How to find the best estate agent

Choosing an estate agent to sell your house quickly and for the best price can be complicated. Some will offer you low fees or give an impressively high property valuation, but these can be red flags.

In this guide, we explain the things you need to think about before picking an agent to sell your home, the questions to ask when they visit your property and how to compare estate agents in your area based on past performance. 

Find the right estate agent

Use the free tool from GetAgent to compare estate agents in your local area, based on past performance.

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Video: 5 tips for choosing a great estate agent

This two-minute video features tips from Which?, NAEA Propertymark and property guru Kate Faulkner to help you pick a great estate agent.

How to find an estate agent

Search for an agent that is experienced in selling property like yours - they will have a good pool of potential buyers and know what people are looking for in a property.

Look in the local newspaper and online, but also drive or walk around your area to see which agents are marketing other flats and houses in your neighbourhood. Also, speak to friends, family members and neighbours to see if they can recommend an estate agent.

Shortlist three potential estate agents and invite each to give you a property valuation. 

Getting a good selling price will be top of your list, but don't automatically go with the agent that offers you the highest valuation - they may be overvaluing your property in order to win your business (check out our 'How much is your house worth?' guide for more on this).

Property valuations: what to ask each estate agent

Make sure you check exactly what services each estate agent offers. For example:

• Will they conduct viewings, or will you have to?
• What marketing materials will they prepare (eg floorplans, photographs, online tours)?
• How many relevant buyers do they have on their books, and will they tell them about your property?
• Will they provide a 'for sale' board?

It's important that you check which property portals they will advertise your property on - Rightmove and Zoopla are by far the most popular property listings websites.

Our free checklist gives you a comprehensive list of questions to ask each estate agent before deciding which one to hire. Click the button below to download our free PDF checklist.

How much do estate agents charge?

You should also ask how much they will charge and if there are any contractual clauses to know about, such as tie-in periods.

Estate agent fees can vary from less than 1% to as much as 3.5%, depending on a number of factors - including how many estate agents are selling your property.

You may also be interested in online estate agents, which tend to offer lower fees for a slightly different service.

• Find out more: estate agent fees and contracts - how much you'll pay, and how to haggle

Compare your local estate agents

We've teamed up with estate agent comparison service GetAgent to provide sellers with a way to find the best high-street estate agents, based on past performance. Use their tool for free by providing a few details about your property or read more about how it works. Use of the service is governed by the terms and conditions of GetAgent, which will process your details in accordance with its privacy policy.

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