Do I need to sell my house with more than one agent? The simple answer is “No, definitely not – as long as you use a good agent”.
Dual and multi-agency is a tactic that’s been used for years by Part-Exchange companies, which if you’re looking for a “normal” house sale, is a strong indicator in itself that you shouldn’t.
Why?
Firstly, with most property searches now done online and major property portals such as Rightmove, Zoopla and OnTheMarket, you simply don't need to be on with more than one agent for your home to be seen by all potential buyers. You just need to make sure your agent uses as many of these property websites as possible. At The Property Centre, we use Rightmove, Zoopla, OnTheMarket and Prime Location to ensure maximum exposure for our vendors.
Secondly, when agents ‘multi-list’ a property (and I’ve seen the same house marketed by FOUR different agents, all listed on the same page on Rightmove, at three different prices and with photos ranging from average to absolutely appalling), this will only do one thing – it begs the question ‘I wonder what’s wrong with it?’, which let’s face it, is the last thing you want a potential buyer to think about your home and certainly not what you want if you’re trying to get a good offer. The same logic applies to multiple boards outside a house. Be honest, what’s the first thing that crosses your mind when you pass ‘that’ property?
Thirdly, and make matters even worse, agents will try to charge you more if your home’s on the market with other agents too, based on the possibility that they may not be the agent who sells it.
That demonstrates a complete lack of confidence in their ability to sell your property, which when added to the other reasons, makes the dual and multi-agency option simply not worth it. I’ve also heard horrendous examples of both agents claiming they have introduced the buyer and therby putting the vendor in a very awkward and potentially costly predicament.
Choose the right agent in the first place and you will never need the services of more than one. You can spot a market leader and an Estate Agent who ‘gets the job done’ simply by the number of sold boards they have in your area. Look at their online presence - how do their photos look? All our Valuers are professionally trained photographers and know that how your home appears online is easily the most important and successful way of attracting great quality buyers. Which property websites are they on? Regardless of what you’re told, Rightmove is by far the most popular property portal, but others are becoming more widely used. Another great tip is to note the number of available properties an agent has on Rightmove (search for ‘Agent’, then ‘Available properties’, then tick the ‘Include Under Offer, Sold STC’ button in the filters) – bingo! You’ll be able see their number sold compared to available – the more they have, the better they are at selling houses.
Finally, when was the last time you booked a hotel, holiday or restaurant without scrutinising TripAdvisor first? Choosing your Estate Agent is no different – are they on a review site? And a good, independent one at that - if not, I’d avoid them like the plague. Look for Feefo reviews and read about other people’s experiences, which are increasingly the best indicator of how good (or bad) an agent really is.
In summary, to get your house sold, and at the best possible price, do your research and chose ONE agent. A good estate agent will get you sold without the added cost, hassle and confusion of dealing with more than one and there are plenty out there.
Simon Trippett - Estate Agency Director
