WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME?

Making the decision to sell your home and move is a big one. Whatever the reason, whether it's downsizing, needing more space, wanting a better neighbourhood or to be closer to excellent schools, it's life changing. Once you've made the decision to move you have another big question to address. How do I sell my home for the best price possible and within the shortest period? We recommend getting a few estate agents to visit your property to give you a valuation and to find out what their service entails and their commission fee is. It's at this point you need to consider perhaps the biggest question when it comes to selling your home.

Are you going to choose an estate agent based on their commission fee or the sale price they are saying they can achieve for you OR the sale price promised AND a clear journey of their overall service? At this point it's worth remembering the 19th century poet and writer, Oscar Wilde's quote about someone who always went for the cheapest option, no matter what:

"They know the price of everything, but the value of nothing."

And this is worth considering when instructing an estate agent to sell your home. On one hand an agent can come in and say they will only charge you, let's say a fee of £1,500 for example. While another agent says they would charge 2 per cent commission on the sale price they achieve. And for example's sake let's also say your property is valued at £800,000.

There are two things to ask yourself here- the first agent has offered a flat fee of £1,500 - that's regardless of whether your home sells for the offered price or less. Where is the incentive for them to negotiate and fight your corner to make sure you get the full asking price and not £700,00 - £750,000? That's literally nothing to them but to you it's a heck of a lot more money in your bank. The agent working off a percentage, like we do, has a huge incentive to get you the asking price.

Which is something we at Courtneys pride ourselves and that our track record shows. In a nutshell a flat fee agent may seem a cheaper option at first - but when you investigate it the agent working on a commission can get you a better selling price putting potentially thousands of pounds extra into your pocket. Also a competent agent who will only earn their commission upon completion of the sale will have knowledge and experience of carrying out sales progression and chain checking (liaising with both parties solicitors and other agents where required) throughout the transaction to keep the deal alive and help push it through to completion in a timeframe that works for all parties.

Contrary to some public opinion not all estate agents are the same. At Courtneys we believe we offer fantastic value as we regularly achieve the best possible prices for our clients which we would love to have a chat with you about if you are thinking of selling. Whether you are selling, buying, letting or renting, we're here to help. Call our team on 0207 275 8000 or email: enq@courtneys-estates.com for expert advice which is honest, accurate and informative.