estate agent?

If you’re selling a property, you may be considering how you want to do it. How much help do you need, and what sort of support would that involve?

Using estate agents

Using an estate agent to sell property is considered the ‘normal’ way of doing things. This is, in part, because of the convenience an estate agent will bring to the process.

What does an estate agent do?

Signing up with an estate agent is perhaps the more traditional route. They can usually help you with the following:

• Preparations for the sale - floor plans, brochure, photos and virtual tours.
• Market research and pricing - agents are likely to have existing knowledge of your neighbourhood and the housing market. This includes knowledge of price levels for your type of property and the area it’s in. They can use this knowledge to recommend a realistic selling price.
• Marketing - they list the property for you and could already have a list of potential buyers that they’ve been in contact with. They’ll vet these prospective purchasers so that you only deal with the ones who are serious about buying your property.
• Negotiations - estate agents will negotiate the best price for your home and manage any counter offers you get along the way.
• Sales progression - estate agents will also liaise with conveyancers, solicitors, and other estate agencies in the chain on your behalf.
• Estate agents’ costs and charges - most estate agents take their fee on a no sale no fee basis and this is usually taken out of the cost of sale once the house has completed.

The HomeOwners Alliance (HOA) suggest that an estate agents’ fee is typically anything between 0.75% and 3.0%+VAT of the agreed selling price.

But you should consider if there’ll be any additional charges, or if all their services are covered by one fee. If you sell through an estate agent, check if they charge extra for:

• EPCs
• Floor plans
• Professional photos
• VAT

Selling property without an estate agent

On the other hand, you may be interested in selling your house without an estate agent. You could do this by placing an advertisement in a print newspaper or spreading the news through word of mouth or on social media. You need to be an agent to be able to advertise on Rightmove, Zoopla and OnTheMarket.

By selling privately, you could:

• Save on fees
• Be in control of your house sale

How to set a price

An estate agent will usually include a free market appraisal of your house and use their expertise and awareness about the market to set your house at a good selling price. If you sell your house yourself, click here to see our tips on how to value your own home.

Do any maintenance or repair work before you list your property – this could be an easy win and up the value of your home.

Factor in extra costs you’ll be spending – such as advertising and staging open-houses.

Using an estate agent versus selling it yourself

Choosing whether to sell your property through an estate agent or doing it yourself essentially involves deciding how much you want to spend in terms of cost and your own time. An estate agent can help to take the burden off you when it comes to the bulk of the tasks involved. On the other hand, putting it up for sale yourself would take up more of your time, but could be cheaper overall.

Thinking of selling your home?

If you are thinking of selling, but not sure what route to take, do not hastate to contact us on 0121 430 4448 or email us on enquiries@hshomesofsolihull.co.uk. We have various options available which we can tailor to suit your needs and budget. From managing the sale yourself, right up to having one of our team manage the sale for you, we have you covered!